Adventure with the Chicagoans

Chicago skyline

For the summer 2014, I decided to go back to the US on the east coast.
I didn't know which city to choose. I really wanted to go to NYC (I'll talk about it later) but I also wanted to visit other cities: 1 or 2. First, I thought it could be great to visit New-Orleans, this city where going to the carnival in the Vieux Carré, walking in the Bayou and eating cajun food seems so great. I wanted to go to a city situated on the east coast such as Chicago, Washington, Boston, etc.

I didn't know which one could be the best to visit and after multiple reasearches on the Internet, I went for Chicago.

I took the plane on July, 9th 2014 and after a long time spent on the plane and a stop in Copenhagen, I finally landed at Chicago O'Hare airport.
I didn't have dificulties to take the subway to go to my hotel located in Chinatown.
The good thing is that the subway stop, Cermak Chinatown, is not far at all. You just need to walk for 5 minutes, it's really practical.

Chicago Chinatown is different from Paris Chinatown. It's smaller and seems classier because there are more houses than buildings. There are many shops selling asian merchandises and also many restaurants.

You enter to the quarter thanks to a pagoda, it's the same thing in San Francisco.

Once the key given, I climbed up to the second floor with my huge suitcase (no lift of course) and I tried to open the door, unsuccessfully. The key didn't seem like a key, it was like an oval plate that you needed to insert into the handle. Nobody told me about that at the reception desk and I tried many times before opening the door at last and unpacked.
The room was big, with a king size bed, a bathroom, toilets, a TV, a coffee maker (working really bad by the way), etc.
In the lobby, customers could use the microwave, the fridge, the water fountain (hot and cold water), make coffee or tea.

This is the third time that I go to the US and I always like each stay. Americans are so welcoming, ready to help. I also think they are cool and relaxed and more tolerant than other people. In the US, nobody will criticize your style or look at your wart on your nose as if you were a monster!

During the summer, the weather is really hot and the air conditioning was blasting in shops, museums or the subway. Not easy to get used to it at first! And when you go to the freezer department in the supermarket, it's like a cool chamber! Don't forget to take a jacket with you!

Don't get me wrong but the US is not just junk food even if it's easy to find a fast food over there. Americans have supermarkets selling fresh and organic food like Whole Foods Market. You can buy organic food and also make you own salad with the salad bar.

About public transportation, not counting the AC, it isn't so different from Paris. At first, I was lost because many trains run on the same platform. For example, it is as if you could take the RER (name of a train in Paris) A, B, C, D and E on the platform 12. It was a little bit confusing but I get used to it. I bought a card that I could use for buses and trains during one week, like the pass navigo in Paris.

I walked a lot in Chicago. I visited all touristic sites thanks to the Chicago Pass which gives you incredible prices. I saw the Lincoln Park Zoo, the Shedd Aquarium, the 360° Chicago, etc.

360° Chicago

360° Chicago allows you to have a wonderful view on Chicago. You can go to the 94° floor in a few seconds thanks to a lift and look at Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana.