2024 USA The Final 10 – Our Adventures

Opted to take it easy on the first day in Chicago after arriving late at night. We started the day with bagels and coffee at the in-house Starbucks and then planned to explore the river walk and visit the famous “bean” before heading to Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse in the evening. The river walk was a pleasant stroll with plenty of stairs, offering great views of the bridges and the tour boats cruising up and down the river. The city’s skyline was genuinely striking, featuring a mix of old and modern architecture. We then went to Millennium Park to see the “bean” (officially named Cloud Gate); although the walk was quite hot, it was still tolerable.

Did I mention how beautiful the gardens and planter boxes are all over the city at night? All the streets twinkle at night, with lights around all the trees. The vibrant colours of the flowers and the carefully curated landscaping create a magical atmosphere, drawing in locals and visitors alike. It’s like walking through a fairytale, with each street corner revealing a new enchanting scene. As the night falls, the city transforms into a mesmerising display of natural and artificial beauty, making a stroll an unforgettable experience.

Despite the crowd of tourists, we were back in our room by 2:30 pm to rest and catch up on some work.

Our dinner at Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse was excellent, as expected. Due to the large portions, we shared a variety of dishes, including crab cakes, bone-in ribeye, three different types of mashed potatoes, and mushroom balsamic. Although full, Ian couldn’t resist a dessert and opted for the Mint & Chocolate Chip Bombe instead of the signature 23-layer chocolate cake.

We turned in early and had a good night’s sleep.

We left Sydney at 5:35 p.m. on QF11 and arrived in Chicago 25 hours later, with a layover in Los Angeles, most of it in the longest immigration queue I have ever been in.

You know it has been a long wait when the flight bags are lined up beside the conveyor belt, and the following flight bags are making the rounds.

The connection was straightforward: we went straight to the connection hall, dropped off our bags quickly, passed through the connection security (using the back way), and reached Terminal 4 without encountering any lines.

We boarded our American Airlines flight without issues, except for a stressful 30 minutes when I couldn’t find my passport. Eventually, we realised that I had dropped it into my empty carry-on bag (which I used to roll my laptop bag in airports and on longer walks to save my shoulders) while pulling out my laptop case before stowing it in the overhead bin. I had to wait until the seatbelt sign was off to check, and sure enough, it was sitting there all by itself. Crisis averted. Sharpie keeps the essential documents and passports when we travel together, and I handle everything else. The one time we boarded separately (he had to get a new boarding pass as the barcode failed at the gate), I boarded ahead of him and made a mistake. To his credit, he didn’t give me too hard of a time, unlike if the roles were reversed, he would still be hearing about it!

The remaining part of the flight went well, although we were starting to feel tired of being in the air and eagerly awaited the end of the day.

After arriving on time at 12:10 a.m. on Friday, July 12th, at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, the friendly James was waiting at the curb to take us to our hotel, the Intercontinental on North Michigan Street in the Miracle Mile district. After a quick check-in, we took a shower and went to bed.

Our travel day is done.

Flights, Transfer and Hotel

QF11 A380 and AA 516

Premium Economy on the A380 proved very comfortable and will be our go-to for future trips. After a few business class flights last year, we will opt for the comfort and food of premium economy in the future. The only real difference is the lie-flat seats, which are good but not worth the significant increase in ticket prices.

The airport transfer

Sun Transfers good communications and efficient services. We have used them previously.

The IHG Intercontinental Hotel is located at 505 North Michigan Avenue in Chicago. It proved a good choice, as Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse and Bar are attached to the hotel. A Starbucks in the foyer makes for a good start, with a pastry or bagel and coffee to kick off the day.