Thursday, August 18, 2016

8/17 Chicago, Chicago that toddlin' town

I am writing this a day late because we had such a fun first day.
Yesterday, we saw a better weather window to cross from Michigan City, Indiana to Chicago, Illinois.  So we got up early and got a early start out on the lake.  The seas weren't too bad yet and a promised thunderstorm went much north of us.

Then, we could see the skyline of Chicago rising out of the lake. 

Here is a picture as we approached the harbor.

This is Navy Pier as we entered the harbor.  See the iconic Ferris Wheel.

John arranged for us to stay at the Columbia Yacht Club, which has an agreement with AGLCA.  The location is perfect for seeing the city!  It is between Navy Pier and the Chicago River to the North and the museums to the South.   In the 1980's the club bought a Canadian Ferry that was being decommissioned.  The Abegweit is a beautiful ship that took 680 passengers and cars and trucks to Prince Edward Island.  The old wood and brass are intact.  The library has been turned into a bar.  There are indoor and outdoor dining areas.  There is an enclosed area for special events on the stern.  We plan to be here this weekend for the Chicago Airshow and have the best seats on Lake Shore Drive.


The Club has a youth sailing school and they were so cute coming back in after their sail.  In the afternoon, the teenage group was more serious about their racing. 

I walked down to the Chicago River to get tickets for the Boat Architectural Tour that we will take this morning.   These are statues located at the corner of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River.

In the evening, two of the members, Suzanne and Paul, stopped by our boat because they are starting to plan for the loop.  They toured our boat in detail and had so many good questions.  They suggested that we join them for dinner.  We dined outside watching the Chicago skyline lights begin to twinkle.  The conversation was full of good stories about their sailing adventures.  They have done the Chicago to Mackinaw Island Race.  Just as we finished dinner, the fireworks that Chicago does on Wednesday and Saturday nights during the summer went off.  It was a huge display. So nice to make new friends on our first night in Chicago.

We are going to have a great weekend in Chicago.

Lat 41 degrees 52.99 North
Long 87 degrees 36.73 West

1 comment:

  1. I'm interested in reserving this place because choosing the right event space Chicago which does not favor a specific culture becomes difficult. Halls here have fountains and elaborate pictures. Some halls display traditional artifacts and paintings.

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