Chicago pt1

Early start this morning. Was on the tourist trail from 7am to make the most of my time in the city.

First stop was Millennium Park where this work of art mesmerises everyone who sets eyes on it.

These water features are stunning too. When they are in full flow, the images of over 1000 Chicago residents appear on them 

I met up with Joe Hollencamp who is one of many volunteers who act as Chicago Greeters and we toured the fascinating cultural centre and saw some of the architecture of The Loop area

My next tour took me to two of the many 'village areas' of Chicago, Bucktown and Wicker Park. Until the early 1980's these were very run down areas of the city however, over time there has been a lot of investment in the area. Indeed some houses that were bought for $25,000 30 years ago are now worth over $1 million! 

The Chicago Food Planet tour took the group to 6 local businesses. One was George's Hot Dogs, which has been on the same site for 65 years

We also visited a pizzeria/brewery, deli and a fascinating Icecream shop called I Cream, where they claim they can create over 1 million flavour variations of their nitrogen acted ice creams

I also visited the famous Navy Pier which was buzzing with people enjoying their Labor Day weekend

It is a huge complex of eateries, entertainment venues and fairground rides. However, you also get some great views of the Chicago skyline 

USA bound

Early start this morning and my first sight of the united plane was from the business lounge at belfast international

I was allocated an Economy Plus seat, promising extra legroom and more Onboard tv channels.

I was astounded at what I found.  A good selection of favourite shows; Frasier, Everybody loves Raymond and diners, drive-ins and dives as well as many new release and classic movies. With the great entertainment and frequent refreshment and food offerings (included), the 7 hours on board quite literally flew by.

Despite hearing nightmare stories of long queues at immigration in newark, our flight struck lucky and arrived to an empty waiting area.

Within 30mins of disembarking, I'd been through immigration, collected my bag and was making my way to the United Club lounge to wait for my transfer to Chicago

This was a seriously impressive lounge. Great views of the airport, plenty of seating, and more importantly, power outlets to recharge my batteries (and those of the camera & ipad!)

On arrival in Chicago, the baggage was off-loaded quickly and the signage to the CTA blue line Tain was easy to follow. The $5 trip took me through the suburbs and to within a block of my hotel in the Loop area.