Chicago Day 4.

Day four in Chicago was a sweaty one. The heat and humidity left me with a signature Chicago "sticky" feeling that I got to carry around all day. Thanks, windy city!

That aside, we had a day full of activity.

On our way to board the boat for the Architectural Riverboat Cruise, we got up close to this building I've been admiring for the past few days. It's called Aqua and was designed by a lady architect, Jeanne Gang.



Boarded the boat and had an excellent view of Chicago's beautiful buildings. Very educational too!




My favourite towers again.



Got dropped off at the Navy Pier and decided to take in many of the attractions.




Like taking a sail on the tall ship, The Windy!

I know, lots of time spent on boats today. It was so hot that the breeze on the river was good, but the breeze off the lake was amazing. Don taught sailing one summer too (he loves sailing) so boats and sailing are particularly fun for him. The crew on the Windy were great, and we had a most relaxing jaunt on the lake.




I'm so lazy on boats. I have little interest in pulling the ropes and fixing tension in the sails, etc. I usually just sit up here and look at the water and the sky.



I take pictures too.



Back ashore we decided it was time to ride the carousel! More great views of the city.



And our Go Chicago cards included a half day rental for bikes too, so we grabbed some and went for a ride along the Lakeshore Path.

The rentals were far better than those we had in NYC, but they still had issues. Don's seat post had so much grease on it that every time he sat down it just sank. My ladies hybrid had a stupid water bottle holder attached to it, but it was mounted so high up (just below the handlebars) that my knees kept hitting it. And it was a step-through frame so every time I got off I got wedged into the frame. Ouch.

I got used to it quickly and tried to avoid the things that hurt.

Rental bike aside, the ride was really fun! That trail is awesome. I can understand why Dottie uses it so frequently. So convenient and lots of room for cyclists and pedestrians.



Once we had ridden north and then south, we returned the bikes and hopped on a bus to meet Dottie and Mr. Dottie for supper at the Publican. It was highly recommended to us by Nate of Elm Café back home.

Here is Dottie locking up Betty Foy.




The room is fantastic. Super rustic and open concept, unless you were sitting in these intimate barn booths.




You can actually purchase their provencal-style napkins to take home.



Lots of communal seating.




After a big dinner we decided to walk back to the hotel instead of taking the L. Having a constitutional after eating feels so satisfying. It's even better when new friends choose to walk with you the whole way even though they could hop on their bikes and go home!

I held Dottie's bike while she toyed with long-exposure shots.



Don took some too.



And that was my most excellent fourth day in Chicago. Notice all this exploration of the city without a car? Why be caught in all that traffic when you could be seeing everything up close on your two feet or experiencing the massive transit options with local Chicagoans? In my opinion, it's the best way to get an accurate impression of a great city like this.