(several times), but this is the first time I’ve gotten a real feel for Chicago. I’m impressed! We stayed at the tiny chic Talbott Hotel. Located in Chicago’s Gold Coast on a beautiful tree-lined street, it’s in the middle of the action. Although time was short, we managed to take in the Loop, seeing many significant skyscrapers, from early buildings of 19th C. architect Louis Sullivan to contemporary showpieces. The multitude of European-style parks and Beaux-Arts public buildings near Lake Michigan, were standouts. Big and bold, downtown Chicago, boasting both the Chicago River and a Great Lake, makes even Manhattan pale in comparison. Driving north on Lake Shore Drive, which becomes bucolic Sheridan Road, we saw luxury high-rises turn into forty miles of historic lakeside mansions. Our sightseeing ended in the platinum village of Glencoe–the hometown of my great friend Michael Bloomfield. No time for the Frank Lloyd Wrights–they were in another direction–but dinner at Il Mulino, a terrific Italian in the Victorian Biggs mansion, was a special treat. Will be back.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_65yXT05bo]