Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Chicago


Renee and I made the trip into Chicago via Amtrak this past weekend.  She had never done the train or been to Chicago as a destination.  We got on the train in Tomah, Wisconsin.  It is an "automated" station, which is a politically correct way of saying it is so small that no one actually works there.  We had a little time "snafu" and arrived with only a few minutes to spare.  You just loiter along the tracks at the depot and the train stops and swoops you up like a subway.  No Check-in, no security, no agents,...........weird.......



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....our room was at the Buckingham Athletic Club, the top floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange.  It is a small hotel set up for brokers and businessmen during he week that is virtually unused on the weekend.  It is right downtown, 4 blocks from Union Station (where Amtrak lands), two blocks from the Sears tower (now Called the Willis tower after some British guy who recently bought it),  4 blocks from State street, 6 block from Michigan avenue.  Renee found it on Expedia and signed up because it was cheap.  She won the lottery.  This is the view out the window at night.......



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......this is the view out of the lounge with some trick photography that turned out really well......



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....we immediately set out for the "Miracle Mile", the downtown shopping area.  This is State street.........



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....People were collected around the windows at Macy's, which had just been uncovered for the holidays.........



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....."Circ" was in town........



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....Still, we found a little bar, like the kind we like, called Streeters.  Amazing how a little neighborhood bar like this exists in the skyscraper area.  It was a little pricey, but felt like home..........



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......We proceeded to the top of the Hancock Building to have a drink at the top.  I will continue with that on the next blog.  I leave you with a close up photo, both these last two pictures were taken out of our hotel room window..............



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Uncle Hans

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