I flew to Chicago and spent one day (Dec 21) plus the following morning (Dec 22) walking around the city before heading home to Ohio for Christmas. I stayed overnight in Wicker Park and did some wandering around that area, but most of my limited time was spent around downtown, which seemed reasonably busy with holiday hustle and bustle.
1 – Arriving at ORD.
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3 – Blue line from ORD to Damen (Wicker Park).
4 – Nice view from my room at The Robey in Wicker Park (luckily, I was able to check in quite early after my red eye from San Francisco).
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6 – Off to get coffee early Wednesday morning.
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10 – The Wormhole coffee – always a good option while in the neighborhood.
11 – Blue to Grand Ave where I walked south down Halsted to the Fulton Market/Randolph Street/Near West Side area.
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20 – Stopping by Sawada Coffee to warm up and enjoy a great coffee (quite possibly Chicago’s best coffee shop).
21 – A little early (approx. 11am) for The French Market to be busy, but I suspect vendors here are struggling with the decrease in the number of downtown office workers and/or those commuting to/from Ogilvie (I used to work in the tower above Ogilvie and would come here somewhat regularly for lunch).
22 – Walking east across the Chicago River and into The Loop.
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24 – Arriving at Chicago’s Christkindlmarket at Daley Plaza.
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29 – Checking out the Palmer House Christmas decorations.
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32 – Strolling along State Street.
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37 – Marshall Field’s
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40 – Off to Millennium Park and the city’s “official” Christmas tree.
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46 – Northbound into the Mag Mile.
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54 – Checking out the Drake Hotel Christmas decorations (unfortunately the main bar/restaurant area was closed off for a private event).
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59 – Oak Street
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62 – Exploring the Gold Coast
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67 – Hugh Hefner’s original Playboy Mansion before relocating to SoCal.
68 – Time to head back to Wicker Park.
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73 – Happy Hour at the rooftop bar at my hotel.
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75 – Now back to downtown for dinner and a little shopping.
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79 – Heading back to Wicker Park.
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82 – The next morning I had a couple hours before heading home to Ohio to walk around Wicker Park, Bucktown, and the northern edge of Ukrainian Village.
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91 – Wicker Park (the park itself).
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94 – Grand Ave (border area of Wicker Park & Ukrainian Village).
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98 – Had to stop by Lost Larson for a cappuccino and a tasty cinnamon roll for breakfast. Very healthy!
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113 – Time to make my way home to Ohio for Christmas.
114 – And my train is arriving.
Hope you enjoyed this little glimpse of Christmas in Chicago!
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