Chicago's TOP 10.

To experience as much as possible during our Spring Break in Chicago we had two goals:
1. Go up early each morning
2. Come back late during night.

Long days, lots of fun.

MY TOP10 THINGS TO DO IN THE WINDY CITY:

10. AL'S ITALIAN BEEF #1
If you like really meaty, juicy and sloppy sandwiches - this is the place for you. I personally didn’t like it, but because both the place and food is so American, it qualifies for my list.

9. JOHN HANCOCK CENTER
If you think Sear’s Tower is too tall, visit The John Hancock Center. In terms of design and architecture, it is one of the coolest skyscrapers in the entire US. Tall, black and powerful it reaches for the sky contributing to Chicago’s beautiful skyline.

8. ANDERSONVILLE
This relatively small neighborhood north of Downtown Chicago is interesting for everyone. But if you are a Swede in America, it’s a must! Many Swedes emigrated here in the 19th and early 20th centuries, so a lot of Swedish restaurants and shops remains in the area.

7. CHICAGO BULLS GAME
If I would have been a bigger basketball fan, this would probably have been top 5. But still, watching a Bulls game live was awesome. Almost 23 000 people in the audience in United Center created a great atmosphere, and Bulls won the game against The Washington Wizards confidently. The only sad thing was that they scored 98 points and not 100. That would’ve given everyone in the arena a free Big Mac, even Aretha Franklin who we spotted on the first row.

6. THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
Impossible to enjoy the museum with a time limit of 60 minutes? Not at all. Bring your jogging shoes and prepare for some running in this large museum. We focused on the most famous paintings and enjoyed Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, Hopper and Chagall.

5. PEAQUOD'S PIZZA
From one of our trusted Chicago sources (Thank You Brita!) we’d heard that this place was amazing for Chicago’s famous Deep Dish Pizza.
And. So. It. Was. Go there! That’s the only thing I have to say.

Taryn & Julia at Peaquod's Pizza.

4. TRE KRONOR RESTAURANT
As the patriotic Swede I am, Tre Kronor Restaurant (Tre Kronor = The Swedish National Hockey Team) must be rated high in this list. They serve delicious Swedish’ and other dishes from the nordic countries. The memory from the ”Toast Skagen” + mix of two desserts; swedish pancakes + chocolate mousse, will stay with me as long as I live. (And thank you Julia for extraordinary service!)

Me and the Double Dessert Special.

3. SEAR'S TOWER
If you’re looking for a tourist experience with a thrill, visit Sear’s Tower. It’s the tallest building in North America letting you enjoy and understand the size of Chicago. Don’t miss the excitement of ”walking out in the air” in one of Sear’s Tower’s built on glass boxes at the top of the building. I promise you, it’s a crazy feeling knowing that only a thin layer of glass saves you from falling more than 1400 ft (425 m) to the ground.

Rebecka finally got there.

2. JOHNNY ROCKET'S HAMBURGERS
As many of you understand, I’ve eaten many hamburgers in my life. To say the least. So when I find places that make hamburgers taste in a way that I’ve never tasted before, I enjoy it so much.
That was the case with Johnny Rocket’s Hamburgers. They served juicy hamburgers with 100% beef (never frozen), tasty cheese, fresh salad and a delicious ”special” dressing. With that, you could choose of various fries and also traditionally made milkshakes. I’m not lying when I say that this probably is the best hamburger place I’ve ever been to. Don’t miss it if you go to Chicago!

Best hamburger in the world?

1. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS GAME
As I’m a big fan of hockey, watching NHL live is without doubt the most entertaining thing I like to watch. So, when Chicago Blackhawks hosted the San José Sharks, there was no doubt that we were going to watch it. And what a great experience it was. Even though Chicago Blackhawks not is my favorite team (Vancouver Canucks is), I must give credit to their fans. United Center is called ”The Madhouse on Madison” for a reason. The fans were incredible and made this one of my best hockey experiences ever! Just look at this video below containing the National Anthem and Blackhawks tying goal 2-2 by Marian Hossa. Great memory, I get chills watching it.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_sKAK73KlA)