Chicago Archives - Gazing and Grazing

Chicago’s Alinea – Come on an Empty Stomach

September 23rd, 2017

Come on a very empty stomach. Some top rated restaurants fail to live up to the hype but this is not the case for Alinea. It has three Michelin stars and was voted the country's outstanding restaurant by the James Beard Foundation in 2016. Admittedly I was half worried that I wasn't going to enjoy the food as much as I should, but the presentation, breadth of tastes from dish to dish and fine but not stuffy service really surprised me as to how good this place really is. It's almost...

Chicago – Skyline Best Seen on a Twilight River Cruise

June 28th, 2015

Chicago's amazing architecture is best seen from the river and doing so at twilight adds something special as building lights illuminate. The Chicago Architecture Foundation's (CAF) river cruise is fun and relaxing and for around 90 minutes, it was nice way to find out more about the architecture along the Chicago River and also a great way to photograph the buildings.

The twilight river cruise starts at 7:30pm and ends at 9:00pm (only runs in the late Spring through Summer) and I...

Chicago – Bike Tour Around the Lakefront

June 27th, 2015

A pleasant way of seeing Chicago and enjoying a nice day out is to do a bike tour around the lakefront, which provides some great views of the city skyline. While I think you can also rent a bike for your own tour, I chose to join Bobby's Bike Hike. This saved me the stress of trying to figure out where to go and our guide was a great source of info about the city.

The start point was at Bobby's Bike Hike (website), which is conveniently located not far off Navy Pier on...

Chicago Athletic Association – New Hotel has Great Food & Bars, but So-So Rooms

June 25th, 2015

Update: I stayed at the CAA again more recently and am happy to say that they have brightened up the rooms.

Chicago's newest hotel, which takes its name from the refurbished historical Chicago Athletic Association building where it is housed, has great bars and eateries but somewhat disappointing rooms. I chose this one-month old hotel as it's well located across the road from the Millennial Park. After noting that it has been featured in the latest issue of Vanity Fair,...