Nanda & Nathan The Travellers: First Time in Chicago

November 16-20, 2012 --- The AAR's annual meeting this year was held in Chicago, and Nathan planned to attend the meeting, so I finally got to visit the city. Nathan had visited Chicago many times during his childhood because one of his aunts lived there. I, on the other hand, had never visited the big city before, and I always wanted to go there to visit my friend from college.

We drove from our home in PA to Chicago in two days. The first day we stopped for a night in Ohio, and we got to Chicago in the evening the next day. It was a boring drive because the landscape was very flat through Indiana and some part of Ohio.

We decided to stay in a suite hotel close to O'Hare airport because we got a good deal for a nice suite with hot buffet breakfast and free shuttle to the subway. It was a little far from the city, but we were very satisfied with the hotel and the service.

Day 1

Our first full day in Chicago was really nice. Nathan didn't have to be at the conference till after lunch, so we took our time and explored the city. The hotel shuttle dropped us off at Cumberland CTA station, and we bought 3-day unlimited ride passes for $14 each. It took about 20 minutes to get to downtown...

We got off at a station near Millennium Park. It's hard to visit Chicago without swinging by "The Bean" in Millennium Park. I was surprised when Nathan said he had never seen/known about it. I have seen it many times on TV and the internet. The park was very beautiful, and a lot of people were hanging around The Bean. Jay Pritzker Pavillion was also a very impressive spot in the park.

Nathan and I strolled along the park to Monroe Harbor in Lake Michigan. It was a very nice, big lake and you couldn't see the other side at all. There were some people sailing on the lake and a lot of people walking along the shoreline. Nathan and I sat on a bench by the lake and had our lunch and breathed in the fresh air. It was such a relaxing time that we normally wouldn't find in a big, bustling city.

After lunch, it was about time to go to McCormick Place for the conference. We decided to walk along the lake all the way to McCormick. It was a nice, long walk as we passed many beautiful gardens. Buckingham Fountain was the most incredible photo spot of the city. Too bad it was closed and no water was running in the fountain. I bet that it is gorgeous in the spring.

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)

Downtown

Millennium Park and Cloud Gate

Jay Pritzker Pavillion

Monroe Harbor, Lake Michigan

Buckingham Fountain

walking to McCormick Place....

Day 2

Our second full day in Chicago was a conference day. Nathan went to the conference while I visited my friend from college. We hadn't seen each other in about 5 years, since he visited me in California in spring 2007.

My friend and I spent the morning at a Thai Buddhist temple for a regular morning ceremony. Then we went to Navy Pier because I wanted to ride on the Ferris Wheel so that I could get a good photos of the city from the air. It was a nice clear day, and there weren't too many people waiting in line for the ride. Chicago was a really nice city to live, work, or just visit. It's so different from NYC in that it's less crowded and the city is more spread out, giving more room for city parks along the lake.

In the afternoon, after Nathan finished with his conference, we all drove to Northwestern University to take a look at the beautiful campus and then drove to Baha'i Temple. It was an amazingly beautiful temple. It was also my first time seeing a place of worship for this religion.

At night we went to Sticky Rice Thai Restaurant and had some Northern Thai food. I would say that the food was generally good but not as good as at the Northern Thai restaurant in Thai Town, Los Angeles.

After dinner, Nathan went to a party with his friends from UCSB while I just hung out with my friends and his roommates in his apartment. I got to know more Thai people who were very nice and friendly, and we all had fun watching a Thai comedy show.

Navy Pier

Baha'i Temple

Day 3

The last full-day in Chicago was a museum day. Nathan didn't have to go to the conference, so we decided to visit the most famous art museum in the city---- The Art Institute of Chicago.

Once we got off the subway, we walked past the Chicago Cultural Center and decided to stop by in case there was something interesting inside. It was pretty interesting. There were free art exhibitions on the first floor and beautiful stained-glass domes on the top floors.

Then Nathan and I walked through Millennium Park to go to The Art Institute of Chicago. It was one of the nicest museums I have ever been to. I liked the Impressionism exhibit the most because they had good collections of Seurat, Van Gogh, Monet and many other famous artists. I also liked the Thorne Minature Rooms section.

At night, Nathan and I had dinner with one of Nathan's friends from high school. Then we just went straight back to our hotel to get a good sleep and be ready for our long drive back home the next day.