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.......







....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.......







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







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







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







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







....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..........







......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..............






Uncle Hans