Seis días memorables en Chicago 04/14-04/19/08

Day 1: Drum and Monkey Bar, 1435 W Taylor St

Awesome bar..where you are not even asked for ID even if you buy liquor except on Weekends (when the bar is overflowing, which I think is only to keep a tap on the number of people and not the age ;) )

Drinks:

Pineapple juice and sprite…tastes too good…the chef got an extra tip coz of this

Orange juice and sprite..not as good as the pineapple one

Day2: Starting point Millennium Park, Michigan Avenue

Just started as a casual meet at Millennium Park, an important landmark defining Chicago’s lakefront and city life. A perfect mix of art, culture, fun and peace…

Having seen it at least 30-40 times or may be more…there was not special interest in staring at the Cloud Gate, popularly known as the Bean, nor the Crown fountain. Took a long walk across the Pritzker Pavillion and went on to the snake-like bridge, created by popular architect Frank Gehry…this was my first walk on this bridge even though I have seen it many times..it feels great to walk a snaky path across Columbus drive while getting closer and closer to the blue beauty. Once we crossed the Columbus drive to reach the lakefront (literally) we had a choice of going South near the Adler Planetarium end of the lake or North to Navy Pier. Have taken the long walk to the South a couple of times…so this time the choice was to see if we can really “walk to Navy Pier” and of course if we get tired or lost, rare events….we can use the ever-dependent CTA. We took a long walk of 0.558 miles(courtesy google pedometer) approximately from Monroe and Lakeshore drive to Wacker and Lakeshore drive..

Now the destination was only 0.2774 miles away…across the river ;) that was the catch…there is no walk way connecting Lakeshore to Navy Pier. There is a road accessible to vehicles …but nothing for pedestrians. So the next option was to take walk alongside the Chicago River…that is a well built walkway along the calm river..don’t know how long it runs….

but we walked on Wacker walkway till we hit Columbus..went up the iron steps, crossed the river and hit E Illinois street, that’s another 0.55 miles..and finally ended up taking route #29 after a bus chase…(integral part of an outing in Chicago) for the last 0.62 miles. Had a quick brunch at Mac Donalds for temporary pet pooja…

I have never seen Navy Pier like it was this time (because I have not been there only on long weekends). But it was really deserted…which made it look even more beautiful. The wind got chillier as we walked closer to the end of the pier, winding our ways in and out of the shops and alongside the river…It is mesmerizing to sit at the outdoor beer garden and watch the sunshine fade away to kiss the other side of earth while the city adorns electric jewellery. The chilly wind and the sound of seagulls returning to their base takes you to another world, close your eyes and relax….

From the beer garden: Courtesy Samsung Blackjack 2

I never knew Navy Pier could be this calming....

Next stop: Bubba Gump Shrimp based on the Famous Forrest Gump

Appetizer: Bread sticks

Dinner: Shrimp ’Po Boy-, fried shrimps in a burger …good & filling

Shrimp New Orleans, cooked shrimps with rice …good & filling

Dessert: Chocolate Cookie Sundae, mouth-watering mix of chocolate brownie, vanilla ice-cream and chocolate sauce.

And mind you we did not do soooooo bad on the quiz...though we overheard some answers :P

Day 3: Caribou Coffee, South Campus, UIC

Beverages: Turtle Mocha..always good..the best choice
Campfire Mocha…so so ;)

Chit chatting, people watching enjoying the summer weather because Spring kind of missed Chicago this time.

Ultimate time pass: watching Simpu Singh videos on youtube…and imitating…if you haven’t seen it, a must watch recommendation from a friend, here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYqN6cxPLSE&feature=related

Some of my favourite ones are:

1. PETA
2. Kumar
3. Pankaas
4. Jury Marksheet
5. Mahabharat
6. MMS

Food: Morgan bar and grill
Starters: Chicken wings…hot and spicy
Veggie Pizza…not recommended
Coke…or should I say dark colored water?

Day 4: Millennium Park, Buckingham fountain, Ghirardelli, Signature Lounge

Back to Millennium park, this time searching for the Buckingham fountain. It’s a beautiful architectural piece between Columbus Drive and Lake Shore drive and Congress Parkway. Its aesthetic value increases at night when it is lit with mind boggling light placement and various colors that is assumes. Unfortunately it is not yet ready for summer…so all we could see was the dry stone architecture craving for the flowing water. One thing made us feel like guests of honors was that the entire place was empty and songs were aired from 4 huge public speakers…just for us :D

We left from there for another bus hunt…success after walking 0.56 miles…destination Ghirardelli Chocolate shop…Expresso escape…awesome combination…nice indulgence for the taste buds.

Next stop: Signature Lounge, John Hancock 95^th floor!

You are actually on top of the world and relishing some of the most expensive drinks! Gives a breathtaking view of Chicago, the city looks adorable at night with the Michigan Lake bordering the glittering downtown …we flattered our senses with the beauty of Chicago…but we also did some hatke things…like 24*7 support…we accessed yahoo messenger (ghar pe chat jo karma tha), Reliance calling card (really reliable) and mind you for a change t-mobile service did not vanish into thin air, and how could we miss…Orkut!

Drinks:

1 Glass: Cabernet Sauvignon 1: Guinness

2. Pina colada 2. Bloody Mary

3. Sunrise Tequila 3. Sunrise Tequila

1:00 am …closing time for Signature lounge…had to leave the top of the world to come back to reality!

And then like good kids we were going home when we met more punter log…and then began a new search for food at 2:00 in the night. Pizzanos, 61 E. Madison kitchen closed, Miller’s pub too costly for dinner…Mac closed, the only affordable and loyal chain and true to its slogan “America runs on Dunkin” …got a couple of donuts before we left for the abode.

Day 5: Destination 600 E. Grand Ave. Navy Pier

Denim Warehouse Sale:

Start at 5:15 pm, a wait for the bus, wait for a buddy, a chase for the bus, wait for more punters…another bus chase, and then a looooooooong search for the location…travel time 1:30 mins, yeah destination reached!

Denim warehouse sale: Minimum cost of a jeans 40$, T-shirt 25$....time spent at destination, 15 mins..:D

Is bar the aim wasn’t relaxing at the Pier, but doing more and more punter giri, being loyal to our ancestors… The fotos tells the story…

And then it was Friday night…can it end without drinks??? :D

1. Malibu
2. 6 pack Guinness
3. Jack Daniels
4. Pineapple juice
5. Sprite

Sleeping time 3:00 am.

Day 6: IGSA sports fest

Lot of masti…only thoda serious box cricket..TT to jaise pehle se hi pata thkaun jitney vala hai

Evening time:Watch U, Me aur Hum ...aur fir ek baar downtown pohochne ki race chalu hui…
Waiting for #12 …15 mins..
Decide to move on to pink line: start point Polk station…the loyal pink line…hamare aate hi aa gayi… And I was sure we will figure out which stop to get down at coz I had the company of the pink line expert …but now its time to change the title :P …we went around all the loop station still deciding where to get down and finally got down at Clinton after coming out of the loop.

Intersection of Lake and Clinton, walked on Clinton, took a left on Randolph, hit Clark (0.6 miles)…did not seem like we walked that long…because of the amazing cool weather and the sprinkling showers, caught #22…got down at Grand and Dearborn (0.5 miles)…walked on Dearborn, right on Ohio till we saw the Lowe’s Theater, time 6:26 pm, show starts at 6:30….We were so supppper hungry after the chase…got Popcorn for 7$...yeah AMC lootata hai! But the popcorn was good...as good as the movie is!

Acche aacho ko rula diya movie ne:D …Here is the proof! Hasi pe mat jao..apni akkal lagao!

Dinner: CPK, Chipotle Chicken…tastes tangy, sweet and spicy all the same…and a key lime pie to top it! Awesome food!

And the end of memorable 6 days in Chicago…got a chance to explore Chicago city more than I did in two years of being here, had some magical moments, some serious ones..some cool ones and of course a lot of puntergiri!:)

Hic.....hic....

Hic! Hic!...

Ohh whats happening…just a reminder life isn’t straight and smooth…just a few hiccups…and u are banged back to reality.

I was faced with a hiccup in my professional life for the first time…my personal life had been screwed for a while…but no issues ever about professional life and the next day I stand on the verge of loosing my license to practice…Devastated, depressed, lost…there are no words to describe the worthlessness I felt. The fact of being an “alien non resident” dawned upon me. With parents and good friends back in India….I was left in despair…. “A friend in need is a friend indeed” sounds like a 2^nd standard essay…but that is what happened….my amazing roommate and friends at UIC, school ka public supported me or I must say lived with me thru the tough time…Today April 17^th 2008 is the D day …lets hope everybody’s prayers are answered.

Chadrashekhar Azad

Article authored by Mr Vishwas D Kale, was published in Diwali magazine 2007.