A Weekend in Chicago

I knew I wanted to spend some time in Chicago, but there is one problem, there is no camping spots anywhere close to the city and navigating my van down most of the streets, let alone find parking was going to make the visit near to impossible. So, I went on the web and did a bit of research finding that I did have an option, McCormick center allows RV's and Busses to park there interspersed with the Semi's at the marshaling yard.  Not the most comfortable of place to stay, with a price on the higher end of what I have been paying, no amenities and it was HOT sitting on the asphalt parking lot It did allow me two full days in the city on what had to be one of the downright most beautiful weekends in Chicago. 
With my bike I was able to cruise up and down the lakeshore going into many of the neighbors by the lake and hitting some of those cool places in Chicago. I did make the choice not to hit the museums, that is what I initially wanted to do, but that seemed like it would be a shame with perfect weather and so many out door places to explore, some of which were either not around when I was growing up or had not been developed like Millennium Park or the remodeled Navy Pier.
I think the thing about Chicago that I found really amazing was how clean it was.  OK, I was mostly in tourist areas, but even on the Southside and the neighborhoods around where I was staying there seems to be a lot of pride in the communities, though you could see the poverty that is endemic of many urban communities. But even though the beaches were packed, by the next day everything had been cleaned up ready for the next groups to come and enjoy.
For me it is not a trip to Chicago without Pizza and though I was pleased to see that Geno's East had moved back to its original location I chose to go to Due's instead. Geno's was the place we always would go as kids, and I had a lot of memories there with family and friends, but Due's also holds memories as my Mother and I would often go there after my "procedures" at the University of Chicago. So along with the Home Run Inn Pizza I wrote about before and The Deep Dish from Due's, I also had a Stuffed Pizza at Giordano's and a Tavern (we called is flat growing up) pizza from a pizza place on the south side. They were all SO GOOD!!! I also ventured to the Famous Billy Goat Tavern for a quick burger and had to be a total tourist and get the Chicago Mix at Garrets Popcorn.
Of course the only bad thing about the situation I was in was Joy. I needed to keep coming back to check on her and make sure the van did not get too hot so I did not spend as much time in some areas I wish I could have explored more, though who knows, maybe later in the summer I will figure something else out who knows!