Chicago: towers, parks and Italian Beef

Chicago was eye-opening if not mind-blowing. I’d been there several times but the last time 10 years ago and only for an Amtrak day trip basically to the Art Institute, which hugs the northeast corner of the Loop, and not much further. This time it was a full blown, by foot, exploration of the central district, or a lot of it anyway. I had in mind a relatively small downtown and eviscerated post-pandemic office district. Yet Michigan Avenue, the main retail thoroughfare, was bubbling with pedestrians and retail including most of the main US department stores from Macy’s to Neiman Marcus to Bloomingdale’s, and a couple of swanky malls to boot. Slicing diagonally through the core is the Chicago River, with its newer Riverwalk, full of bars and eateries. Huge officer towers border both sides including one with the name of the current resident of the White House and those circular Marina Towers that used to be featured on Bob Newhart. Further north is a more placid district known as Streeterville yet still an attractive downtown-adjacent hood of towers, parks and the contemporary art museum. Not only is the core walkable but the architecture absolutely stunning. I had no idea just how many skyscrapers the city has, with novel and some iconoclastic designs. You certainly can get a sore neck looking up. And to the immediate west of the Loop is the up-and-coming Fulton Market, a hybrid of street level trendy bars and restos with former warehouse conversions into new offices including Google and Coca-Cola. People often think of Navy Pier but Millennium Park on the West Loop adds to the city greening on what used to be a rail yard. In effect the city’s lakeside parks run for mile upon mile, making for excellent cycling. I stayed in the far south end, South Holland, at yes a Super 8 (much cheaper than staying in the core) and took public transit downtown. There were a couple of alternatives: Bus 352 to the 95th St./Dan Ryan Expy Red Line “L” terminus. Or the 352 to Harvey and Metra, Chicago’s suburban commuter train system. The 352 is much slower and cuts through the city’s south side, notorious in folklore – and, ahem, - crime. But the neighbourhoods look a lot better than many in Detroit. The problem is it takes a good hour. Hopping off at the Metra in Harvey, so long as you make the  hourly schedule, is faster. I also discovered the signature dish of the Windy City. Just as Detroit has Coney Dogs and Montreal has smoked meat Chicago has Italian Beef, shredded dipped beef topped with peppers. Wonderful. 

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller

Crossing new Gordie Howe bridge splendid, even US Customs had enough booths open

It was with anticipation and excitement as I crossed the Gordie Howe Int'l Bridge (GHIB) for the first time Thursday, three days after it opened. I was driving from east Windsor, a beautiful sunny late afternoon, and took the EC Row Expy exit on to the bridge ramp. What I remember  most is how swerving and high the structure is, the sweeping as you navigate on to the bridge by a road curvature and then climbing the bridge itself. It also takes longer to cross than one might suspect. As a frequent cross-border traveller I was sure to order my Breakaway windshield tag so that I would have automatic tolling approaching the bridge. No more having to wait in line to deal with a person in a booth or even the awkward credit card swiping in the card reader slots, which usually work after three or four pass throughs. That of course was at the “old” Ambassador Bridge. The other thing I liked at the Gordie is the fact US Customs has a sufficient number of booths open. This was my one fear. It's alright to build a glittering new bridge - for redundancy, cheaper tolls and more expedient road access - but if US Customs continues to delay crossings because it doesn't have enough booths open it’s almost the same as crossing the Ambassador. Ambassador Bridge management had always said this was the reason for traffic delays and they were absolutely right. Canadian Customs tended to have more booths open but there were times when they were even parsimonious and I’ve endured half hour to hour waits. But on Thursday aft with actual sparse traffic there were probably at least ten US booths open and I only had two vehicles ahead of me before it was my turn. As for the American side connections, you still have to do an awkward serpentine around concrete crash barriers (like at the Ambassador) - no doubt to stymie terrorists or other ne'er-do-wells - and then on to a small road that takes you to a stop sign where you have to turn right to follow to ramps leading to north and southbound Interstate 75. I’d have thought this would have been more streamlined. But I’m not complaining. Taking the GHIB will shave at least 20 minutes off my usual drive time. Having the Breakaway pass means I’ll pay less than half what I paid at the Ambassador. Some people have complained there is no duty free gas plaza on the US side as there is at the Ambassador, which offered the cheapest gas in metro Detroit. But given how high the tolls for that bridge were I'm not sure it makes much of a difference now that the new bridge is open (previously it only made sense to buy there if you were going to be stateside anyway). So altogether a splendid experience. I just hope US Customs keeps a sufficient number of booths open.

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller