Going north, south, east, west - Chicago UPDATED 1/7 - Page 4 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
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There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Friday 24 October – part four: cruising through Chicago’s architecture
It was quite a walk, probably longer than either Mark or I anticipated, but finally we were there and we got our tickets for the cruise, before heading into Navy Pier. Mark found a couple of silly photo opportunities along the way.
This looks like a really cool place and you can imagine it being inundated in the summer months. We grabbed drinks from McDonalds and then it was time to head back to catch our cruise.
I will be honest – when our guide started to speak, I think we all thought the same thing… great here we are stuck with this moron, but he turned out to be excellent once he got going and really knew his stuff about architecture in Chicago. We cruised along the various rivers of the city for an hour, learning lots about the various buildings we were seeing and their architecture styles. I really don’t remember much from it, as there was just so much to take in, but it was very informative and entertaining too.
One thing we quickly got the idea about was that Chicago likes to have the biggest and tallest of everything and is obviously very proud of the records it holds and has held over the years. In fact, so much so that it’s twice added on to the Sears Tower in an attempt to keep that as the tallest building in the world. However, with the new building going up in Dubai (I don’t remember it’s name), there is no way Sears Tower will keep that title. So what are they doing in response? Building a new Chicago spire that will be over 2,000 feet tall. Add to that, the Trump Tower that’s currently under construction and it’s clear to see that Chicago is in the middle of another building boom again, probably not seen since the last one in the 1970’s. It will be interesting to see what the skyline looks like in a few years’ time.
The view of the skyline from the harbour
The Trump Tower
The Tribune Tower
The Sears Tower poking out above the other skyscrapers
A close up of the unique parking lot!
The Chicago Sun-Times building
I seem to recall Lesley saying she’s got a friend who lives here – cool!
The autumn colours
Another one with lovely fall colours
The Metra train system
The Civic Opera building
The Sears Tower is surrounded by some beautiful architecture
Again, I love the fall colours in this shot!
More shots of the Sears Tower
333 West Wacker Drive, upon which you can see the cityscape – or the sky in this case – reflected
Some of the bridges crossing the river
Navy Pier
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I love your pictures. Did you like the cruise? Would you recommend it? Where did y'all stay in Chicago? I think my DD and I will go next spring or summer while my DH is deployed. Great update! Merry Christmas!
Cheryl - The walk to Navy Pier was a long one. It's always farther than it seems. The river cruise was one of Chicago tourist things I had never done before - and you're right the guide was good.....once he got going. At first I thought it was going to be a looooooooong tour, but it was delightful. I'd love to do it again - especially is a little warmer weather.
The building with the unusual car park is Marina Towers. It has condos on the upper floors, but a parking lot for the first several floors. If any of you have seen The Blues Brothers movie - they drive a car off that tower. There are cable that prevent cars from going over the edge, but I think I'd be nervous to park there myself.
Quote:
what are you doing with those crab legs?
Ok - this title has me cracking up. I so remember the crab legs incident.
I love your pictures. Did you like the cruise? Would you recommend it? Where did y'all stay in Chicago? I think my DD and I will go next spring or summer while my DH is deployed. Great update! Merry Christmas!
I would definitely recommend the cruise - it was a great way to see Chicago and learn more about the city. We stayed at the Express by Holiday Inn on the Magnificent Mile, which was a great location, just very small rooms.
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Friday 24 October – part five: what are you doing with those crab legs?
It was getting pretty cold by the time we got back, as the sun was setting and for much of our trip, we had been behind the various skyscrapers along the way. To get our circulation going again, we opted to talk back to the hotel and, on the way, I saw a liquor store, which I just had to go in to see if they had any Arbor Mist in there that I love so much, as we never made it to Wal-Mart in Orlando. Sure enough, they did have some, so one bottle later, I was happy.
Then it was back to our hotel, which was literally just a block away from us, for a change of clothes for dinner tonight, as Lesley had warned us that it was slightly more formal attire. We then walked down to her hotel and met up with her and her daughter Beth, who had studied in England for a term. We all got on great straight away. We timed it just about right, as there was a thunderstorm, as we walked along, but nothing too bad. Not long after we got to Shaw’s Crab House, there was the most almighty crash of thunder and I think it’s fair to say that we were all very glad that we were inside when we heard that.
The second we walked in, you could see this was an upmarket place and I was very glad that Lesley had warned us about the dress code, as it was mainly filled with what we suspected to be businessmen and women.
Lesley and daughter Beth
We scoured the menu for ages before making a decision. I found it very hard, as I’m really not used to so much choice, as nearly everything on the menu was a fish dish, but eventually I went for the lobster bisque, followed by the salmon. Mark went for the calamari, followed by the seafood platter. I don’t think we could fault anything that we ate. It was all superb and the calamari especially, as I tried a bit of Mark’s and it was just melt in the mouth, not like you often get, when it can be chewy.
Lesley also had the lobster bisque and the seafood platter, while Beth went for two appetisers, one of which was the crab legs. That’s clear in my memory, as it was her first time with crab legs and let’s just say that she had fun with them. There was one incident where we assume the crab meat ended up on the floor and all she was left with was the shell. It was a classic moment.
How they started out!
Posing for a photo before digging in...
We all got on great and chatted away and I was very sad to say goodbye to Beth. She’s just like her mum and a lot of fun. We headed out, getting a group photo on the way and then it was out into the rain.
We thought it wasn’t too bad as we left, but then it came down heavier and heavier as we walked along. Still, at least it was still fairly mild, which was something.
We got back to the hotel and it was soon to bed, as it had been a long day. On Chicago time, we had been up since 4am!
Today we walked 6.14 miles The weather today was in the 50’s and dry, but cloudy, for most of the day, with rain in the evening. The best thing today was going up the John Hancock Center. The worst thing today was it raining in the evening. The funniest thing today was Beth with the crab legs. Today we tried the architectural cruise And the result was it was excellent. The most magical moment today was seeing Lesley again.
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It's always farther than it seems. The river cruise was one of Chicago tourist things I had never done before - and you're right the guide was good.....once he got going. At first I thought it was going to be a looooooooong tour, but it was delightful. I'd love to do it again - especially is a little warmer weather.
I so remember the crab legs incident. 
There was one incident where we assume the crab meat ended up on the floor and all she was left with was the shell. It was a classic moment. 
Claytrgtshooter (Minnie Lor's Hubbie)
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