Millennium Park / Magnificent Mile / Navy Pier

ABBEY: This is the start of our Downtown Chicago "exploration" alone. Yup, only me and Wilma, and our handy Apple Maps. Millennium Park is our first goal. This park is where the Cloudgate (The Bean) is located. Make sure to be there early to get a good snap of The Bean that is not much crowded. Performances are being shown in Jay Pritzker Pavillion  
during summer and audiences can lay back and enjoy it at the Great Lawn. Flower lovers can visit Lurie Garden. The Crown Fountain and Wrigley Square and Millennium Park Monument is also there. Cross the BP bridge and you'll be connected to Maggie Daley Park. Great exercise with great views.

Head North towards N Michigan and Wacker Drive (Chicago River) and you're in at Magnificent Mile; the upscale section of Michigan Avenue. I got my Harry Potter candies like chocolate frogs, Bertie Botts every-flavor-beans, and butterbeer from Dylan's Candy Bar courtesy of my Aunt Araceli. We also visited Victoria's Secret for Wilma to have a couple of new undergarments. Popular landmarks like the Water Tower and John Hancock Center can be found here.

We also went to Navy Pier. We enjoyed the breeze as we stroll along the pier while watching the carnival rides. You can also book a reservation to get into a yacht on sunset.

Millennium Park - Jay Pritzker Pavillion  

Magnificent Mile - Water Tower 

Navy Pier's Centennial Wheel - A 360 Degree View of the City‎ 

Navy Pier - Crystal Gardens

WILL: Beside museums, you can enjoy the streets of downtown Chicago. But get ready of your feet, you need to take 20-30k steps for you to checkout this three sites. 

Our very first stop was Millennium Park. In here the "bean" is located, the Jay Pritzer Pavilion and the famous sculptures of different artists. Cloudgate is definitely a must to see if you visited Illinois. 

We do not have plan to visit Magnificent Mile. I am bit in to shopping but we cannot help it because the Ledge was just located in there. Haha! So no brainer, we just stroll and Abbey was so happy that his long time plan for him to buy me a Victoria's Secret lingerie came true. Hehe. Of course, I gladly accepted that shopping spree. :) You can see almost the brands you are wanting to see and there's a promotion on every store. 

Navy Pier! Oh because we have nothing to do on our 4th day "gala". And we saw that Navy Pier is just few streets from Tilt!, we opted to explore the area. What we saw there? A ferris wheel (Navy Pier's Centennial Wheel), the Crystal Gardens (located at 2nd floor), parked yachts and a windy place to relax and enjoy the breeze from the lake. 

On those 3, my favorite is Navy Pier. 

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Millennium Park
(H) 6 am - 11 pm Daily
(A) 201 East Randolph Street (between Michigan Ave. & Columbus Ave.)
(T) 312-742-1168


The Magnificent Mile 
(A)North Michigan Avenue, Chicago


Navy Pier | A Chicago Landmark
(W) https://navypier.com
(H) 10AM – 10PM
(A) 600 E Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, USA

(T) 1-800 595-PIER (7437)

Skydeck Chicago's LEDGE & TILT! Chicago's Newest Thrill Ride

ABBEY: These two attractions are a must-see for every tourist in Chicago. Our passes were included in the CityPass we purchased. 

With CityPass, no more lining up the long queue, we were at the express lane. 

The Skydeck is at 103rd floor of Willis Tower (formerly Sears) while The Tilt is at 94th floor of 360 Chicago (John Hancock). Both gives an excellent view of Downtown and Lake Michigan. 

The Ledge is an all-glass box protruding outside the building which gives you the feel of walking in the air and fear of falling down. You can snap all the pictures you want but be mindful of other guests. 

However in The Tilt, you need to top-up 6USD to have the experience. And also no cameras. You need to buy the official photo if you want a copy. Hold on to the sidebars and be ready to tilt. Not one, not two, but three angle starting from 90 degrees.

It was thrilling and exciting. Hope for a nice weather to get a good view.

Skydeck Chicago's LEDGE - Pose Number 1

Skydeck Chicago's LEDGE - Pose Number 2

TILT! Chicago's Newest Thrill Ride - You cannot bring your won camera in Tilt! :(

WILL: If you will search the history of Chicago, they are one of the first to have skyscrapers and the best way to get a birds' eye view is to escalate your way to Ledge and Tilt! buildings. 

Willis Tower where the famous Ledge is located is 103rd storey high. There is around 4 ledge that you can queue up and take the best and most daring photo you can have. That is, if you are not afraid of heights. Haha! 

The John Hancock building where has a jaw drop attractions Illinois have. Imagine? You were tilted out of with only feeble glass to catch you or a bar to hold on to. Haha! Gosh! My sweat came out immensely when the crew started the "tilting" process haha! 

I enjoyed most is the Ledge. Why? You can gain friends while you are on queue. You help to get a group photo and someone will take yours in return. 

Both buildings are definitely recommendable.

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Skydeck Chicago / LEDGE

(W) theskydeck.com

(H) March through September from 9am-10pm / October through February from 10am-8pm

(A) 233 South Wacker Drive 103rd floor Willis Tower, Chicago, Illinois 60606

(T) +1 312-875-9447

TILT! Chicago's Newest Thrill Ride - 360 Chicago

(W) www.360chicago.com/tilt

(H) 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM

(A) 875 N Michigan Avenue, 94th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611, United States

(T) 888 875 8439 

Chicago CityPASS 
US$99.75
(W) www.citypass.com/chicago

The 3 "Best" Deep Dish Pizza in Chicago

ABBEY: Deep dish pizza is one of the things that Chicago is well known for. And it's great that we indulged on those slices from three restaurants: Lou Malnati's, Giordano's Pizzeria, and Ginos East. It's hard to compare as each has its own unique way of how it was prepared, unique flavors and taste. 

For me, Lou Malnati's butter crust is better than the "undercooked" ones from Giordano's and Ginos East. But all of them put good, fresh, and flavorful ingredients that fill the pizza to brim. 

I think the lesson here is stop comparing, just eat and enjoy.

The 3 "Best" Deep Dish Pizza in Chicago: Ginos East

The 3 "Best" Deep Dish Pizza in Chicago: Giordano's Lunch Menu

The 3 "Best" Deep Dish Pizza in Chicago: Giordano's Dining Place 

The 3 "Best" Deep Dish Pizza in Chicago: Lou Malnati's

WILL: Do you know that Chicago is famous for awesome pizzas? Their pizza are not only dough and toppings, their deep dish pizza is consisted of doughs and a basin of toppings! Haha! 

There 3 well-known brands, Ginos East, Lou Malnati's, & Giordano's. So blessed that we tasted it all (Thanks Kuya Victory and Abigail for sponsoring😋). 

My favourite? Giordano's... super yummy meat and melted cheese blended together.Their homey feeling at their branch at is superb. Great service and super clean restaurant.

While the other two? Malnatis' dough is buttery and crispy which is the distinction to the other two. And Ginos East? Nothing special that reminds of me. Sorry. 

So whenever you visited Illinois, have a taste test of the three Deep Dish Pizza and share with us your judgment.

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Lou Malnati's, the Best Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Restaurant

(W) https://www.loumalnatis.com

(T)  1-800-Lou-To-Go (1-800-568-8646)

Giordano's: Chicago's Famous Stuffed Deep Dish Pizza

(W) https://giordanos.com/

(T) 1 312-842-1100

Ginos East | Chicago Deep Dish Pizza

(W) www.ginoseast.com/

(T) +1 312-988-4200