Chicago from an Angeleno's Perspective

We spent the past week touring the Midwest, primarily in Chicago, but with stops in Fulton along the Mississippi, and Notre Dame.

Fulton is a charming riverside Midwestern Dutch town, complete with an authentic, working Dutch windmill...and thy're pretty proud about it!

...and no Midwest experience could possibly be complete without a trip to Notre Dame to visit the beautiful, historic campus, and of course get a glimpse of "Touchdown Jesus!"

But eventually one's time with the rental car must come to an end, so on Tuesday we returned our little Rav-4 to O'Hare and trained-it back to the city and our hotel.  The abundance and convenience of the light rail system makes this Angeleno jealous and wondering what it would be like in LA if they never got rid of the red cars...heck, we're just re-doing them as Metro lines, anyway, and a proposal to bring them back to downtown is slated to be on the ballot in November.

Aside from the plethora of public transit, Chicago has a great amount of free activities that the tourist can engage in, so as to keep some extra cash in the pocketbook for a couple of nice nights out.  The Lincoln Park Conservatory and Zoo are excellent free attractions, just north of downtown and a walk down Armitage past a unique neighborhood with historic architecture and tons of little boutiques, about 5 blocks from a Red Line stop.  It's a bit of a walk, especially when it's hot and humid, but it was good for my fat ass to get out and move around, and it'll be good for yours, too.

A Trip to the Chicago Federal Reserve and the Money Museum is also free, and it's a quick walk from Willis Tower, so it's a great little piggy-back activity.  Plus, you can get your picture taken with a million dollars, so why not stop by and learn a little something?  We were also able to check out a free Jazz concert on the lawn at the Shedd Aquarium, followed up by fireworks over Lake Michigan.

Definitely check out a barbecue place, a real Irish Pub, a traditional Chicago-style pizza spot, a Chicago-style tavern, an Original Pancake House, and grab a quick lunch with a sandwich at Jimmy John's (better than Subway, and a great value alternative if you don't like it "Mike's Way").  Chicago has great food!

       We also went to the Speakeasy dinner show at Tommy Gun's Garage.  The wait staff are the acting talent, and they put on one hell of an entertaining show!  It is on the South Side, but by South Side, I mean Cermak west of Chinatown, so it's the equivalent of J-Town or around 9th and Grand.  The neighborhood has undergone some major revitalization, there's a teacher's academy on Cermak, and the road has been re-paved and re-lit.  Nice and safe walk from the Garage to the train, making for a fun night and convenient to not have to designate a driver (or a cab).

Chicago is a great city for an Angeleno or anyone to visit and explore, and there are plenty of things to do!