 More 2019 Adventures |
Joliet → Chicago → Joliet 36.8 mi (59.2 km) |
 Next Day |
It’s a get-up-and-GO kinda day, everyone!
I have arrived in the Windy City of Chicago to explore some history, beauty, and wonder, including the brand new Indiana Dunes National Park. The storm clouds are brewing overhead, but I’m anxious to see as much as I can in the city that Frank Sinatra called his kind of town!
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Did you know that Route 66 started its 2,448-mile route here in 1926? At the corner of Adams Street and Michigan Avenue, a commemorative sign welcomes roadtrippers and invites them on a journey west to the Santa Monica Pier!
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While enjoying the sign, I heard some commotion behind me, just beyond the edge of the Magnificent Mile, and I saw what looked like a beaver running across the street into historic Grant Park! It’s been so long, that I’d almost lost hope of seeing George again. Could it be?
Grant Park was bustling with people, all staring at their phones as they meandered between some unusual environments, like a Winter Forest, Spooky Woods, and a Sandy Desert! I wondered what the heck could be going on, and then I saw some signs for something called Pokémon Go Fest!
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I spotted the beaver running among the feet and chased him down, splashing through puddles growing in the intensifying drizzle!
“George?” I called out.
“Bidoof?” he called back.
I’m not sure what this fellow was trying to say, but all I heard was “Bidoof.” He was very nice, though, and we walked around the park until somebody threw a red and white ball at him, and he disappeared, leaving behind a weird little Bidoof-colored candy! That gave me quite a scare, and I scurried off just in time for the City of Chicago to evacuate the 15,000 players in the park because of an incoming severe thunderstorm! I’m not sure where everyone went, but I was lucky enough to find shelter for two hours inside an Ice Cream on Wheels truck!
Luckily, the severe thunderstorm wasn’t, and eventually, folks did get the all-clear to return to their game. I walked around a little more, but it wasn’t as fun without my new friend, Bidoof. Instead of sticking around, I headed north to Millennium Park to check out one of Chicago’s must-sees: Cloud Gate, otherwise known as “The Bean!”
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This reflective sculpture was the work of British artist, Anish Kapoor, who submitted the proposal for it as the city laid out plans for Millennium Park. Since it wasn’t finished until 2006, two years after Millennium Park opened, grumpy visitors quickly named it “The Bean,” which has stuck!
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Since it was still drizzly and dark, I realized I wasn’t going to see much more of the Windy City tonight, so I pulled up a patch of grass at the Jean Pritzker Pavilion, designed by Frank Gehry, who also designed the Walt Disney Concert Hall back home, for an evening of symphonic Beethoven!
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There’s no way yet to control the weather, so for now, I’m happy to have sampled some of Chicago’s sights. Hopefully tomorrow will be better when I meet up with my friend, Brett, for a double dip into some Midwestern National Park sites!
Have an easy breezy one!
More 2019 Adventures |
Total Ground Covered: 36.8 mi (59.2 km) |
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