CHICAGO

Our trip from Michigan City, Indiana to Chicago, Illinois was characterized by sunny skies, a light breeze and pretty flat, turquoise water.  We ran the coast around the south end of Lake Michigan as the wind was offshore and this would give us a course with the flattest water.  This was perfect.  During the 4 hour cruise, we had a wonderful breakfast, did some software fixing so the AIS now works with the new(er) navigation software.  Let me tell you, it is nice having the AIS back up and running again, and especially as we will be getting onto the Western River System which, from what I have read, is very busy with commercial boats around all those little bends.  We just read about a 44' DeFever that got spun and knocked over with all hands in the water as a result of a near miss with the business end of a tow boat pushing some serious barge tonnage.  We don't know all the facts, but having travelled several hundred miles on the GICW and having "done the dance" with several hundred tow boats with big barge loads, we certainly can appreciate how important it is to pay close attention when negotiating the priorities of movement.  Actually, as a practical matter, there is only one priority when it comes to the tow boats and barges - big wins, every time.  So don't try to negotiate.  Just cooperate.





Anyway, we got into the marina in Chicago - Burnham Park Harbor.  I picked this place because of its proximity to just about everything.  I was not pleased, however, when we got into the harbor and discovered that the slip we had been assigned was full.  Then, when we finally got to a different slip, the pier was covered in 6" of Canadian Goose shit.  It was pretty disgusting to say the least and I ended up spending about 1/2 hour with a hose making it possible to get off the boat without slipping.  These damn geese make themselves at home and become "domesticated."  You would think these dumb birds would be further south by now.  Guess not.  They sure are messy but beautiful birds, though.



Once we got settled in and checked in, we dropped the bikes onto the dock and took off for a rather long ride on the bike path that runs along Lake Shore Drive.  We visited Soldier Field, the home of Brenda's beloved Chicago Bears.  Then we continued riding all the way down to the Navy Pier.  That place is a mad house.  The Chicago Marathon is this weekend and I believe the event is attracting over a million folks to the city.  So, everything is very crowded.  But, we managed.  We walked all the way to the end and found a cool place for a late lunch.  This is where I got to enjoy the one and only, Chicago style hot dog.  That was good.



I enjoyed the hot dog with a "beer sampler" that included 4 local beers.  The stupid thing about it is that once the waitress quickly rattles off what is in each of the 4 cups, unless one takes notes, there is no way to remember what is what and which is which.  This is made even more interesting by actually consuming each of the 4 beers.  Then, I guess, it doesn't really matter.  We had fun anyways.  We walked and walked and enjoyed this part of the city before returning to the boat.

Chicago Style Hot Dog - CHECK!


Later in the evening, we hopped in a cab and asked it to take us to Pizzeria Due, about 3 miles from the boat in the heart of downtown Chicago.  Wow!  This is a great city.  It is vibrant and colorful.  It certainly is a LONG way from Kokomo.  We found this place on the Droid as it had the highest ratings of any pizza place listed in the city.  It did not lie.

When we got there, there was a line out the door - this is at 9:00, mind you.  So, we found the desk, and, when I asked to get on the list, I was told I had to place an order then and there.  OK, so I did.  One medium sausage pizza.  Great, our names went on the list.  Then we went outside on the sidewalk and watched the people go by.

I should say a word about the taxi ride.  We have had several, but this one was the best.  This driver was "road rage all the way."  I thought I was back in Cairo, or Paris.  I think this dude learned to drive in Athens.  I know I would have profited from a neck roll like NFL linemen wear to keep their heads on during a very violent game.  We were probably never really close to death in the taxi, but it was not a pleasant ride.  Of course, later on, it's all to laugh about.  This guy went on and on about all the idiots on the road all the while making his cab go from 70 mph down to 10 mph and back to 70, all in the space of time it takes to swallow real hard.  He suggested that, after 8:00 p.m., there should only be taxi's on the roads.  Then, he went on about the increasingly large number of taxis and how many of them are illegal; how you have to pass a test, have the right permits, etc.  I have no idea whether or not this guy passed any test, but I suspect Nigeria is now minus one cab driver who is now plowing the streets of Chicago with a really big chip on his shoulder.  This is in stark contrast to the cab that returned us to the boat later.  I had to bang on the window to wake this dude up!

Anyway, we finally got seated about 20 minutes later and the waiter came to the table.  It was then that I learned that the order for the pizza had already been processed.  It turns out that these pies take almost an hour to cook.  This is the real deal - Chicago Style deep dish pizza.  I have been thinking about this since I finished my cheesesteak at Pat's in Philadelphia and devoured that dirty water dog in Battery Park, NYC.  It is something you just have to do if you love regional foods.  I'm sure there are others, and we have had our fill of Brats, but this was a necessity.


We had a wonderful Italian salad to start, and a couple of very nice cocktails.  Then, the moment arrived, or rather, the pizza, arrived.  It was beautiful!  What a work of art!  It's almost 2 inches thick and arrives in a seasoned, black, cast iron dish that is nearly 3 inches tall.  The sauce goes on top of the sausage, which goes on top of the cheese, which goes on top of this amazing garlic crust, that is just as succulent and perfect as you can possibly imagine.  I'm not sure how it is sliced, but it is almost sliced.  The waiter delivers a metal spatula that you stand vertically between the slices and push down.  There is an audible "pop" as the spatula goes down through the crust, and then, the pizza slice comes right out.  Amazing!



But the taste!  Oh the taste!  I have never had anything quite like it.  I know I have to work out that tomato sauce.  It was so simple and tasted so very fresh.  I know there are some imitators in California who think they are serving a Windy City pizza, but I think they are mistaken.  We ordered a medium, and ended up with 1/2 the pizza in the box as we left. 

So, I excused myself for a moment to use the facility before we hit the streets, and I left the remainder of this most delectible sensation in Brenda's capable custody.  I was standing there in the men's room thinking to myself how amazing this pizza should be in the morning for a little breakfast as we lock into the heart of downtown Chicago and negotiate 50 or so bridges before merging onto the Illinois River.  I was thinking to myself how amazing a piece might be as a midnight snack.  Well, I found Brenda out on the sidewalk.  But, I noticed there was no pizza box in her hand. I was concerned.  I was thinking to myself, "did she get mugged or something in the 3 minutes I was gone?"  "Did she forget the box?"  Nope, none of the above.  While I was not looking, Brenda, once again, proved that she is the only woman in the world I know that truly deserves the halo.  Apparently, some homeless guy came up and said, "I don't want money, but I sure am hungry."  So, she gave him the 1/2 pizza.  At first, I thought I was losing my mind.  My dreams were fading fast, as was my hope for having the perfect breakfast.  Brenda accused me of being selfish.  Some of you might be thinking, "Get a rope!" But, you know what?  She is right.  That poor fellow certainly needed the calories more than I do....God knows, it wouldn't hurt me to miss a meal.  But, that pizza!  Oh now, stop it!  He's homeless and hungry.  No big deal.  Next time I'll order two pizzas.  One to eat half of and enjoy the next day, and one for Brenda to give to a homeless guy.

So, after recovering from that loss, we hit the streets and walked a while.  Up and down, back and forth, street after street, avenue after avenue.  Chicago is a very vibrant city.  It is noisy, crowded, busy, filthy, everything you hope for in a big metropolitan bonanza as such.  There were many folks out on the streets who were very well dressed standing in lines in front of buildings with doors open over which there were no signs.  I'm thinking to myself, these are locals getting into local nightclubs.  We were never going to get even close to getting in the way we were dressed.  In fact, I was joking about his and commented that the door man would take one look at us and suggest that housekeeping doesn't come until 6:00, so come back then.  Well!



Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza - CHECK!

Our cab ride back to the boat was, as I said, quite a bit easier (physically and mentally) than the cab ride earlier.  We had a nice time.  In the morning (or should I say, later this morning) we will leave Chicago and start heading south.  We will enter the Chicago River at the Chicago lock and then run right down the middle of downtown Chicago to the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.  We have pulled down the outriggers and lowered our antennae so we can clear 16 feet.  This is something I have wanted to do since we decided to make this trip and this is one of the main reasons we kept Abreojos.  She can make it under all the fixed bridges.  There are many bridges that will open, but in this city, if you do not make arrangements with the bridges 12 hours in advance, don't even think about it. 

So, off we go.  More later.


We are currently tied to the wall in Joliet, Illinois and our plan is to move on down to Ottawa, Illinois later today.  It is very early in the morning right now and I cannot sleep.  In reflecting on this day's passage, from Chicago to Joliet, I can only say it was not boring.  Sure it is good to be off the Great Lakes with their totally unpredictable weather patterns and the results.  It is really great to be back in canals and rivers.  They too have their challenges.  For the first time in several months, we were involved with commercial traffic in the form of barges.  I got to use my whistle signals again for the first time in a long while.  Then there were the bridges and locks.  The bridges were no big deal, and frankly, neither were the two locks we went through.

The first lock was the Chicago Harbor Lock.  This is the one that keeps the water from Chicago out of Lake Michigan.  No seriously.  The runoff, the waste, the effluent, etc. is all kept out of the lake by a lock that drops you 2 feet into the Chicago River.  Then you are on the Chicago River for several miles before it merges with the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal.  Then, you merge with the Calumet River/Canal and then you go through the "grinders" and into the Lockport Lock and Dam Complex.  This lock drops you 38 feet to the Des Plains River which will ultimately put us on the Illinois River.

So, it turns out, part of the wall as you enter the Lockport Lock collapsed a few days ago and the ACOE wasn't sure if it was going to be a problem or not.  It turns out that it was no problem for recreational boats or pleasure craft or PCs as the commercial guys refer to us, but the tows were stopped for a day or so and certainly double wide was as big as they were going to be allowed to get into the locks.  Double wide and 3 long (a standard 6 pack).  I don't think we say anything wider than that as the "grinder" probably would be too narrow for anything wider than that to pass.

There were several moments of concern when there were barges moving around up ahead and not responding to radio calls.  There were moments when things got dicey as we almost went under the wrong side of a swing bridge. (The lights/reflectors that show you which side to go under were all but invisible and I caught it only at the last possible second to make a radical course change to avoid running aground).  There were other moments that made you want to scream, but overall, it was a great day and a most not boring passage.  Yes, it was fun and interesting.  We took a lot of pictures which I have made into a slide show.  Enjoy.