gmhTODAY 18 gmhToday Feb March 2018 | Page 99

architecture and art induced overload, we headed off in search of the famed Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. We heard that Pizano’s, a nearby restaurant, served one of the best. It did not disappoint. It was really good and, believe it or not, it is really different. Not sure exactly what makes it special but it truly is! We had a lot of fun with our waiter and he generously rewarded us with a complimentary ice cream, cookie desert for six. We felt that we might have approached culinary heaven that day—pizza and ice cream! We capped off the afternoon with a drink at the famous Signature Room on the 96th floor of the Hancock Center. The Hancock Center, at 1,127 feet, is the 4th tallest building in Chicago and 8th tall- est in the US. And the best photo of the city could be obtained in the ladies' restroom. Needless to say, J. Chris had to take that photo for me. Later that evening we “ubered” over to the old town comedy club, Zanies. Michael Palascak was the headliner. He was really good and together with the local host and the warm-up comedian, they made for a very entertaining evening. Mark and Laurie from Minnesota headed back north the next morning. Tim and Cathy from Ohio planned to drive back later that day so we did the ultimate tourist thing. We bought tickets for the Hop On, Hop Off Big Bus. If you are not familiar with a big city, this is actually a great way to get oriented in the city. The down side for us was that we experienced windy Chicago that day. The wind might have been okay by itself but it was a really GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN cold wind that day. Nonetheless it was a great tour. At one point we hopped off to get an “Open House Tour” of the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum. The bridgehouse is right on the corner of Michigan Avenue and is a five-story structure that houses the massive gears of Chicago’s most famous movable bridge. The interior was cramped but fascinating and housed a very unique museum. Due the the heavy rains the day before, the Riverwalk was closed. Later that evening, after all our friends had gone home, J.Chris and I decided to return to the Signature Room, this time to the 95th floor restaurant, for a sunset dinner. Spectacular! We basked in the wonderful cuisine, an exquisite glass of wine, and the amazing views of the Navy Yard and skyline that evening. It was a great conclusion to a great get-a-way weekend. Monday found us homeward bound— back into Bay Area traffic. Our impression of Chicago was very positive. We saw little graffiti, generally very clean streets and sidewalks, the police presence seemed minimal; stores, restaurants and shops were tourist friendly. The architecture of Chicago is exceptional and the River Walk something we would like to do again, when we return. They seem to have found a balance between historical preservation and contemporary building codes and design. There is a respect for the historical without the dogmatic absolutism that sometimes accompanies it. FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 gmhtoday.com Here we are at the Millennium Park with our travel partners: Mark and Laurie McShane and Kathy and Tim Grannan. We liked Chicago and look forward to a return visit someday. 99