What is up everyone?
I have to apologies for missing my post for last week and the lateness of this weeks. We have had some exciting events that have taken place in our little neck of the woods. I’m not going to get into it right now, but maybe later. So stay tuned for that. Alright with that out of the way. Lets get started.
We were lucky enough to have my parents grace us with their presence over the weekend. We haven’t seen them in person since December. We’ve talk on the phone and FaceTimed, but thats not the same as seeing their smiling faces in the flesh. So when they said that they want to come out and see us. We jumped into planning mode. They would have been happy just hanging out at the house. But nobody want to sit around the house when visiting a new place.
We had come up with a few ideas and set our plans in motion. We kept our plans fluid so that we could change them if we needed to. Which was a good plan for us, because over the weekend we ended up have some major rain storms that caused some flooding throughout the Midwest.
My mom has always want to see one of the Great Lakes. She didn’t care which one, as long as got to see one. Lucky for her, since we move to Chicagoland we are about a 45 minutes drive from Lake Michigan. What a better way to see it than heading to Chicago’s former number one attraction. Navy Pier.
The pier was originally open in 1916 and was built by famed architect Charles Sumner Frost. Back then it was known by it first name, the Municipal Pier. It would be used for freight, passenger traffic and it also had space set aside to be utilized as public indoor and outdoor recreational areas.
The pier would not receive its iconic name until 1927. It was named Navy Pier in honor of the naval veterans that served during World War I. Over the years the piers identity and purpose changed. Until it eventual fell into disrepair. In recent years it has gone through two rebirths. The first was back in 1989 when the City of Chicago tasked the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to reimagine the purpose of the pier. The ULI created the the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA). They would be task with managing and maintaining Navy Pier as well as McCormick Place. One of the largest, if not the largest, in North America. I have not been inside of it yet, but believe me its huge. In 1995 the public was reintroduced to the Navy Pier.
Fast forward to 2014 to when the second rebirth of the pier start to take place. In prep for the upcoming 100th anniversary of the pier, a new redevelopment plan was instituted. The Centennial Vision would turn the pier into a world-class public space. Offering new evening and year-round entertainment. The initiative was completed in the summer of 2016 to the delight of the people of Chicago.
There is a lot of thing to do at the pier. One of the biggest draws in the ferris wheel. Back in 2015 it was closed and replaced with a new high tech one. The Centennial Wheel soars about 200 feet into the air. Not terribly high, but can be intimidating for those that have a slight discomfort with heights.
Probably my favorite part of trip to the pier was the river tour of the city. There are several boat tour that you can take. The one that we took was an architectural tour. Our knowledgable tour guide explained all the fascinating detail of the buildings on the river. There is so much history in Chicago and I found it very interesting. If you find architecture interesting, or even if you don’t, it was well worth the time.
We had a lot of fun down at the pier, but I think the highlight of the trip for all of us did not take place there. There has been an article floating around Facebook about a restaurant in Chicago that serves a pizza pot pie. I know, at first it sounds a little weird. Don’t let that fool you though, it was extremely delicious. The Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company is located on 2121 N Clark Street in Chicago. Just a few blocks from the Lincoln Park Zoo. The building has a history of its own as it is located across the street from where the Valentine’s Day Massacre took place. It is said that look out hid in waiting for the marks to arrive. Really a cool little eatery. I highly recommend trying it, but a heads up it is a cash-only restuarant. No plastic.
All in all we had a excellent time exploring the pier and other areas of Chicago.
Until next time. Thanks for stopping by.
Josh
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