#7, Not in Kansas Anymore ~ The City of Chicago

 

February 14, 2022

When we arrived in Chicago at around 3:00 in the afternoon, we pulled into what amounted to a freezing, dark, huge garage, full of tracks and trains.  I followed the hordes in front of me until I found my way inside the station.  Chicago Union Station is absolutely grand. 

In the Great Hall, Chicago Union Station

Chicago's Union Station took about ten years and 75 million dollars to build, and was completed in 1925.  The station is owned by Amtrak, but it is also used by Chicago's light rail trains, Metra.  A busy place, it is used by more than 3 million Amtrak customers and 35 million Metra customers per year, utilizing more than 300 trains per day.  That said, after disembarking from a train, one can pretty safely follow the crown into the station, but nearing departure, you do need to know which gate, and which track you need to stand on.  

Great Hall, Chicago Union Station

Oh, and have you noticed how many "Union Stations" there are?  I had to look that one up.  Here's an explanation by the Smithsonian:  "In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many railroad companies built and owned the stations on their lines. ... But other stations—such as those in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.—were transportation hubs, serving trains from multiple companies. They were named Union Stations because that's where different lines met up."

Great Hall, Chicago Union Station

After standing in the great hall for a bit, just to take in the wonder of it, I went off to find the Metropolitan Lounge.  A large multiroomed area just for sleeper car passengers (I think you can also pay to use it), it was spacious, with free snacks and drinks as well as multiple big screens and every imaginable type of seating.  No part of it was old and beautiful like the rest of station though.  And since I just got off a fifty-two-hour train ride, I had no interest in sitting more.  Instead, I found the luggage room and ditched everything except a tiny bag.  I also dug out the coat, hat, scarf and gloves I’d brought along just for Chicago and DC.  With a little help, I soon found my way out of the building and into the brisk 22-degree afternoon. 

I stepped out onto Canal Street.  The name sounded promising and water is always an attraction.  I started walking towards where there seemed to be more open sky, trying not to look too touristy as I snapped pictures of the tall buildings against the bluest winter sky.  

I really had no idea where to go.  Alyssa and I had been here seven years ago when it was so windy and we were wrestling lots of luggage amongst the crowds.  Today it was a chilly 25 degrees, but so bright and sunny with not a breath of wind.  I walked until the sidewalk looked like it might end.  I wonder, how long would you live here before you quit looking up to marvel at the beautiful buildings and the small slices of sky.  

I would have loved to revisit the places where Alyssa and I had gone, the top of the Willis Tower, and Giordano's pizza, but both required more time than I had.  So when I found myself standing at a street corner and lacking direction, I found a pleasant-looking stranger and ask her where she'd recommend I walk with about 2 hours to call my own.  She pointed out the way to the lake, so I thanked her and began walking down LaSalle/Van Buren Street.  

Chicago, IL

Crossing the Metra lines, Chicago, IL

Many blocks of this street ran underneath the Metra lines, making it dark, and very loud.  I put my phone away so that I could be more aware of my surroundings.  It was further than I pictured and I was glad when I saw the edges of Grant Park, and this nice statue of Abraham Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln, Grant Park, Chicago

Crossing through the frozen park, I looked out on an icy body of water that I later learned was Monroe Harbor, on Lake Michigan.  A lone man had a large camera on a tripod, aimed at the nearly full moon.  

Monroe Harbor, Lake Michigan

Monroe Harbor, Chicago, with Pier in Distance

Long shadows reminded me not to linger long if I didn't want to walk home through Chicago's streets in the dark.  I wrapped my scarf over my face and headed back.  

Sometimes I'd find a group of pleasant-looking people and try to pace myself with them, but I soon discovered that Chicagoans getting to where they need to go, have much longer legs than me.  You must grow them if you live and work in the city a while.  Words cannot express how glad I was to see the iconic pillars of the front of Union Station.

Amtrak Union Station, Chicago