SMELLY ONION

11-12 June 2013: Days 28 & 29 of 43 – Chicago ILLINOIS (State 16). 

Overnights in Chicago ILLINOIS. 

Period 657km, Total 11,286km. 

Back in 1673 a bunch of French fur traders wanting to do business from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico via Lake Michigan and the Mississippi came across a small indigenous settlement called “Chikagua” which means “Smelly Onion” in the language of the indigenous Potawatomi tribe that occupied the area for thousands of years. A small plant that would rot in the humid summer sun and smell like a bad onion was the inspiration. By 1803 the English had taken over and built the European settlement out of wood. They wish they hadn’t.

Chicago 1 burnt to the ground over 3 days in October of 1871. Chicagoans say that this was the best thing to happen to the city since it was a chance to replan it for the future. Instead of a messy, random city grew a grid-system full of skyscrapers aptly called Chicago 2. Given Chicago’s position on Lake Michigan, trade and shipping between the USA and Canada grew exponentially and people flocked to live in Chicago. For this reason a sea captain called Sreeter created landfill out of the rubble of Chicago 1 and built up into the sky to accommodate the growing businesses. For this reason they say skyscrapers were born in Chicago and I believe it. The first one when up in 1885! The skyline is full of them in every shape, height and colour. Chicago is the USA’s third largest city with 9.7 million people and very multicultural. Lake Michigan is a freshwater lake the size of Ireland with a maximum depth of 250ft (76m). The five great lakes of North America, collectively supply 20% of the continents fresh water. Lake Michigan itself is the only great lake totally in the USA. It took us 5hrs to drive here from Amish country and when we arrived we couldn’t wait to hit downtown. We started with a walk along the “Magnificent Mile”, Michigan Ave containing the crème-de-la-crème of high brand shopping. Having visited Chicago six times for work during 1988-1992 I had to take everyone to Giordano’s for the quintessential dish of the city – Chicago Stuffed Pizza – massive fillings – massive taste.

We died and went to heaven. After this we walked it off to the John Hancock building for cocktails on level 96, 1,000ft (305m) above the city (same as the very top of the Syndey Westfield Tower Antenna). It was terrific. We watched the sunset on a city that lights up way into the horizon on one side and the total darkness of Lake Michigan on the other – an awesome sight that only a picture can capture. Our hotel was out near O’Hare on the first night but downtown on Michigan Avenue on the second night just 2 streets away from the actual starting point of Route 66!!! The best way to see Chicago in a short time frame is from a boat on the river or from a double decker bus or both. We did both.

The Architecture River Tour with Skyline Lake Tours for 60min starting at Michigan Avenue Dock was very informative and a great way to film and see the city. The variety of styles is amazing. Dominating is Art Deco and Post Modern. The most interesting was the development of the skyscraper and the various methods of securing the building on what is soft ground under the Chicago pavement. We saw building designed by Meis van der Rohe, Helmut Jahn, Adrian Smith & Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and of course Frank Lloyd Wright.

Interesting highlights include a tall chimney that was meant to connect to an airship (Drigible) but abandoned when the Hindenburg exploded. Another is an abandoned site that was meant to contain a building even taller than the Burj Khalifa and designed by the same guy. The other interesting fact is that the river is actually below lake Michigan by design so that no sewerage or storm water flows into the Lake which is the drinking water supply for Chicago. The sun came out so we decided to hop on (but not hop off) onto the double decker bus that circles the entire downtown. Thirteen stops in 2hrs without hopping off.

We had to hop off after a couple of stops since our tour guides assessment of what we were looking at was limited to “awesome” and “neat” – no facts – no interesting historical gossip. The next guide jumped off for lunch and the third was good. The view from the top deck is terrific but I almost lost my head when going under bridges and trees!!! Some interesting facts include Lake Michigan being grave to over 100 fighter aircraft crashed and sunk in the lake because the lake was used as a training location for new marine pilots landing fighters on aircraft carriers during WWII. Did not know this. Also we were told the “Windy City” nickname of Chicago is not because of the weather but because Chicago citizens are “full of hot air” and always bragging about their city. Come here in winter and you will learn the truth for yourself – even today when we were on the bus – as soon as we went lakeside the temperature dropped by 50% and everyone received an instant blow-wave.

Since my last visit to Chicago I noticed that the regional airport on the lake was replaced by a new baseball field and that hundreds of new high-rise apartments had gone up everywhere rather like Docklands in Melbourne but slimmer and twice the height. The show piece is the new Trump Tower completed in 2007 with over 5,000 residence topped by a $32m penthouse. It is located where the North and South river tributaries meet near the Tribune Building meaning that you can see it from most city streets. It is now the second largest building in Chicago after the “Willis Tower”, formerly called the “Sears Tower” and built in 1972. The insurance broker Willis Group Holdings bought the naming rights in 2009 under protest from most citizens. It is 1,454ft (443m) high which is 103 stories but still only half the height of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai which is today the tallest in the world. 

I must say that for a city that was built in the late 1880’s it looks a lot older since so much has happened in the city. Our hotel on Michigan Avenue was the roomiest so far but the only one where we had to pay for Wi-Fi. It is two block down from The Hilton where Queen Elizabeth II stayed and it looks over Lake Michigan. It was another break night that night so Bubba Gump decided to dine at another Chicago landmark that I recalled from early visits – Portillos for “Italian Beef” and “Custard Ice Cream”. The former is a huge baguette filled with grilled fillet beef and chilli vegies and the latter is ice cream made with eggs (and milk). We walked the 3km home to burn it off. Delicious but deadly. What a day. Next up – Route 66 leaving the following morning but with a twist… read “ROUTE 66 CONVOY” below. 

STOP PRESS: ROUTE 66 CONVOY: 

We will be doing all of Route 66 in two cars! We all decided we needed the extra space after 4 weeks in the convertible and half of us want to do all the old road while the other half only snippets with more time in the overnight towns. No prizes for guessing which way round – guys on old and gals on town! We picked up an electric blue 4-door, 1.6L 4 cylinder, auto, air, Hyundai Accent for the gals from National in downtown Chicago on 12 June. Bubba Gump would leave Thu 13 June and the gals decided to stay an extra day in Chicago. This means we would meet up for dinner in St Louis on 14 June and every night after that. Bubba Gump also have a boat load of interviews and photos to accomplish along the way and this CONVOY set up ensures we can do it without delaying Thelma and Louise. The ladies took our original female voice TomTom called Savannah (introduced to you in our first blog post). Bubba Gump bought another TomTom with male voice that we now lovingly call "Samson", in honour of Savannah...