From Toronto, we returned to the U.S. via Ambassador Bridge, near Detroit, Michigan.
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We stayed the night in Ann Arbor, which is a cute college town with lots of tasty places and breweries. It was a pretty quick visit and we don’t have any pictures, but we did leave with some souvenirs of Michigan dried cherries and $10 less in our wallet for a very special and welcoming parking ticket. So, note to future travelers to Ann Arbor – parking is expensive downtown, and even if you run in to get change to feed the meter, you can still get ticketed. But if you pay it within the day, it’s not too hefty of a fee.
From Ann Arbor, we drove to Chicago. The street signs on the way to Chicago were interesting…kind of like the Chrysler building upside down? Traffic was also pretty atrocious going into the city, but hey, that’s what we get for planning an arrival into a big city on Friday afternoon, right?
After finally arriving, we did all of the expected touristy things. We went to Cloudgate (aka the Bean). Can you find us in the last photo? Hint: Jo has a bright orange hat in her hand.
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We walked along the rest of Millenium Park for some nice views of the city skyline.
And we also went to the lakefront, where Jo got to show off her stylish new sunhat.
We got some snacks at Taste of Chicago, which was basically a huge street fair with lots of local eateries providing tasty treats for people. It was SUPER crowded, but somehow seagulls were able to target Jo and pooped on her purse. Ick.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/oruwu/19621389885/
We went to Lake and Wabash, site of a scene from the Matrix.
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After doing those touristy things, Jo wanted to make some friends with locals…
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…and then ended up running into real friends – quite serendipitous!
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We finished off the whirlwind day in the Windy City with deep-dish pizza at Lou Malnati’s. It was a ~40 minute wait, but very tasty! And they seated us right under Malnati’s jersey. You can’t read the little plaque, but it basically says how he was actually a terrible baseball player and found his true skill in feeding athletes.
Took the L back to our Airbnb in Pilsen, which is sort of like the Mission District of Chicago – lots of murals on the walls and very tasty Mexican food.
And that’s it for our stay in Chicago!
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Trip Counter
– Caffeine Count: 8
– Toll: $28.45
– Tank: 2
Today only:
Puppies – 27