CHICAGO

SEPTEMBER 2-4, 2009

After flying a passenger to Chicago to attend the Oprah show, we knew we would have a full day to go explore the city. There happened to be a rescheduled Cubs vs. White Sox day game so we thought we would jump on the train and head down to Wrigley Field.

When we got there the streets were packed. There were plenty of tickets out there to buy but we decided to wait until the game started and the prices dropped. We headed down the main street near the field where there were tons of restaurants and bars. After overcrowded bar after bar we found a great mexican place to grab lunch.

On our way back to the field we found some general admission seats in the bleachers. When we got in we could not find a seat anywhere. Attendance was over 40,000 and it was an absolutely beautiful day out. We finally found some seats at the top where we could stand and lean against the fence and have a great view.

There was so much rivalry in the crowd, I would say 50/50 White Sox and Cubs fans. We saw a fight break out and a lot of taunting. It was nice to see so many energetic, crazy, fanatic fans. The White Sox ended up winning the game.

After the game there were tons of guys in the street making music on buckets. There would be 2-6 guys in a group drawing a crowd to marvel in their talents. Check out the video below (sorry its going the wrong direction and for the idiot at the end). The streets were flooded with people and there were vendors on every corner selling memorabilia.

After the game we headed back on the train and decided to go explore downtown Chicago. We walked to the Navy Pier which had a museum, some restaurants, a ferris wheel, carousel, etc. There were also boats coming in and out of the harbor.

We went in search of the Sears Tower and along the way we got some great views of the city. The architecture is just absolutely breathtaking.

It was cool to see the famous Chicago theater where Steely Dan happened to be playing.

After walking block after block in search of the Sears Tower, we finally found it, except now it is called the Willis Tower. Jerry and I ventured up to the Skyledge which is 103 floors up. There are 360 degree views of the city along with glass floored observation points where you can look down 103 floors to the ground below you.

The views were amazing and when we finally stepped in the ledge it was really scary. You could feel it the glass shake underneath you and when you look down it seems as if you are going to fall. The illusion can mentally freak you out.

What really scared me was when we were at the train station and saw a huge black widow. Chris pretended like he was going to throw it at me and I screamed at the top of my lungs and ran...I hate spiders! Pilots think they are so funny. It made for a good laugh at least.