After what turned out to be a late night (the joys of waiting for laundry), me and Bobbi woke up at 5am to go see the sun rise at the bean.

Unfortunately, when we arrived we had just missed it! However, there were hardly any tourists in sight and we got some great shots of the skyline reflecting on the bean (hey, every silver lining…)

chicago’s skyline reflecting on the bean
After making the most of the bean we headed back to the hostel for breakfast before walking to the famous Willis Tower. We ended up walking in the direction of the Hancock Tower, but we managed to get to the right one in the end! We decided on the Willis Tower as it had a glass skydeck ledge, where you could literally stand on top of Chicago (you also didn’t have to pay any extra money for this experience, unlike the Hancock).



willis tower
We luckily got some discounted tickets at the hostel before we set off, so when we arrived at the tower, we just went straight in without any queuing – bonus! We all watched a theatre experience which explained the history of the tower, and we learnt some fun facts. Did you know, that it used to be the world’s tallest tower before it was overtaken by the Taiwan Tower? After the experience we went onto the skydeck ledge – which was so cool! We took so many selfies on the glass ledge and got some breathtaking shots of the city!


Our little tour of Chicago that day took us to the Navy Pier, which was apparently the city’s local touristy attraction. There wasn’t much there apart from a ferris wheel and a small fairground – but it did have an amazing view of the city and the skyline along Lake Michigan. Cue more selfie and Go Pro vid moments!


navy pier and lake michigan
That day, the group was also offered an optional activity of going to see a baseball game. Only me and Bobbi were up for it, so off we went with Steve (on his day off, what a guy) to my very first baseball game! We paid $13 for a nosebleed seat to see the Chicago White Sox take on the Texas Rangers, and each got a hotdog and some nachos. Steve went one step further and bought a strawberry daiquiri (well, it was his day off) and even made us try funnel cake (insanely sugary churros – sweet was an understatement). The game only lasted three hours (they usually last between five and eight), and the White Sox won!

chicago white sox game at us cellular field
Once the game had finished (with fireworks in true American style – did we expect anything less?), we all headed back to the hostel and met Polly and Kirsty for a milkshake at the Shake Shack. We unanimously dubbed it the Sh*t Shack, due to their terrible service and not-so-nice milkshakes, before chilling out in the park.

That night we all met up and decided to go to Millers Pub for an evening meal. I tried a succulent patty melt with fries and coleslaw. If there was one thing I had to get used to, it was how hearty American cuisine could be! It was delicious, but very filling!

To say it was only day five, it felt like we had been on the tour for ages (and we had another 38 days to go!) It was safe to say that Chicago totally picked up everyone’s spirits and we were ready for a long drive day tomorrow through Wisconsin and Minnesota!

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