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Five favorite things about my Chicago vacation
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One of the great benefits of living in Baltimore isn't actually about the city at all. It's Southwest Airlines. Say what you will about their lack of seat assignments, they are an efficient - and inexpensive - airline and we're lucky to have a hub at BWI.
We were feeling especially lucky late last fall, when we learned that our friend Sam's wedding would take place in Chicago over New Year's. Sam and his now-wife live in Michigan and their guests live all over the country, so they chose Chicago for its central location and general awesomeness.
This was my fourth trip to the city - two business and two pleasure - and the second time I'd visited during winter. While not the ideal time to visit the Windy City, the weather wasn't as cruel as it could've been and we were still able to walk around outside.
Overall, it was a great trip. If you're planning one of your own, here are my top five favorite things about vacationing in Chicago:
Cooper and me in front of the river. Photo by Kevin Martin.
1. Getting there. As I mentioned before, it's really easy to book a flight between Baltimore and Chicago, and it's not terribly expensive at all. The BWI-to-Midway flight runs about five times a day and it costs around $250 round trip. It's only a two-hour flight, and you gain an hour on the way. BWI's Southwest terminal is nice and security is friendly. Midway is equally (if not more) friendly and once you arrive in Chicago, it's easy to get downtown on the El train.
2. Nice hotels. For this trip, we stayed at the Westin River North, a pretty and nice hotel with a view of the Chicago River. The wedding took place in the same hotel. While occasionally the hotel staff seemed a little dim, the hotel itself was very pretty and well-appointed, the bartenders were friendly and the wedding food was surprisingly good. Also, a similar hotel in Baltimore probably would have cost 50% more.
3. The architecture. I first took note of Chicago's amazing architecture when I saw the movie The Fugitive. I didn't know anything about architecture at the time, but I did know that I was impressed by what I saw. The city is a hotbed of innovative 20th century architecture, including Marina City, the iconic mixed use development designed by Bertrand Goldberg in the late 1950's (if it looks familiar, it might be because the buildings grace the cover of the Wilco album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot). I first took notice of Marina City last spring, when Goldberg was profiled in Dwell, but I hadn't seen them in person until this trip - when they were right across the street from the hotel. They were outrageously cool. If architecture is at all your thing, Chicago is a must-visit city.
Cooper's prime rib. Photo by Kit Pollard.
4. Room service. OK, the food from room service wasn't all that great. And it definitely wasn't Chicago-specific. But it is awfully nice to sit around watching movies and having someone bring you a cheeseburger as breakfast. Cooper and I flexed our lazy muscles this trip, doing as little as possible. No Alinea or Tru for us (though hopefully one day). While our friends walked the whole city and waited the interminable (but apparently worth-it) wait for deep-dish pizza at Giordano's, we ordered "still in the theater" movies (they are, by the way, not actually movies that are still in the theater) and drank $4 sodas. We wouldn't do this every trip, mind you, because Chicago is a really great city. But for these few days, the rest was fantastic.
5. Meat, meat, meat. Chicago is not exactly a vegetarian's town. Oh, I'm sure there are great vegetarian options available, but for any carnivore, it's hard to pass up that terrific Midwestern meat. The rehearsal dinner was held at Smith & Wollensky, just across the street from the hotel, at the base of the Marina City complex. We were in a beautiful private room with a fireplace on one side and a wall of windows looking over the river on the other. All of the elements of dinner were great, from the passed hors d'oeuvres to the wine to the fantastic service. But the meat was the star of the show. I had a 14 ounce filet and Cooper had the largest piece of prime rib I've ever seen (he finished it, too). Start to finish, it was an amazing meal, especially considering that we were a part of a large group.
You know what else is great about Chicago? We'll go back again - it's an easy central meeting spot for us, Sam and his wife Stacey and our California friends Kevin and Kristie. Our next trip will be my fifth visit to the city, but probably not my last. But it's such a fun, interesting city, with such nice people, that it won't ever feel boring or repetitive.
Plus, there's always the meat.
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