Day 182 – 365 / July 1st 2015

At the end of each of our four nights at The Chicago Hilton we went for a swim in the hotel pool on the eighth floor; thankfully our room was on the ninth as I’d have been concerned in case of any leaks.

From the windows of the pool we could see the corner of the block to the rear of the hotel where “Harold’s Chicken Shack” was located. After you’ve moseyed around the streets of a new city, clocking up an average of five to six foot miles each day, and swam an additional half mile in the hotel pool (11 lengths if you’re curious, 44 of them equal one mile according to the sign poolside), then you get a tad peckish.

We were both keen to savour the culinary delights of American to the full, but not to excess, and were careful to not over indulge in anything. So, donuts to share, cheesecake to share, jambalaya to share, gumbo to share – you get the picture. So, on our final night (for this trip, I hope to return one day) we treated ourselves to a bucket -YES! a bucket! – of chicken, potato salad and fries. Plus a coke. We took our brown bag full lot gorgeous smelling fried chicken to Grant Park across from our hotel to munch our picnic whilst watching various teams play in a softball league.

Sunshine, fried chicken, warm weather, an exciting new city, sport to watch and the woman you love next to you to share it with. Is anything better?