Even though Chicago is only about a six hour drive from us, we just discovered this fabulous place in the last year. We were headed to Door County, Wisconsin for a press trip and, just to make the drive a little more relaxing, we decided to stop somewhere, anywhere, oh what about Chicago?
One of the best travel decisions we have ever made.
We had no idea Chicago was such a great place to visit. Totally walkable – a big plus for us – with plenty of things to do see and do and absolutely great food – another big plus. This was also the first time we had ever seen one of the Great Lakes and we stood like a couple of stunned school kids and just kept saying “it’s so big” and “you can’t even see the other side” and we still say that whenever we talk about it. Not only was the lake absolutely astonishing, it also had huge chunks of ice in it and this was equally amazing for us.
We have been to Chicago twice now, in the winter and summer, and it’s incredibly different in those two seasons. But we like both for different reasons. When we returned last summer for our cruise of Lake Michigan with Blount Small Ship Adventures, we decided to arrive a few days early and spend some time really seeing the Windy City. We had a great time and discovered that Chicago has some of the best pizza in the world and that they are also rabid ice hockey fans when we found ourselves in the middle of a city-wide parade after the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup. And we also discovered one of the nicest, most luxurious, and friendliest hotel we have ever stayed in.
The Hyatt McCormick Place is conveniently located within an easy walk of Lake Michigan and Soldier Field in an urban neighborhood of shops, restaurants, and townhomes. The hotel is the fourth largest Hyatt in the world, the fourth largest hotel in Chicago, and is often used for convention businesses, as the McCormick Convention Center is located just an enclosed skybridge away. In fact, I went into a bit of a time warp when I realized the annual national library association was having their conference at the hotel when we visited; after years of attending and presenting at those conferences, it was strange to just ignore all the workshops and head out for a day of fun!
The Hyatt soars into the Chicago sky.
