ROUTE 66 : TIP 2 - to the sound of the Stones.
by sourbugger
Scene : Leaving the starting point in Chicago.
“ Why the special bought CD then ?”
“ Well you know I’ve wanted do this trip for a long while now, and I wanted to start it with the most appropriate soundtrack ringing in my ears. Getting my kicks on Route 66”
“The Rolling Stones ?”
“Yeah well, I know I’m more of a Beatles man, but I first heard about this road on this album, it’s just a kind of right..”
“Is it the original one ?”
“Well not really, Chuck Berry and Nat King Cole sang the song as well. I’m not bothered which was the original, and I don't think it was any of that lot. In any case I like this one.”
“Fair enough, bung it in the player and lets eat tarmac”
“It’s about the only thing that works properly on this car”
“Well you rented it !, and what do you mean anyway ? It’s only done about 500 miles”
“I know, I know, a 'Ford Boring', or whatever it’s called. Everything works, it’s just, well, you know, American.
“You rented it !”
“I’d love to have my MG now, wind through the hair and all that, but this is what we are lumbered with. Drives like a bloody sofa, and no gearstick.”
“At least it goes, which is more than you MG does”
“Oh no, that's not fair, it goes alright, it just that it stops a lot too, and then needs mending”
“Then I’d rather be in this car, it’s God knows how many miles to LA”
As the sounds of Mick Jagger and the boys came on the speakers, Chicago with its gridiron pattern of road, overlaid by the rumble of the trains on the loop we finally left - going the wrong way. As Jefferson is now a one-way road heading to the lake shore, we swung back 180 degrees onto Adams and gradually allowed Chicago to slip by as we headed to the suburbs. The lyrics of that song are as follows :
Well if you ever plan to motor west
Just take my way that's the highway that's the best
Get your kicks on Route 66
Well it winds from Chicago to L.A.
More than 2000 miles all the way
Get your kicks on Route 66
Well goes from St. Louie down to Missouri
Oklahoma city looks oh so pretty
You'll see Amarillo and Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff, Arizona don't forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino
Would you get hip to this kindly tip
And go take that California trip
Get your kicks on Route 66
Well goes from St. Louie down to Missouri
Oklahoma city looks oh so pretty
You'll see Amarillo and Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff, Arizona don't forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino
Would you get hip to this kindly tip
And go take that California trip
Get your kicks on Route 66
Next>>>
Take the L down to the Loop...
by zoe_c
Take the L down to the Loop (centre of town) and then take a walk around. Go down Michigan Avenue, go up the Sear's Tower (the world's tallest building until a few years ago) (see pic).
For shopping, try the Water Tower Center
Oak Park
by goingsolo
Oak Park is a pretty suburb on the western side of Chicago. This is a must see place if you're a fan of Hemingway or Frank Lloyd Wright. The pretty streets are filled with houses designed by Wright and just walking in the neighborhood is interesting enough to merit a visit. There are a bunch of shops and cafes here as well and a pretty park which is used for outdoor festivals in the summer.
Chicago Botanic Garden
by meteorologist1
If you're looking for something peaceful and quiet as well as close to nature, Chicago's Botanic Garden is for you. This is the place to relax, take a walk, and spend time with your family. This large park features a tour of nature. It has lots of flowers in many different varieties, and they're separated into different sections. For example, see all kinds of roses in the Rose Garden. And there's also a vegetable garden for those vegetable-growing fans out there. The park is located on Chicago's North Side.
Harold Washington Library Center
by deecat
Harold Washington Library Center is Chicago's CENTRAL OR MAIN library which is named for the late Harold Washington [Chicago's first African American mayor, 1983-1987]/
Allan & I visited it recently and were astounded by its size & scope. It was opened to the public in 1991, costing $144 million dollars. It covers one full city block & is the largest municipal library building in the world!. Thomas Beeby of Hammond, Indiana, designed the building after his office won the competition held in the late 1980s to build a new central library in Chicago.
I learned so much visiting this architecture giant. It's open 7 days a week [Monday-Thursday: 9:00 AM-7:00 PM; Friday & Saturday: 9:00 AM-5:00 PM; Sunday: 1:00 PM-5:00 PM] and has over 9 million books, publications, collections, & microforms. Surprisingly, to me, I discovered that it is one of Chicago's top tourist attractions.
Loving architecture so much, I was fascinated by this neo-classical building that is anchored at the base by granite blocks. It's quite obvious that this structure was built to last. It has 5-story-tall arched windows that are linked together by cast stone ornamentation. In 1993, 7 ornaments were added to the roof [placed on the 4 corners. I noticed that the Plymouth Court side is a glass wall above the base.
I was literally overwhelmed by the interior & its massive lobby with a mosaic mural called "Events in the Life of Harold Washington". Also on this first level is the POPULAR LIBRARY that features current titles from bestsellers and biographies.
The SECOND FLOOR has a walkway above the main lobby and is a gallery of artworks by Chicago painters.Be sure to see the Thomas Hughes Children's Library on the SECOND FLOOR. He was a British author who was so moved by the Chicago Fire of 1871 that he organized an English campaign to collect books for Chicago. It turned out to be 8,000 volumes and was the beginning of the Chicago Public Library! For general information, you need to go to the THIRD FLOOR. There is a reference desk, the Interlibrary Loan Service, voter registration, computer Commons, newspapers, periodicals, and U.kS. telephone directories.
We also visited the FOURTH FLOOR with the Business/Technology Division.
If you need Socail Science periodicals and microforms, talking books, or government publications, then visit the FIFTH FLOOR.
Education, sociology, history, religion, psychology, philosophy, biography, genealogy, TRAVEL, parapsychology, and Chicago history are on the SIXTH FLOOR.
THE SEVENTH FLOOR was exciting for me, of course. It is Literature & Language Department with the largest collection of literature and fiction in the Midwest. They have a great Teen Edition section.
On the EIGHTH FLOOR, we discovered the Visual and Performing Arts Department. It has an Art Information Center, Music Information Center, piano practice rooms, chamber music rehearsal room, and a Listening/Viewing Center.
Oh, joy...on the NINTH FLOOR, you can enter the Winter Garden, a public space that rises over 100 feet through the TENTH FLOOR to a skylight. You can rent this space for special events. If you want info on Civil War, Chicago Theater, 1893 & 1933 World's Fairs, Chicago Neighborhood history as well as the Chicago Public Library Archives, this is the place for you.
I almost forgot to tell about the LOWER LEVEL and its 385-seat auditorium, an exhibit hall, a video theater, & meeting rooms!
Sign in with Facebook
Streets of Chicago
parking first
crossing
fronting the lake
Comments