Walkin’ the Windy City

What a great day!  After getting settled in our room at the Belden-Stratford, we set out for adventure on foot.  By the way, some hotels are just places to rest your head at night.  Then there’s the Belden-Stratford.  Thanks to a great deal on Orbitz, we got a room for a song!  Here’s the view from our window:

Our stroll started out with finding a cafe, where we both enjoyed cups of delicious espresso–just enough to give us a lift for an afternoon walk.  After finding the bus stop, we rode the 151 down to the Art Institute, only to discover that the day they are open late (Thursday) had changed from what the guidebook had said (Tuesday).  So we decided to spend some time in delightful Millenium Park.  One of the most fun experiences was a pair of glass block fountains which contained LED projections of faces of the people of Chicago.  The children especially enjoyed playing in the water, and interacting with the fountain, who at one time spit water out at them!

The new music pavillion designed by Frank Gehry was stunning and playful!

One of my favorite moments was catching wonderful jazz singer Maggie Brown on the terrace of the Contemporary Museum of Art.

two can dream a dream together...

After a scurry back to our hotel for a quick change, we picked up the pace and arrived late (gasp) for our reservation at Bistro Zinc. No worries, they accomodated us just fine.  This is as close as you can get to the authentic Paris bistro experience here across the pond.  What a delicious dinner, with incredible food start to finish, and a lovely conversation with a couple next to us from Dublin, Ireland.

Wave (Jobim)

Be well, and at peace,

Phil

Explore posts in the same categories: architecture, art, creative stuff, food, Life, Meditation, music, Photography, travel