Travel Day 41 to Chicago, IL 8/26/21 Last stop on Lake Michigan! 1550 NM !!

We arrived early to Chicago. When we got to our assigned slip we noticed it was occupied. We tied off to a the next t-head and went into the office. The dockhands decided to let us stay where we were which benefited us since Mary and Chris were on the same pier. Being on the end gave us stunning views of the lake.

After checking in and getting most of our packages (thanks to Amazon) we settled in. One of our packages got lost at the Columbia Yacht club. Of course it was the one Hal was especially interested in because it had the new winch he ordered for the tender. Hal contacted Amazon and reordered the items.

The Wrigley Building

Conferring! Where is that Chicago place?

Found it!

For dinner, we strolled the Riverwalk to Michigan Ave and climbed the staircase up to the city. We all wanted deep dish pizza and Lou Malnati's was highly recommended. After a 40 minute wait we were seated. We ordered parmesan chicken wings, the Malnati salad and all had individual pizzas. Everyone agreed that the chicken wings were the best we ever ate. The pizzas were delicious and Chris and Hal took home their leftovers.

Strolling along The Riverwalk at night felt safe and very well lit up. The river was busy with various tour boats and recreational boats.

Somehow I convinced Hal to take a walk with me (it was only 104 degrees). I wanted to go see "The Bean". The app for directions gets confused since there are several levels in Chicago. It routed us through a smelly, dirty tunnel to get to Millennium Park. Fortunately we were able to find an entrance and then a park map to locate Could Gate. After a short walk we had success. After the park we went to Mariano's Market. That was also a feat to find. I eventually asked someone for directions. We didn't buy much since we had to carry it back to the boat. Hal was not a happy camper by this time so we chilled in the a/c for a while and then went to relax on Mary and Chris's boat in the shade.

On Saturday we took an adventurous 4.8 mile bike ride to Wrigley Field. I am so grateful I upgraded to an electric bike. Unfortunately we were unable to take a tour inside the ballpark as they were preparing for a concert. After a ride around the building we had a nice lunch before we headed back. Along the way we stopped to admire the beaches, park and city sights. Chris and Mary jumped in for a quick cool down.

Fire house near Wrigley Field.

Buddha head statues in the park.

Hal and I hosted docktails that afternoon inside since was over 100 degrees. Karen and Ron from Knot Ready, Russ and Carol from Spirit and of course Mary and Chris sat around discussing the travels along the route. That evening there were fireworks and we had front row seats since we were at the t-head. Afterward we met some men on a 1988 14 meter Trojan International. After a tour and champagne on their boat we gave them a tour of Gemini. Nice people.

The head of Navy Pier.

Chicago Harbor Lock.

On Sunday we decided to divide and conquer. Hal took an Uber to a Home Depot for his latest toy, a Milwaukee leaf blower. This is to get rid of the annoying midges that have been plaguing us. I went to Mariano's again with the cart to get some supplies, like Snapple. In the afternoon we went on a fireboat architectural tour of the city. It was a quiet ride and allowed us to see where we would be headed the next day. It afforded Hal the opportunity to see it without worrying about piloting. Afterwards we prepared the boat for the trip through the city. Mast and ladder had to be taken down and secured.

All in all it was a nice fulfilled few days in Chicago.

Sunrise as we leave Lake Michigan and Chicago.