We were up early yesterday morning motivated to see as much of Chicago’s waterfront as we could before getting on the road to Pittsburgh. We peaked outside and the bright skies looked promising so we slipped on our sneakers and stopped to grab coffee for a morning stroll with Chewy in tow. We’ve determined that Chew Chew is a country pup. The buses, horns and traffic noise that you would expect in a big city had Chewy spooked. The Riverwalk, sitting below street level, muffled some of the noise so we made our way down to the river and set off in the direction of Lake Michigan. We passed O’Brien’s Riverwalk Cafe and of course had to snap a picture.
We walked along the shores of Lake Michigan observing waterfront shop owners preparing for the day. We passed runners, walkers, cyclists and several big doggies. We enjoyed reading the names of all of the boats in the marinas and watching the slow but sure burning off of the morning fog.
One of the things that this trip has given us is the opportunity to pause and live in the moment. We had to pinch ourselves yesterday morning as we strolled along the shores of Lake Michigan. That was not something that I ever thought I would do. How blessed we are to have this opportunity.
Soon after our walk ended, we loaded up the car, did a little happy dance that the sun was finally shining, and took a spin up and down Lake Shore Drive snapping pictures of Chicago’s beauty.
Below is Wabash Avenue Bridge, Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) bathed in fog and then again in the sun, Chicago Harbor Lighthouse and the famous Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain in Grant Park (one of the largest fountains in the world).
At one point during the day, we started naming off a few of the things that we were thankful for during our trip. We are thankful for EZ Pass as it has surely saved us over an hour or two of travel time and a few Alexander Hamilton’s. Even though we may have driven through more rain in the past few days than Seattle sees in a year, it has cleaned the bugs off of the car! We are thankful for Starbucks, their strategic locations, yummy chocolate chip cookies and their coffee cups that I seem to be obsessed with collecting. We have seen some pretty clean rest stops as well which was a welcoming site when you have to stop at dozens of them. We are thankful for Audible books as it helped pass the time during long stretches of open roads. I’m thankful for Dan’s mad squeegee skills. Nobody can squeegee like my husband!
When we made our way out of Illinois and into Indiana I was ready for the sign! Drum roll please!
Dan was a trooper yesterday. He drove through another blinding rain storm in Indiana and into Ohio. We missed the Ohio sign. Shocker. We had planned on stopping in Sandusky to see Lake Erie but with the weather that was rolling through we didn’t want to risk the detour and not be able to see anything. Repeating Mt. Rushmore would not have been good. So we drove straight through hoping to have an earlier arrival in Pittsburgh.
I took over the wheel in Ohio and drove us into Pennsylvania enjoying the blue skies and setting sun. The sky was orange, blue, pink and purple. We crossed over the Cuyahoga River in Ohio giving us a gorgeous view of some of the pretties rolling hills on the other side of the bridge. Dan, with his forward planning skills, was ready with the camera to capture the “Welcome to Pennsylvania” sign! We both felt a sense of nostalgia and comfort as our little family called PA “home” for six years.
Dan pulled up a map of the U.S while I was driving…he began taking in just how far we had come. We have loved every hour of our trip and are so grateful for our time together.
Shortly after 9 p.m. the Pittsburgh skyline came into view. We stayed at another Kimpton property last night. Hotel Monaco was decorated with gorgeous colors and patterns. It was modern yet cozy with bird cages, textured wallpapers, velvet fabrics and lacquered furniture. The staff couldn’t have been more accommodating or welcoming. We missed puppy happy hour again so they followed us and our bags up to our room with glasses of Malbec. It’s the little things. Four stars again!
After check-in, we received a call from Ev. He gave us an update on his day. His favorites were Mt. Vernon and Ford’s Theater. In predictable Evan fashion he asked, “What are we doing tomorrow? Can we go to the beach?” Ev always wants to know what “the plan” is. He sent us this picture which we think is from one of the museums as we are pretty sure that this was not hanging from the ceiling in Mt. Vernon or Ford’s Theater. (Hehe!)
After quickly unpacking, we took Chewy on a stroll through Market Square and then we made our way to PNC Park where the Pittsburgh Pirates were wrapping up a baseball game. We captured a few pictures of the stadium lit up and the popular Three Sister Bridges named after famous Pittsburgh Residence ~ Roberto Clemente, Andy Warhol and Rachel Carson.
Tomorrow is our final and shortest day of travel!
Chasing Waves 