Chicago at Night

Architecture cruises are a must in Chicago. You get a boat ride, some history, and a spectacular view of the Chicago skyline. Plus, they're not that expensive.

We took a night cruise. It was something Grace asked to do, and it was an alternative to night kayaking, since we couldn't reserve kayaks for all six of us.

All week, I looked for a boat with the Mercury Cruises logo whenever I was along Riverwalk. I never saw one. I wondered if perhaps I paid for a scam. It turns out Mercury is a sister company with First Lady Cruises, for which I did see boats.

I wore my light blue jacket I had bought from the thrift store the day before. I loved how bright it was, even at night, making me stand out. Our group was one of the firsts on the boat and Christina chose a spot in the back for us to sit. Before we set sail, Sahil, Christina and I got a cocktail.

Everyone stayed seated as we sailed to the Harbor Lock. Once we were at the lock and had to wait for it fill with water, people started to stand. The sun was setting and it was optimal natural lighting to get the buildings, with their lights on, along with our faces. So everyone took their group photos. In our group photo, you'll see me holding my gimbal because I was filming a time lapse of the Harbor Lock.

Sailing on Lake Michigan was way fun. The boat goes faster and that open sea breeze feels so good. I was wearing three layers under my blue jacket, and that was enough to keep me warm. The skyline was magnificent and looked just like stock photos. It rained most of the day, but stopped in the afternoon. The clouds were calm and didn't block our view. I was grateful for that.

Since there is so much to gawk at on the night cruise, I wasn't fully attentive to the tour. Just as well, the tour guide wasn't very good. He wasn't landing the jokes he threw out, which weren't funny to begin with. I could see Grace trying to absorb all the knowledge.

One highlight was Art on the Mart, where projections are displayed on the Merchandise Mart building. The tour guide mentioned the lights were so precise that they weren't shone into any windows, therefore they didn't bother anyone inside.

The last day cruise I took was with Shoreline. We're doing another cruise with Christina's family in a few weeks, which will be with a different company. I'm looking forward to different stories.

We rewatched "My Best Friend's Wedding" our first weekend in Chicago. I see it in a clearer lens, now that I like baseball and have visited Chicago a few times. "The Way You Look Tonight" is the unofficial theme song for these boat rides in my head now.

@jmeprcn

##vlog Chicago at Night ##chicagocruise ##mybestfriendswedding ##imonaboat @findingxgrace @softblueshimmer

♬ The Way You Look Tonight - Remastered 2008 - Frank Sinatra

Rain started to sprinkle towards the end of the cruise. I was glad to have a hood on my jacket. In a way, that made the purchase worth it. It'll also be good to bring to Orlando in case of the mid day humidity rain breaks next month.

In the final notches of the cruise, I turned around the vacant chair in front of me so I could use it as a foot rest. There was an umbrella sitting in it, which I moved in case it belonged to the group next to us. When everyone was disembarking the boat, I noticed no one was grabbing the umbrella. It was forgotten or orphaned or left behind and I knew that it would be mine now. I waited a few more minutes for more people to clear out and to give its owner a chance to remember it, but when no one claimed it, I took it. Now we had a third umbrella for the Chicondo, one that isn't quite so battered.

I remembered to get the parking tickets validated, which gave a decent discount to the overpriced parking garage. When we exited, we were in a tunnel under the main streets. I had a bit of anxiety because I didn't know how to get out. I felt like I detoured through a whole town before I finally made it to the freeway. Then, on the freeway, our junction to the other freeway was closer than anticipated. There was traffic and I didn't make it on time, which made a further detour.

When we got home, Christina made quesadillas. Yum.