Chicago Part 3

This is my second last post on our time in Chicago, and it was one of my favourite days on our trip.
If you find yourself in Chicago, you absolutely have to grab a bike and go for a ride along the river and lake. We did around 25 kilometres, and would have loved to do more, but it was so cold! I ended up forgoing my trusty leather jacket (and lost some style points as well) and ended up buying a duck-down sleeveless puffer jacket to wear. Don't let the blue skies fool you in these pictures - my fingertips were about the same colour.

You'll find a massive bike rental spot just past The Bean and the amphitheatre in Millennium Park. The one down at Navy Pier isn't always open, so just keep that in mind when planning your day - we learnt this the hard way and it is quite a long walk from there back up to Millennium Park. So I'm going to save you the hassle. Go straight to the park instead. You simply pick a bike and a helmet, and off you go. We rode through the park , and along the river for a while, before taking a few detours (we got lost), and then found our way onto the lakeside bike path.

 After taking in enough of the cityscape, we went towards the aquarium, and beyond until we couldn't take the stinging cold on our faces and knuckles any longer. The views were worth it though. And I have said it over and over, but Chicago really is the most beautiful city I have ever seen - but next time I visit, will definitely be in July or August. This creature of comfort does not deal with your "lake effect" weather all that well Chi-town.

Once we'd traded in our bikes back at the park, we decided to spend the rest of the day indulging. So we went for a little retail therapy and then onwards to find some food. On the top of our list was the legendary Portillo's for a true Chicago-style hotdog. They are also famous for their cheese fries and, wait for it, chocolate cake shake. I watched them make it, and it is quite literally, a big fat wedge of chocolate cake blitzed into ice cream. And it was as naughty as it sounds.

Once you're inside, its, well, interesting. It is like a diner, pizzeria, saloon and laundromat all threw up collectively into one space - toss in some neon lighting for good measure and you have the Portillo's decor and ambience. The place is packed - but what is always a sign of great food is that it wasn't just tourists. There were locals in suits, policemen and a few families popping in for an after-school treat. This is always an indication that the food is actually good and it isn't just an overrated tourist trap.
The Chicago-style hotdog with its giant quartered pickle and poppy seeds is fantastic. And the cheese fries still haunt my dreams. We went back a second time just before we left, because it just seemed wrong to only sample those fries and that horridly over-indulgent milkshake only once in our lives.

Luckily for us, Chicago is best seen on foot or by bike - so there was a balance between eating everything in sight, and getting our heart rate up. Although maybe that was from all the sugar...I'm not entirely sure.