Heading West from Washington is not that easy as one would think. You can go to California via all sorts of routes. We have chosen the Northern route, another good advice of Hugh. Leaving out the South entirely was not an easy decision leaving a few teardrops behind. The history around the Civil War offers endless reasons to explore the South and comparing it to the North. Though the South is rich in history we decided for the North as it is rich in nature and national parks. We have spent enough time in concrete ceiled cities, the summer can begin and will begin in the wilderness of Wyoming´s Yellow Stone National Park, but before we are still thrilled to see Chicago. Erected on the shore of Lake Michigan, many Swedish and German immigrants had founded their new life on working in one of the numerous butcheries. Easy put the process of growing cattle in the great plains, fed by the corn of the Midwest, butchered in Chicago and sold by merchants in the East, depicts one of the first large scale national business models in the United States. Today Chicago has an important business district itself and a highly recognizable business school.
Due to our late arrival time of 7.30pm in Chicago and the plan to head out early the next morning we did not have much time to explore the city. We passed by the Millenium Park where a few hundred families would gather in front of a huge screen to watch the Jungle Book. Besides the big ass screen, there was a lot of art dispersed throughout the park. The park itself is enclosed by the Chicago Museum of Art and a theater. The elegantly swung BP bridge connects the Millenium Park with the waterfront of Lake Michigan. After check-marking the obligatory sightseeing tour we felt it was time to dine. So we asked our host for that night Paul Coogan where to get the best pizza in town. Paul, I know from my time in San Francisco when interning for the Eviction Defense Collaborative (EDC). Paul used to work for the EDC, too, and is a close friend of my cousin Patrick. They two will maybe start their own little roadtrip in about a week from now when Paul is finished with his bar exam. Coming back to where we ate last night, Paul recommended us to try out Giordano´s famous stuffed pizza. We thought it was more a cake than a pizza. It was stuffing, no doubt about that, though stuffed means there is about an inch of a layer of cheese combined with a lot of other stuff. We chose the salami & balsamic onion version of a stuffed pizza with garlic cheese bread as a starter. Next time and for all other reading this right now, I can only recommend to omit a starter, especially if it involves cheese. You will eat so much cheese on your slice of pizza that one piece alone will be enough to serve as a solid basis for a night going out.
After stuffing ourselves with stuffed pizza we decided it was time for a quick walk around the city center. It was a chilled evening, we were almost feeling a bit cold in our summer gear. When you walk around Chicago downtown at late evening you will notice that this is saxophone city. We saw at least three saxophone players within a quarter mile filling the chilled air with good mood. Going to bed early, we left Chicago the next morning to Nebraska.
Due to our late arrival time of 7.30pm in Chicago and the plan to head out early the next morning we did not have much time to explore the city. We passed by the Millenium Park where a few hundred families would gather in front of a huge screen to watch the Jungle Book. Besides the big ass screen, there was a lot of art dispersed throughout the park. The park itself is enclosed by the Chicago Museum of Art and a theater. The elegantly swung BP bridge connects the Millenium Park with the waterfront of Lake Michigan. After check-marking the obligatory sightseeing tour we felt it was time to dine. So we asked our host for that night Paul Coogan where to get the best pizza in town. Paul, I know from my time in San Francisco when interning for the Eviction Defense Collaborative (EDC). Paul used to work for the EDC, too, and is a close friend of my cousin Patrick. They two will maybe start their own little roadtrip in about a week from now when Paul is finished with his bar exam. Coming back to where we ate last night, Paul recommended us to try out Giordano´s famous stuffed pizza. We thought it was more a cake than a pizza. It was stuffing, no doubt about that, though stuffed means there is about an inch of a layer of cheese combined with a lot of other stuff. We chose the salami & balsamic onion version of a stuffed pizza with garlic cheese bread as a starter. Next time and for all other reading this right now, I can only recommend to omit a starter, especially if it involves cheese. You will eat so much cheese on your slice of pizza that one piece alone will be enough to serve as a solid basis for a night going out.
After stuffing ourselves with stuffed pizza we decided it was time for a quick walk around the city center. It was a chilled evening, we were almost feeling a bit cold in our summer gear. When you walk around Chicago downtown at late evening you will notice that this is saxophone city. We saw at least three saxophone players within a quarter mile filling the chilled air with good mood. Going to bed early, we left Chicago the next morning to Nebraska.