Seeing The Christmas Sights With The Chicago Biking Vikings

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​Seeing The Christmas Sights With The Chicago Biking Vikings

      After returning home to Columbus, Ohio, on December 5 from three weeks in Los Angeles, my mate Tom and I had six  days to catch our breath before we were back at John Glenn International airport, ​

...from where we flew to Chicago O'Hare,

...for a visit with our daughter Claire and her husband Miguel.

      We made our way from the gate through the airport,

...to the Blue Line train,

...which we took to the California stop.

     Here we met up with Miguel,      

...then we walked to a nearby coffee shop where we met up with Claire, 

...who was on a work telemeeting.

      Now, here's something to know about Miguel and Claire: They are Biking Vikings (my name for them), 

      They bike to work (frequently outpacing in the bike lane the Chicago traffic on the freeway);

...and they bike for fun (a 60-mile day trip is no sweat for them, even in the heat or the cold  or the pouring rain).

     Last July they biked 500 miles during the sweltering heat wave across the mountains of Iowa (yes, Iowa has mountains. Twenty-seven of them, actually).

         These Biking Vikings don't own a car; anywhere they need to go they bike or walk or take public transport or, once in a while, an Uber.  On this chilly day they had biked several miles from their Logan Square neighborhood to meet us.
         After Claire finished her meeting and she and Miguel had left their bikes secured in one of the many racks that dot this bike-friendly town,

...we walked a few blocks to one of our favorite Chicago eateries, the Cozy Corner.

     The service and food were, as always, great .

    After lunch the Claire and Miguel biked home and Tom and I Ubered to our Hotel, the Aloft on E. Ontario Street in The Loop.

     The little service robot who roamed the lobby of the Aloft last time we visited  was currently out of service.   

     I was, in truth, glad to learn this; that little bot tooling around the lobby kinda gave me the creeps. It reminded me of a mini version of Gort, the robot from "The Day the Earth Stood Still."

      Our cute, cozy, spotlessly clean room was on the 11th floor.

     The view from our room:

     A few hours later Miguel and Claire biked back downtown to our hotel, a 40-minute ride from there house, parked their bikes, and from there we walked several blocks along the beautifully lit streets,

...to the the Christkindlmarket, 

...Chicago's traditional holiday market, modeled after the Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg, Germany.

      We stopped inside a crowded tent set up to look like a German beer hall where the ambience was jolly,

...to have a glüwein, a hot spiced red wine.

     (Nor being a drinker, I split mine among the others).

      We then walked towards Michigan Avenue,      

...until we arrived at Millennium Park, where we saw the Chicago city Christmas tree,

...and other sights.

       From the park we walked along Michigan Avenue,

...until on a side street we came upon an Italian restaurant that looked promising.

    And so, it being dinner time, we decided to give it a try.

      The food was out of this world, and beautifully plated, as well.
       We started with a bruschetta to share.

       Miguel and Tom had the salmon,

...Claire had the goat cheese penne,

...and I had spaghetti and meatballs.

     For dessert Claire had tiramisu,

...and the rest of us had the carrot cake.

      Everything was so yummy, we all agreed that this was our new favorite Chicago Italian restaurant.
​         After dinner we all walked back to the Aloft.

...and the Vikings biked back home.