Luggage and Literature

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. - St. Augustine

Pearl Lake, Illinois

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Pearl LakeIn September 2018, Mike and I traveled with our Heartland Scuba Center friends to Pearl Lake, Illinois for a bit of scuba diving. Pearl Lake is in South Beloit, Illinois, and features swimming, camping, and scuba diving. In fact, it is a great place for training dives or just recreational dives.

September is a bit late in the season and was a bit cool, although the day was sunny and beautiful. I dove in a 5mm wetsuit, with hood and gloves. It was fine for the first two dives, but I was quite chilled for the third dive. I’d recommend diving in a dry suit at that time of year though, if you are certified to do so.

Pearl LakeI only had my camera with me for two of our dives, so I don’t have a ton of photos, but did take a few. There are all kinds of statutes, vehicles, and equipment sunk to dive on and which provides habitat for the fish. And there were quite a few fish to see as well. I’m looking forward to returning and seeing more of the lake, as well as taking more photos.

Pearl Lake Scuba Diving

Pearl Lake diving

Pearl Lake

Pearl Lake scuba diving

Pearl Lake

Palmer House Hilton, Chicago

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Palmer House Hilton
Drinks with my friend Caroline in the Lobby Bar at the Palmer House Hilton.

I have been to Chicago several times, and for different reasons. I’ve visited for conferences, spent time with friends, and also visited a college friend, Caroline, who lives just outside of the city. It’s a great city, with so much to see, and so much to do. In this post, I want to talk a bit about my favorite place in Chicago to stay. In my next post in this short series on Chicago, I’ll outline what I most enjoyed doing in Chicago.

Palmer House HiltonOn one trip to Chicago, I stayed at the Palmer House Hilton in downtown Chicago. It is gorgeous and has spacious rooms with great city views. The conference facilities are top-notch. And the location is convenient for touring the city. And how gorgeous is that lobby?

Palmer House Hilton

Each floor of the hotel is also decorated slightly differently in the elevator lobby area. This particular floor was my favorite, with the grand piano. Beautiful.

Palmer House

The Palmer House Hilton also has a great little bar called Potter’s.  My friend Caroline and I tried fun drinks and snacks there. The bartenders were really helpful in letting us sample drinks and find flavors that we really liked.

Drinks at Potters Chicago
Caroline and I enjoying drinks at Potter’s.

Potter's ChicagoAnd we couldn’t get over the decor. It had a fun 60s vibe, that also felt fresh and cool. But above the bar, the decor also looked a little bit Roswell, if you get my drift. 😉 Anyway, it was a great place to have a few drinks with friends.

Potters Chicago

 

Chicago, Illinois

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In my next post on Chicago, I will talk a bit about my favorite hotel in the city, the Palmer House Hilton. In this post, I’m going to touch on a few fun things to do while visiting the city. This is by no means an exhaustive list of what to do in Chicago, because the city still boasts many things that I haven’t had the time to check out. It’s just a few ideas if you’re planning a visit and are looking for something to do.

Christmas in Chicago

My favorite time of year to visit Chicago is at Christmas time. I’ve visited twice around Christmas, and checking out the decorations around the city (the lights, the trees, the window displays) is definitely one of my favorite things to do in Chi-town.

Chicago at Christmas

Bus/Trolley Tour

A double-decker bus/trolley tour of the city. It’s a great way to learn about the city, and a quick way to get from point to point and see lots of the sites. My gal pals and I loved it, even though it was a bit chilly when we rode!

Chicago Double Decker Bus

Navy Pier

Visit Navy Pier, wander around, and get a hot dog from a cart. And maybe ride on the ferris wheel while you’re at it. Such a fun place for all ages!

Hershey World

Hershey World is cheesy but super fun. And the whole place smells like chocolate. We had a great time admiring all of the jumbo candy items.

Hershey Chocolate World

Skyscrapers

Check out the view from a skyscraper in Chicago. I’ve been to the top of the Willis Tower (back when it was called the Sears Tower), and was in awe of the view. I’d like to go to the top of the Hancock Tower on a future visit.

Chicago Style Pizza

Eating Chicago style pizza! How can you make a trip to Chicago without trying it?! I’d say that those from Chicago have different ideas of which place is the best to go for the best deep dish pie, but I’d bet you really can’t go wrong with any of them.

Chicago Style pizza

Architectural Boat Tour

An evening architectural boat tour. So gorgeous! And so informative. Probably my favorite activity in the Windy City (which by the way, is named because of the politicians in Chicago, not because of the weather), especially if it ends in a fireworks show.

Chicago Skyline

Fireworks over Chicago

When in Chicago, I’ve not ever had time to visit any museums. In particular I’d love to visit the Field Museum on future visit. I’ve also not had the opportunity to take in a baseball game from Wrigley Field. So, I guess a future trip to Chicago is in the cards for me so that I can check these items off of my list.

Have you visited or done any of the things on my list? What have you done in Chicago that you’ve loved?

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