My family and I headed to downtown Chicago to celebrate my younger brother’s birthday. It started with brunch at the Wit Hotel. Here is the view from the 27th floor.
What I ate 😊:
We took in a show at the James M. Nederlander Theatre on Randolph Street. (We saw Six if you are curious.)
No trip to Chicago is complete without the view from the lake.
Other sites around the Loop:
A great time was had by all!
Have you been to Chicago? What was your favorite city spot? If you haven’t been, what part of Chicago would you like to see that you’ve heard about?
Photos by L. Marie.
El Space--The Blog of L. Marie 
Never been to Chicago. Looks like fun. If there’s a zoo, I’m interested.
Yes, what Michael Roman said. There are two great zoos: Brookfield Zoo and Lincoln Park Zoo.
Cool. Kind of like how we have multiple zoos here. Wonder what the difference is.
Lincoln Park Zoo is smaller than Brookfield, which has more land.
Zoos? There are two.
Yes two wonderful zoos!
I’ve been to Chicago multiple times when our kids lived there. I also took my mother there when her first grandson was born. She just stared and stared when she viewed the city from a top floor of the Hancock building. A country girl, she was not accustomed to skyscrapers.
I enjoy the sturdy architecture of the city, and of course the Bean! 😀
The Bean is fun! Did you take the architecture tour when you were here, Marian? It is one of the best tours in the city.
We took a boat tour, which I’m sure included architecture.
A lot of the boat tours do. There is a specific architecture tour that is just about architecture and the history of Chicago.
I don’t think I’ve ever been to that theater. It looks gorgeous. Our city is so pretty. Chicago has always been in my heart, even when I moved away for all those years.
Lori, you might have been there. It used to be called the Oriental Theatre.
Oh, and happy birthday to your bro. So glad your family was able to get together to celebrate.
Yes, we had a great day in Chicago. I hadn’t been there in a while. 😄
😀
It was a fun day!
Happy b-day to your brother! A day in the loop is always an adventure! I remember the best deli underneath the El bridge station beside the Chicago Theater (the iconic photo you posted). Not just the meats, but the bread – oh wow. Anyway, I also remember the Oriental Theater in general – specifically I remember the Schubert Theater that my family would go to occasionally for special matinees – meaning, it was user friendly towards families & their budgets to aid in getting us ‘culture’! 🙂
I also remember around the time the John Hancock building was close to being finished, our 8th grade (?) class took a field trip to see Zero Mostel in Fiddler on the Roof. This was a big deal for sure.
Yeah, my family went shopping at Marshall Field’s, Carson Pirre (sp) Scott, etc…Oh I should mention we actually bought items in their Basement Sales!!! Very different dynamic, but what memories. Oh and don’t get me going on the hawkers on Maxwell Street! And then all the museums and their free days & school field trips…I don’t know how it is now, but you didn’t have to be rich or even middle class to take part in the many cool things Chicago had to offer as a ‘big city’.
More of course, but this is way too long – thanks for the memory jog, L.Marie.
ps-I think most of these places have new names, sorry about that!
ps-the basement sales were literally in the dark basements of the buildings, and none too clean or tidy! Just to clarify.
I get it! Remember Filene’s Basement? A lot brighter looking.
Oh yeah! 😉
Laura, I have very similar memories. And your comment was not too long! 😄😊
I was born in Chicago, so I remember all of the places you mentioned. My brother, sister-in-law, and I talked about Carson Pirie Scott and Marshall Field. Our parents used to take us downtown to look at the windows, which were decorated at Christmas. There was quite the rivalry between Marshall Field and Carson. Thousands of people would show up downtown on State Street just to look at the windows. And I also went to the Oriental Theater (which is now the James M. Nederlander theater) for shows. As we drove around, we were saddened to see that the Buckingham Fountain had been shut off due to vandalism early that morning. 😖
Oh I love this! hugs and wishes for plenty of memories & happy times to come in our Windy City!
It looks like you had a great celebration of your brother’s birthday.
My oldest daughter lived there when her husband was getting his MBA at the University of Chicago. They had two toddlers at the time, so I spent most of my time in their neighborhood. I did see the lake and a bit of the downtown. Now the former toddlers are in their late twenties.
It is a great city in which to grow up. I was glad to grow up there.😄
As you know, I’ve been to Chicago. We hung out together! I’m hoping to return in the next time the American Library Association holds its Annual Conference there.
Hope to see you then, Lyn!
I’ve been to Chicago once with friends who lived on the outskirts. But I’m not a city person, so no favorite spots to share. 😀
I hope you’ll visit again, Nancy. But I get it. It is expensive and crowded. When I lived there, my car insurance was double what I pay now. The city taxes are high!!
Thank you for taking us along, L. Marie! I’ve never been to Chicago. My husband was there for work many years ago … in the winter … lol. But he loved the city, had a lot of fun when he wasn’t working.
I haven’t been to Chicago in years, yet some of my fondest vacation memories revolve around it. Your adventure looks like fun.
Thanks for sharing – I like to see places I’ve heard so much about but never visited.