Our Time in Chicago...Wonderful

We used our Tuesday, May 4 one day stay at Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park as a waypoint to get our pass and ID credentials for Naval Station Great Lakes access. We moved on Wednesday, May 6 to the Great Lakes Naval Base RV campground. This RV venue offers small, electric-only sites with impressive lake views and quick access to walking trails and the Metra train, making visits to Chicago a breeze.

RV reviewers of this Naval Base campground frequently mention issues with site upkeep, muddy spots after rain, and a campground that's impacted by many long-term, active duty residents. While the waterfront scenery draws positive remarks, some RVers express that the park could benefit from improved maintenance and attention for transient guests like ourselves. We found this to be the case but our strategy was to stay at this location for the convenience to Chicago and the security of a military base not necessarily the amenities in the RV park.

Thursday, May 6 was our first trip into Chicago. We boarded the Metra train at the Great Lakes station and took it from zone 4 into zone 2 for a mere $3.75 each! After exiting the train we walked to the RED line elevated subway station to catch the "L" to the Addison station for the Wrigley Field stop. We had Cub's tickets for the afternoon game against the Cincinnati Reds.

We arrived at the field early enough to have lunch across the street at Swift Tavern. We had a delicious trademark Chicago Italian roast beef sandwich and roasted Brussel Sprouts with a balsamic vinegar glaze. This was a wonderful meal close to the action and a definite do-over when we come back to Wrigley Field.

After lunch we walked around "Wrigleyville" to get the local flavor before entering the ballpark. After seeing this historic baseball venue firsthand, I now understand why it is so venerated and beloved. It is indeed a magical place, like Fenway is in Boston, but I honestly liked Wrigley Field better. The facilities are spotless and best of all our $19 seats in section 327 row 3 were amazing. I can't believe how close to the field we were on the second deck.

Since the Dodgers were not playing it only made sense to cheer on the home team. So we were Cubbies for the day and it must have contributed to their fortunes that afternoon because they won! It was a great experience overall and I have a new favorite ballpark after this game. I would love to come back and see the Dodgers play here next.

Our trip back to Great Lakes from Wrigley was a public transportation adventure. Turns out that around 2:30 that afternoon the Metra train hit a flatbed semi-truck at a crossing and all the northbound and southbound trains were canceled. So after the game we took the RED line to Howard where we connected to the PURPLE line to the Davis Station located in downtown Evanston; this is a major transit hub (serving both the CTA and Metra Union Pacific North Line) and is a quick 15-minute walk to the Weber Arch and central campus of Northwestern University.

We had time to kill and it was the dinner hour, so we walked to Lou Malnati's Pizzeria, a famous location known for their Chicago-style deep dish pizza. This type of pizza takes 30 to 40 minutes to cook and we definitely had the time, so we decided to give it a try. We ordered a medium (too big) and only could eat three slices. I enjoyed it but Karen was not as crazy about it. After dinner we boxed up the leftovers and started walking to the Metra station to see if the trains were running again. We were able to gift our leftover pizza to a lady on the street who was hungry. Unfortunately no trains yet, so we resorted to taking the CTA bus as far north as we could go which was Highland Park. We drove by the train/truck accident site and were eventually able to catch the Metra train back to Great Lakes station.

The experience we gained using the Metra and CTA services made us confident in using the public transportation services available in Chicago. We were impressed with the cleanliness, efficiency and economy of their system. We purchased an all-day CTA pass for the L and buses for only $5 per person. This made coming into Chicago easy and inexpensive.

Friday we had to drop off Karen's E-bike for some much needed repairs. We found Carlos, an independent bike shop owner in Johnsburg, IL. This was a bit of a drive from Great Lakes but he could repair her tire, replace the brake pads and install a new gear shift controller.

Our next trip into the city was on May 9th; we missed the 9:37 AM Metra train and drove into Evanston to take the northern most PURPLE line/RED line combination into the city this time to the Grand Street station. From there we walked to Yolk's restaurant for breakfast then to the Navy Pier on Lake Michigan to see the skyline. We took a bus back into downtown to see the Chicago river and the many drawbridges that cross it. The architecture along the river is stunning so walked along the river-walk on the south bank to get another perspective before returning to the train for our return trip to the Linden station at the end of the PURPLE line.

The view looking toward the downtown from Navy Pier.

One of the many tourist boats on the Chicago River. We decided to come back on Monday and take a water taxi to Chicago's Chinatown.

We left early because we had made dinner plans with my cousin Lisa Scarpelli and her husband Ray at their home in Libertyville. Lisa and I have been trying to get together since we arrived in the area and tonight we were finally able to make it happen! I have been praying for an opportunity to spend time with this side of my family and we were able to be joined by their son, Ray and his wife Gabby who came over later for dessert. We talked until almost 11 PM telling family stories. It was a joy to finally get together and make this heart connection. I hope it happens again soon.

A wonderful event years in the making... dinner with the Scarpelli Clan!

On Sunday we found a local Christian fellowship to attend and rested up from the extensive days of walking. On Monday we once again ventured into Chicago on the Metra Train and RED line to Grand Street but his time walked south to the Trump Tower on the river to catch the water taxi to Chinatown. I think we traveled under a dozen bridges before we arrived at the Chinatown dock. From there walked to one of the local Ramen noodle restaurant. The weather has been on the chilly side, so soup was the perfect meal for the afternoon.

This was the Chinatown dockside structure where the water taxi dropped off all the passengers..

In the Chinese zodiac, the Snake is the sixth sign, symbolizing wisdom, intuition, and transformation. People born under this sign are known for their sharp intellect, strategic thinking, and calm, composed nature.

Tuesday was the day we picked up Karen's E-bike and Carlos did a great job getting her back in the saddle again. On the way back to Great Lakes we stopped by Ray Chevrolet/RAM dealership to see both Ray Scarpellis; father and son. The younger Ray gave us a tour of their dealership and we eventually hooked up with his dad. They have a very impressive operation in Fox Lake, IL and they are both very proud of the their business reputation. It was great to see them both and get in a quick visit.

It was back to the naval station for the rest of the afternoon to begin the process of getting ready for our Wednesday morning, May 13th departure for Wisconsin. The week went by much too quickly and I'm hoping we return to the area one more time before we head south. Chicago is a wonderful place to visit and I still need to see a White Sox game on my journey to visit all 30 ballparks.