This was the trip that started my obsession with traveling. Steve was in Wisconsin for 3 weeks for Army training while I was stuck in the apartment by myself with no car, no friends and no family to keep me company. He came back home about 2 weeks into his training and said “I got a rental car and we’re going to Chicago.” Chicago was only a 4 hour drive from where we lived in Northern Kentucky. The plan was to make a little day trip to Chicago on the way back to Wisconsin where I would stay with him for his last week.
That night we attempted to get a few hours of sleep- that didn’t happen. It was almost midnight and we still found ourselves awake, tossing and turning. We decided to get up, pack my things and leave for Chicago at 1am.
We arrived in Chicago around 5am, just in time for the sunrise! I can’t even begin to explain how we felt when we saw the skyline for the first time. It was the most amazing thing we have ever seen, and that is no exaggeration!
That night we attempted to get a few hours of sleep- that didn’t happen. It was almost midnight and we still found ourselves awake, tossing and turning. We decided to get up, pack my things and leave for Chicago at 1am.
We arrived in Chicago around 5am, just in time for the sunrise! I can’t even begin to explain how we felt when we saw the skyline for the first time. It was the most amazing thing we have ever seen, and that is no exaggeration!
We immediately drove to Northerly Island Park to watch the sunrise. We
stayed there to walk around and take photos for about an hour.
When we were done at Northerly Island Park we drove around the city to take in the views. If you’re going to drive around Chicago, 6am is the best time to do it. The lighting on the buildings is beautiful and there are almost no cars on the road. We even did a quick drive on Navy Pier. I’m really not sure if you’re supposed to drive on the pier but it was 6am and no one was there. We sort of accidentally found ourselves on the pier, so I wouldn’t recommend driving on it purposely.
We returned to Northerly
Island Park at 8am and took a quick nap while we waited for the Shedd
Aquarium to open at 9am. Unfortunately it was the weekend so the
aquarium was PACKED. But we got in line as soon as it opened so the wait
wasn’t very long for us.
The aquarium was pretty
large and had everything you’d expect an aquarium to have. Fish and
overpriced food. I was a bit disappointed that they didn’t have a tunnel
you could walk through like the Newport Aquarium had in Northern KY. I
was also a bit iffy about the dolphin show. Dolphins are adorable but I
can’t help but feel badly for them. I watched the Documentary The Cove
and the dolphins were captured from their natural habitat and sold. The
others who weren’t bought were slaughtered and sold for their meet. I’m
not sure where the Shedd Aquarium got their dolphins but it makes me
wonder… But the aquarium is a very good time and I recommend it if you
ever find yourself in Chicago. Overall I had an amazing time in Chicago
and I would love to go back soon for an extended weekend.
