Chicago – Spring 2019
In April of 2019, I made my first journey across to the United States of America for a two week stay in the city of Chicago. Chicago, which is the third largest city in the US, sits on the Western side of Lake Michigan. The close proximity to the lake, the largest of it’s kind within one country, contributes to the nickname the “Windy City” due to the winds that rip through the city.
The starts of my longer holidays always seem to start of in disasters which is very reassuring for the future *gulp*. Due to high winds and heavy rain in the UK the very first flight of the journey was delayed by over an hour, and that had a knock on effect on every other flight booked. I ended up arriving in the early hours of the morning a day later, a whole 13 hours after originally planned, losing a whole day. If there’s anything to learn from this, it’s definitely to leave more time between connecting flights just in case. It can be boring sitting around in an airport, but believe me, the stress is not worth it!
Unlike most of my trips, I had come all this way for one main purpose, Star Wars Celebration! Celebration is a mostly annual convention for all things Star Wars, where there are a host of panels, stalls, events and fingers crossed exciting announcements of what is to come next from a galaxy far far away. That year’s event was a big one, as it was leading up to both The Rise Of Skywalker, and The Mandalorian, so getting into certain events was like getting one of Wonka’s golden tickets.
In the first days of the event I was lucky enough to secure myself a ticket to the panel for the final episode in the series, The Rise Of Skywalker, where the first trailer was premiered. Imagine a room full of pumped up, excitable nerds waiting for almost 2 hours just to watch two minutes of footage that would make very little sense until another EIGHT MONTHS later! The atmosphere in the room was electric and worth the whole journey.
As well as the many panels and official events ongoing across the week, there was also an entire hall full of stalls and activities. The main stage was in the centre, with an autograph hall off to one side. The bulk of the left side was made up of people selling all kinds of merchandise. If you have thought about buying anything Star Wars branded it would’ve been there.
There were also many star wars themed events going on across Chicago outside of the main location. This was a good way to see the city and do some things you would usually never consider!
Baseball did not thrill me in the same way it seemed to for those around me. The two teams supporters shared stands which was a nice change from football fans shouting abuse at each other, and tickets – and alcohol – were fairly cheap which was a pleasant surprise.
Millennium Park is one of Chicago’s top attractions. It was meant to open in 2000 to mark the celebration of the new millennium, but was not finished until 2004, 4 years late, and $250 million over budget! It hosts many sculptures and artistic attractions, including Cloud Gate, also known as Chicago bean.
The park covers over 300 acres, with many different aesthetics and designs. There are pavilions and elaborate fountains connected by brick walkways and tree covered gravel paths. The park also sits on the edge of Lake Michigan so you can walk the length of the park alongside it.
One last thing that has to be mentioned is the food. If you live in the United Kingdom or Europe you will never be prepared for the first time you order food from somewhere thinking you will get a decent meal, and a feast for 2 arrives. It’s not like that is a bad thing though, because everything is full of flavour.
There seems to be an award winning food place on every corner and when you try it you can totally understand why they love their food. The day I arrived I was told there was an award winning sandwich shop at the end of the street, Al’s Beef. I got the biggest sub I had ever seen, with heaps of pulled beef, smothered in glorious gravy with sweet spicy peppers. That sandwich was so good I ended up returning four or five further times across the 2 weeks.
This trip was very different to what my holidays usually look like. A lot more relaxed, less adventuring and travelling around, and more taking in what was on the doorstep and taking time to enjoy Star Wars celebration which after all was why I was there. It was a nice change of pace from always rushing around and moving from place to place. Fingers crossed a trip back to the States is on the cards one day, maybe for the next Celebration event!
Thanks for reading everyone!
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