A Perfect Day in Chicago: From Wendella Cruises to the Jazz Festival

Starting the Day: Wendella River and Lake Cruise

We decided to start the day later so Matthew went out and brought back Croissants/pastries to the room for a lazy breakfast. Mid morning we wandered up the the river and did a walk in the other direction. Much busier this way people wise but lots of opportunity to people watch.

We had pre booked a cruise and seems was a good job as all the boat trips looked packed. We decided on a River and Lake one as we wanted to see the Chicago skyline from the Lake and we are glad we did. Neither of us knew that there is a lock system in place and this was fun. Lots of boats are in the lock at the same time, very different to the ones back on the canals in the UK we have worked. Matts sister/brother in law would have been very interested as they have a narrow boat themselves and live on the UK canals for a large part of the year. Was also very nice to get a good breeze as it’s been very sticky in the high 20’s since we got here.

An Afternoon at the Chicago Jazz Festival

Post-lunch, we headed over to the Chicago Jazz Festival. Held annually in Millennium Park, this festival is an absolute treat for music lovers (Matthew loves jazz, I don’t but I had my kindle to read lol). Picture yourself lounging on the lush grass, the skyline as your backdrop, while live jazz performers serenade the crowd. The atmosphere is laid-back and friendly, making it easy to kick back and soak in the incredible talent on display. It takes some getting used to the USA way…hollering/cheering and whooping everything and they are all so loud.

Ending the Day on a Taco Note

After an afternoon filled with soulful music, we headed over to a Taco place we had spotted earlier and chilled out. Tried a Paloma which our daughter has introduced us to but wasn’t as nice as hers. We were practicing the spiced food and tequila for when we are down in Mexico.