July 25, 2007 Edition

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My kind of town

John Bland
Publisher

A first-time visit to Chicago earlier this month gave us many memorable moments. A few of these special moments are as follows:

Riding the 150-foot Navy Pier Ferris Wheel after dark with its fabulous view of the city lights. Piped in music of Frank Sinatra singing, "My Kind of Town (Chicago is)" topped off the moment.
Eating Chicago's famous deep-dish pizza at Gino's East. One slice is a meal by itself.
Viewing the city and Lake Michigan from the top public viewing floors of the John Hancock Observatory (94th floor) and the Sears Tower Skydeck (103rd floor).
Walking, seeing the flower gardens, people-watching and window shopping along the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Avenue.
Visiting the Field Museum and seeing "Sue," the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever found.
Watching Bella, a beluga whale who is almost a year old, swimming in tandem with and nuzzled against, her mother at the Shedd Aquarium and Oceanarium.
Walking in the lobbies of world-class historic and contemporary hotels. Some of these hotels were above vertical shopping malls or large department stores and had small street-level lobbies with main lobbies on the seventh or 12th floor above the retail space.
Meeting Texans at our hotel pool who were traveling from Fort Worth to Chicago and back via Amtrak. I let them know that, whether or not they were aware, their train had stopped in our hometown of Walnut Ridge.
Wishing for a jacket in the middle of summer while riding a cruise boat after sunset on Lake Michigan.
Seeing the inside of the Ford Oriental Theatre, which is an attraction in itself, along with the musical "Wicked."
Accepting from the start that there would not be enough time do all we wanted, such as seeing Wrigley Field or attending a Cubs' game. This, however, is a good thing, because it leaves with us the desire for a return trip to this special place, the third largest city in the U.S.

Renee and Anna would have other special moments to add to this list. I hope you, too, are making some memorable moments this summer.

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