Sunday and Monday, September 1 & 2: A Fun Weekend in the Windy City

Date:                           September 1 & 2, 2013

Day on the Cruise:     139 & 140

From:                          DuSable Marina, Downtown Chicago, IL
                                       
To:                               DuSable Marina, Downtown Chicago, IL

Statute Miles:              0.0 SM

Time:                           0.0 Hrs

Cumulative Miles:       3,329.1 SM

On Board:                   Susan, Chuck, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut

We are in still in Chicago tonight.

The last two days we have toured Chicago. We walked the downtown area South of the Chicago River. I showed Susan our Chicago office and we went into The Palmer House Hotel where I used to stay on trips up here. We saw the "EL" and "The Loop" and got a good lay of the land downtown.

Millenium Park

Very Cool Fountain at Millenium Park in Chicago

Looking North on Michigan Avenue

Downtown Chicago

The "EL" on "The Loop"

I wonder what office is in this Building?

Walking along the River Walk

We also took an Architectural Sightseeing Cruise on the Chicago River that covered the Main and North and South Branches of the River. It was a narrated cruise and was excellent. We got to see many older buildings that we covered in History of Building at Auburn. I got a bunch of pictures that will be posted in an update to this Post, hopefully tomorrow.

Susan waiting to board the Architectural Cruise

The Wrigley Building in Chicago

Flying Buttresses on the top of the Chicago Tribune Building

The Sears-Willis tower, Tallest Building in the United States

Chicago Skyline

Chicago Skyline Over DuSable Harbor

The Trump Tower, 94 Stories High

Cruising under a bridge on the Chicago River

The weather was so so yesterday, but very Fallish today. It is actually cool up here tonight. We were going to go up town to eat at The Italian Village Restaurant tonight, but we got waylaid at a Looper Party aboard "Second Wind". There were six couples who are Looping and have their boats here at the Marina. As usual, we all had a great time.

So, getting away from the party late, we found our way to a local market called Mariano's with directions given by some of the Loopers. We had been trying to find this place since we got here last Friday, and here we get to go on the 11th hour of our visit. Anyway, it is a three story upscale market with a place to eat, so we grabbed a bite and bought some provisions. Only drawback is that we had to carry them back here to the boat over four or five blocks.

Al and his wife Charlie from "Always Five O'Clock" are here at DuSable and we have been talking about running together down the Rivers. Well, tonight we recruited Tom and Meleissa from "Journey" and the three of us will leave here at 6:30 in the morning to head into the Chicago River, then into the Illinois Waterway and get moving on our trip South. We will be a three boat convoy so to speak.

Wake up call is 4:30 in the morning, so there is not time to post pictures tonight. We have to get a pump out before we leave, so it will be a busy morning. We have decided to roll the dice and travel down the Chicago River with its 40 some bridges. I have an air draft of 16'-4" and the lowest bridge is supposed to be 17'. Susan will be the "lookout" and the "bridge watcher". We are planning to go to Joliet, IL tomorrow. We will also go through the electric carp fence below Chicago that is supposed to keep the invasive Asian Carp from coming into Chicago and getting into Lake Michigan. These carp also are called " flying carp" because they jump out of the water. Often, they will jump into the boat, so Susan has another job on board as our "Chief Carp Watcher". Bridge Watcher and Carp Watcher. Heck, she will be wanting a raise before we hit the Mississippi!

Thanks for Reading!