Route 66 Blog. Day 2

There are a number of reasons given for Chicago being called "The Windy City" and none of them refer to the fact that the wind does indeed often blow a gale coming down from the north over the massive body of water that is Lake Michigan.

Without going into needless detail, suffice it to say that it carries it's monicker due to the fact that the City's politicians have historically been accused of creating a lot of hot air in its governmental debating chambers. In other words there has been a hell of a lot of fillibustering going on over the years.

So, now that I have blown that myth away, so to speak, this city has taken my breath away.

It's skyline, with it's varied architectural styles is a thing of wonder and beauty.

A recent passenger of mine in London, on a visit from her hometown, town me that Chicago has a similar feel to New York, but without the dirt and the grime. I have visited "The Big Apple" on three occasions and I totally agree with her comparison:

The Herald Tribune Building

Trump Tower

The Wrigley Building

View from The Willis Tower. The highest viewing point in The U.S.

We visited the starting point of Route 66 and took a few photos before we head off on the open road to Springfield and the home of Abraham Lincoln in the morning.

The main part of our day centred around an architectural river cruise. What a perfect way to see the city as our boat snaked between most of the towering skyscrapers on the Chicago River.

Accompanied by a local guide, who's slick, very informative commentary explained the history and different architectural styles. It was a real highlight of our day. It was a unique and very comfortable way of taking in so many sites in just a ninety minute tour. Well done "Wendellas River Boat Tours"

We also visited the The Cloud Gate in The Millennium Park by British artist Anish Kapoor. Absolutely amazing. The 110 ton elliptical sculpture is forged of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates, which reflect Chicago's famous skyline and the clouds above. A twelve foot high arch provides a "gate" to the concave chamber beneath the sculpture, inviting visitors to touch it's mirror like surface and see their image reflected back from a number of perspectives.

We were so lucky with the weather today, which enabled us to view the masterpiece in all it's shining glory (apologies for the pun/cliche).

Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor

We rounded off our day with a visit to Buddy Guy's "Legends" Chicago Blues Club in "The Loop" District.

What a great night. We saw the house band performing the Wednesday Jam Session.

Jaw dropping standard of musicianship in a "Blues Brothers" style. What a sound. Chicago Blues at it's best.

So that was Chicago, pretty much in a day.

Playlist