Chicago, Day 1...Chicago Bound

 Day 1

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

      With no reason to take an early flight, it made for a nice, chill morning.  As an added bonus, I avoided the school buses and the bulk of the commuters.  

       After ditching my car with the fine people at The Parking Spot, it was time to head to the airport.  Bounciest..shuttle ride...ever.

      As soon as I had passed through security, the text alerts started.  Delta had delayed my flight by an hour and a half.  I suspect it had more to do with the storms blowing through Chicago than anything else.  

     I've said it before and I'll say it again, there's nothing quite like walking through the rain forest to Terminal B.

      Settling in to wait...

     Due to the weather, we were also diverted west, then north. The flight finally landed shortly after 4:40P at O'Hare Airport. It's named after Edward "Butch" O'Hare.  He grew up in Chicago and signed up to be a naval pilot during WWII. 

     After flight training, Lt. O'Hare was assigned to the USS Lexington.  He would go on to become the first naval ace of the war.  One night, while on patrol, he and his wingman spotted nine Japanese bombers headed their way.  So, they flew above the bombers and attacked.  His wingman's guns jammed, so he did what he could to disrupt the formation.  Depending on the source, O'Hare either shot down three or five of the bombers.  Between the two of them, they bought enough time for help to arrive.  

    The airport code is still ORD, taken from it's previous name, Orchard Field Airport.

    This is my second time flying into O'Hare Airport.  I had forgotten just how convoluted it is.  There are plenty of signs to the tram and eventual CTA stop.  Best guess, this would take me an hour to my stop.  

     Seen alongside the parking deck elevator.

      And of course there was a busker in the train station playing the blues.  Pretty good, too.  While I was able to load this video clip, and I do see it on the final blog post, I can't make it play.  Anyone else have better luck?

    My home for this adventure was the Warwick Allerton Hotel right on North Michigan Ave.  Nice place and a decent sized room.  

    

     And the view...

     Chicago in bloom...

     With no set plans, and after the day traveling, it was time to go out into the city and stretch my legs a bit.  My friend Despina's dad owns a dive bar a little over a mile and a half south-west of the hotel.  It seemed the perfect start to the journey.

     Seen along the walk...

    Ah, the memories...

     This sign sits at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Adams, and marks the northern terminus of the Mother Road.  This year is Route 66's Centennial.  Click the link for some interesting information about the celebrations going on throughout the year.  

      A few blocks south and I turned onto Van Buren Avenue.  Experimenting with puddles...

     Despina's Dad Carl bought the Sky Ride Tap in 1972 and has been running it ever since. Block Club Chicago did a profile of him.  You can read it here:   

     The bar is named after the 1933 World's Fair aerial tram, the Sky Ride.  The bar originally opened at 7A, catering to the overnight workers headed home.  There was always a line waiting for Carl when he opened.  The place stayed busy all day and he had bartenders working all hours until closing time at 2A, Seven days a week.  He only closed on Christmas.

     These days it's only open 10A-9P. 

     There were only a handful of customers while I was there, so Carl and I had a nice chat.

     He told me it's a mix of things that killed the crowds.  Businesses around him closed, the residential buildings are only a quarter occupied and the crime rate is up.  Add to the mix, Covid just got people out of the habit of hitting bars.

     Now he doesn't even bother opening on weekends.  

     The last customer left and we lingered for a few minutes while he wiped down the bar and started closing up.  Good guy and I do hope things turn around.

     On the way back, I just had to revisit the riverwalk.

     I looked into a nighttime kayak tour.  But, they fill up fast.  Perhaps next time.  With all the boat traffic on the river, the kayaks stay close to the edges.  At night, they're equipped with what looked like oversized glowsticks.  

   Walking back up to Michigan Avenue...

     Throughout the summer, the city shoots off fireworks at 9P on Wednesdays and 10P on Saturdays.  This is from the along Michigan Avenue.  It was over before I was able to get a reflection shot.  Perhaps on Saturday...

      When the fireworks were over, I was spent.  After the half mile walk back to the hotel, I called it a day.