Chicago, IL – August 30, 2008

Late yesterday afternoon we walked to Navy Pier. Navy Pier was originally designed as a shipping and entertainment area. Construction started on the Municipal Pier in 1914 and it opened to the public in 1916. At the time it was the world’s longest pier, 3000 feet long. In its first 10 years the pier was successful in attracting both visitors and ships.

By the end of the 1920’s the Municipal Pier’s success started to decline. In 1927 the pier was renamed Navy Pier, in honor of World War I veterans. Navy Pier served as a naval training facility during the second World War.

In 1992 renovation of the Navy Pier began and was completed in 1994. Navy Pier is now a very successful recreational center next to Chicago’s downtown area. There are many attractions and 50 acres of parks and gardens. Among the attractions are a 148 ft high Ferris Wheel, a 44 ft high musical carousel with hand-painted animals, ice skating rink (in winter), the Children’s Museum, the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows, Shakespeare theater complex, Cirque Shanghai, miniature golf course, funhouse maze and many others.

We ate dinner outside at Be Bop Café. The food was delicious and they had a great 5 piece jazz band with an amazing sax player. We walked back to the boat under the stars. The nightlights of Chicago are very pretty.

There is a large ship tied up in the harbor. It is a 372 foot former Canadian icebreaker from Nova Scotia. It is now the home of the Columbia Yacht Club, originally founded in 1892.

Although we can see Navy Pier from our marina, it was quite a walk, so this morning we took our bikes. There is a wonderful walking path and bicycle/running lane right next to the marina and to the bridge over the Chicago River. At Navy Pier we took the free trolley and rode around seeing the city of Chicago. We got off and did some walking and shopping. We stopped at Ed Debevic’s for lunch. It had been recommended by a friend of ours. This restaurant is an upbeat 50’s diner known for home-style cooking and sassy service. The restaurant is decorated in the 50’s style and staff dresses outrageously. Darrell had a hamburger and Beth had 6-way Chili. That’s chili, cheddar cheese, macaroni, onions, kidney beans and sour cream. (The 3-way chili was chili, cheddar cheese and macaroni, there is also a 4-way and a 5-way). The food was good, but the experience is what you go for.

We went back to Navy Pier and walked around inside some of the buildings. We were entertained by 4 pirates fighting and dancing to see who got the Pirate Booty. It was very funny and very good. We walked to the Beer Garden and listened to an all girl band. They were pretty good. Back to our bikes and back to the boat.

It was a beautiful day.