Chicago Sights & Divvy Bikes
Not to make a pun about the windy city… but it completely blew me away. Chicago is so much more beautiful than I had imagine. And clean! It’s rare to find a city that takes such great pride in how it looks overall- not just one area or neighborhood. Admittedly, I’m sure there’s many parts I haven’t discovered in Chicago that may put this claim of mine to shame, but I can only speak on what I experienced, and it was a beauty!
Staying at one of my favourite chains for this leg of the trip - we settled in to the W City Centre. There is also another W property not too far away at Lakeshore that I have on my list for the next visit. If you can secure yourself a room there with a lake view you’d definitely wake up a happy tourist every morning. Also - when I say lake, it’s easily mistaken for an ocean (but thankfully they’ve titled it ‘Lake’ Michigan just so we know not to confuse the two!)
The rooms here, as always - have just about everything you can think of. And anything that’s missing is easily fixed for you with a quick dial to the concierge. The first thing I always do at these properties is ask for a coffee machine to be delivered up to the room. They don’t come in there automatically, but it’s important not to just assume defeat on this one. They’re readily available at no extra charge, and come with Starbucks coffee too - it’s a good start to the day knowing my little buddy ‘caffeine’ is right next to my bedside.
Heading towards the lake, you’ll find the first of many Divvy cycle bike depots. For a very small $7, you can ride around all day on these exploring the sights. There is a trick to it though - you must exchange them for a new one every 30 minutes (otherwise additional fees are charged). Given that these are all over the place, it’s not as tricky as it might sound. Just make sure you look on the map before you head off to know where you next bike stop might be. Generally all of the big attractions have them close by so if you’ve mapped it out right you’ll be in for a stress free, cheap day of sightseeing!
Our first stop is a great example… The Navy Pier. It’s a short 15 minute ride down a beautiful bike path to get you there, and the bike drop off is right out the front. It’s free to walk along and see the sights of the pier, and even the attractions themselves aren’t overpriced. We hit up the Ferris wheel to get a birds eye view of the city ($7), before a pit stop at Margaritaville for a couple of frozen daiquiris (*insert my nagging voice here telling you all to drinks and cycle responsibly*). There’s also mini golf, jet skis for hire, and plenty of restaurants to make an entire afternoon out of your visit. If you’re heading their during the festive season - there’s also an ice-skating rink to try out some fancy footwork on skates while you’re there too!
The next day we hit the bike trail again, this time heading all the way down to Lincoln Park. First stop was the museum to check out the butterfly house, found in the nature museum. I’d read about it online, and we weren’t disappointed. A small area on the second floor houses thousands of butterflies waiting for you to walk through and bask in their beauty. Every colour, every size, and a few birds in there too for good company. Just make sure you check each other’s backs on the way out the door to check for any hitch hikers looking to bust out!!
Just a few minutes down the road is Lincoln Park Zoo. And for a change- this zoo is completely free. Yep, not even a gold coin donation. There’s giraffes, hippos, lions and seals - as well as a small cafeteria (that does sell beer!) for a pit stop before you hit the bikes again to start making your way back. The only thing to keep in mind is that there isn’t a bike drop off near the zoo entrance. Your safest bet is to go back to the museum where you dropped your bike off and recollect another from there (speaking from experience of walking laps around the outside of the zoo trying to find those darn blue bikes!)
Once you’ve ridden the bike path back along the lake into the city centre, take the time to have a wander around Park. Featuring a variety of public art, including the famous Cloud Gate sculpture. Resembling something of a giant silver bean, this particular piece cost a tidy 23 million buckeroos… way off the original estimate of 6 million!
For a short trip to Chicago (we had two full days in total) - this was a great way to make the most of it. Jumping in and out of cabs can cost a fortune, not just in money but also in time. Honestly, stepping outside of your comfort zone and hiring the side of the road pushies is a brilliant way to get around, especially when you’ve only got a limited number of days.