As I’ve mentioned in a few other posts, about two weeks ago my wife and I went to Chicago for a few days to celebrate our 14th anniversary. As part of this trip we wanted to see and try out many different things in the city. We had visited Chicago in the past one of the areas that we had never been to was Navy Pier. While we have driven by Navy Pier many times we had never visited it before, and during this trip we knew we wanted to visit this landmark.
In researching Navy Pier I was amazed to find the breath and depth of the vendors and activities that you can take part in while visiting the Pier. There were so many more things at this location than I ever would have guessed based on simply seeing the Ferris Wheel that you can see from Lakeshore Drive.
From where we stayed at Hotel 71 it was 4-5 long blocks to Navy Pier. My wife and I ended up walking this, though it was much farther than we would have first anticipated. When we arrived we were surrounded by people. This is definitely not the place for someone to go on a Saturday night if they are looking for a quiet location. Instead, you’re going to find it amazing number of people visiting Navy Pier, and the lines may be quite long.
When we arrived we did not have long before we were to be at the Cirque Shanghai presentation that we planned to attend. If have never been to a presentation like this being ready to be amazed. We had never gone to a show like this and our mouths were constantly on the floor. Below is a video that will give you a perspective of what you may see the performance:
This show was simply breath-taking and the artists within it should be complimented for their artistry as the show truly kept our interest and attention for the entire time.
After seeing this show we decided to explore the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows as both my wife and I love this type of art. If you, like us enjoy stained-glass you will be amazed at the amount of stained-glass that is displayed and at the remarkable workmanship that is shown within the stained-glass that is shared in this museum.
Next we visited a number of the vendors to see and shop, and we ended up purchasing at least one gift while we were there on top of some Garrett’s Popcorn!
Next, we explored some of the attractions and rides at the Navy Pier offers. We played a round of miniature golf and luckily for us, we ended up tying in score (so no fights between us). We also we able to go on the Ferris Wheel which offered wonderful views of the illuminated Chicago skyline. any of the other attractions had long lines that we did not want to wait in.
We ended our visit to Navy Pier by watching the fireworks that are sent off every Saturday night. The fireworks display was great and actually quite lengthy. The only thing I will say is that if you are going to stay for the fireworks, be patient afterwards as it will take some time to exit the pier and took it back to your destination due to the massive exodus that occurs at this period in time.
The wife and I were both very happy that we went and explored Navy Pier, and for us we only scratched the surface in the hours we were there. We actually did not even get to the very end of the pier as it is much larger and longer than I would’ve ever anticipated. I will leave that for another day and I know there’s much more that I can experience and explore the next time I return to Chicago.
There is really so much to do there! I have lived in Chicagoland my whole life and I feel like a stranger there sometimes!