Travel Girl Pays a Visit to the Windy City

Last week, I left 72 degree weather and a cool ocean breeze for 40 degrees Fahrenheit and a 25 degree wind chill off of Lake Michigan. Thats right, I went to Chicago for the very first time. While being Miami born and bred did present a few obstacles for me, who knew it was a bad idea to wear leather heels in snow and slush? I ended up having a great time and cant wait to go back. I didn't have much time to sightsee while I was there, but there were a few things that I absolutly had to. I really wanted a Chicago style deep dish pizza, and I needed to know the best way to spend my two free afternoons. Luckily a good friend of mine is a Chicago native and she gave me some great advice. But for those of you who are new to the city and need some guidance here are some suggestions:

Eat at Giordano's: If you are anything like me, when you think of travel your mind immediately goes to food. And when I think of Chicago I cant help but imagine a delicious deep-dish pizza. When I asked my cab driver where to go for one, he said Giordano's with out a moments hesitation. He was right. That 12 inch cheese stuffed pizza will stay with me forever.

Take an Architecture Boat Tour: Cruising a long Lake Michigan while getting a lectured on the John Hancock Center may not be everyones cup of tea. But Chicago has a very rich architectural history which is actually pretty interesting. For example, did you know that the Sears Tower is 1,45o ft. tall and on a clear day you can see Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan from the Skydeck? Click here for a list of tour operators.

Get Tickets to the Jerry Springer Show: Its true. All the trash-talking, chair-tossing goodness that is Jerry Springer comes at you right from the heart of Chi-town. Sure you could go see Oprah instead, but Jerry is just so much more fun. If you write the show far in advance there is a good chance that you can get the tickets for free!