A home for my words.

In about a one year span, I found myself needing to be in Chicago for a few different summer conferences. I’m positive my time in “The Windy City” wouldn’t have felt so cheery if I’d had to be there in the winter, but I’ve already written ad nauseum about my inability to tolerate the cold.

Thankfully, a college friend whom I adore lives in Chicago. After each business trip, I got to spend a few days with her. On one such occasion, she casually mentioned that it was the weekend of the Chicago Air and Water Show. I’d never heard of it before and while I couldn’t quite understand what was in store, she said that I should check it out since I’d already be hitting the town. Essentially, the Chicago Air and Water Show is exhibition where both military and civilian performers show their talents in — you guessed it — the air and water!

Since she’d be able to view it from her apartment and had other things to do, she wasn’t too concerned to see it herself. I’m glad she told me about it though because the videos I captured that day are some of my personally most-watched!

If you’re planning on visiting the Chicago Air and Water Show, my first tip is follow a tried and true motto: hurry up and wait. I’d actually forgotten all about my friend’s suggestion. It wasn’t until I happened to walk by the lakefront and saw hundreds of people staring up at the sky that my curiosity peaked. I asked a woman why people were waiting around. She told me they were waiting for the pilots. I still hadn’t quite understood my friend’s suggestion, but seeing all these people standing around motivated me to see if for myself.

I was getting uncomfortable standing on a sidewalk with my neck arched towards the sky and decided to just cross the street to be nearer to the lakefront. At least that way I could people-watch and get some more steps in and if I decided to leave, it wouldn’t completely be time wasted.

Quick tips for visiting the Chicago Air and Water Show:

• Wear sunscreen
• Wear quality sunglasses
• Have a camera, for the memories
• Snacks
• Bring folding chairs or blankets
  (optional, but you otherwise you might stand for an hour or more)
• Games
  (especially if you’re with children who may need extra entertainment while waiting)

At some point, I thought it would actually never happen. I’d heard a potential start time and it was well past that. But I stuck it out. It’s better for the pilots to be safe anyway! And all of the people-watching opportunities really helped the time go by. There were tons of people, some creating a picnic as they waited, others zooming by on bicycles, out for a jog, or even swimming in the lake! And then…it happened. I saw this: 

I met a native of Chicago while I was staying in Buenos Aires, and they seemed not as impressed about the videos I had from the air show. I wondered aloud about it and they confessed that since they’d been going nearly every year since they were young, it just didn’t quite have the same effect on that. It’s hard for me to imagine feats like this could ever be brushed aside as just another day, but I suppose we all have things in life that we’ve, at some point or another, come to take for granted. In any case, as an out-of-towner, it was hands down my best Chicago experience.

Now! Here’s a list of other things you can do when visiting Chicago:

Wrigley’s Field

I’m guessing baseball fans didn’t need me to mention this at all! We had really good seats in the first tier, but I also went up above to chat with another woman and got a great photo right above the batter.

On the day that we visited, Iman Shumpert threw out the first pitch. While I’m not a baseball fan, the highlights for me were eating an elote corndog, getting to spend time with my friend and her Chicago friends, taking in the sun, and getting a classic photo with a ‘Chicago’ sign.

Architecture Boat Tour

Many of the photos throughout the beginning of this post were taken either during this boat tour or as I walked around and marveled at Chicago’s architecture on my own 🙂 Even if you’re not a huge architecture buff, there’s a little bit of something for everyone. There are some fascinating facts shared and you get to see the beautiful skyscrapers from a new angle.

Art Institute of Chicago

Thankfully, my friend and her husband are members of the museum, so I was able to visit for free. I frequent museums whenever I travel and would recommend this museum as one to check out if you’re in Chicago.

Deep Dish Pizza

Just go for a walk!

I know I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I often feel like I’m “walking around the world.” That’s because one of my favorite things to do, especially in new, beautiful places, is to walk around! Chicago was no different. There’s plenty of water sights to take in and the summers offer pleasant opportunities for strolling through parks or the city streets.

Bonus