Episode 1 Getaways

Welcome to Getaways. We go where you want us to go.

This week we are in the States in the Windy City Chicago.

You contacted our website with recommendations

of what to do here and what to avoid.

We are going to rate and review them for ourselves and for you at home.

It's an eight-hour flight from Dublin direct to

Chicago O'Hare International Airport, with flights daily.

Here is a bonus.

The beauty of flying from Dublin airport is on most US flights

you can clear customs here, so at the other end you just pick up your bag

and away you go.

I have been to Chicago before and I remember it being really friendly

-and really laid-back.

-I have never been here.

I have been to New York a number of times.

I would like to know is Chicago a good alternative to going to the Big Apple?

Let's go and see what the city is like.

Chicago is the third largest city in the United States

and is located on Lake Michigan.

It's been described as the most American of American cities.

There are lots of different ways to get around Chicago,

including the "L" - an elevated train that

travels around what's known as The Loop, the main commercial district.

The population of the city is three million and it is

famous for its lakefront beaches and its skyscrapers.

Chicago has more than its fair share of famous citizens.

We have, of course, Al Capone, Bill Murray, John Cusack, Vince Vaughn,

John Belushi, Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama.

Chicago is known as the Windy City due to the breezes

coming in across Lake Michigan.

But it is also attributed to the politicians who historically

talked a lot of hot air.

Chicago is very much a musical city, from jazz and blues to dance music,

but it has also provided the backdrop for a lot of movies.

Films like Pretty In Pink, The Untouchables, High Fidelity,

and Batman: The Dark Knight.

This is the only river in the world that flows backwards.

They reversed the direction of the flow in the 1900s to save

the city from waterborne diseases, plus being a real Irish city,

they dye it green on St Patrick's Day.

We've taken on board the advice you've sent us

via our website and come up with our top five things to do

in Chicago, based on your recommendations.

We've also thrown in a few of our own interesting alternatives.

And kicking us off at number 5 is a river cruise.

Chicago is a very easy city to get around.

We'd recommend, to properly get your bearings, to take

a tour of the Chicago River.

There are many tours available

but the one you recommended was the Architecture Tour.

It really is a great way to see the city.

If you are a film fan some of it will seem very familiar.

If you look over there, that is the building they used in the bank job

in Dark Knight and that is the building where Ferris Bueller's dad worked.

Thanks to America's best-known gangster, Al Capone,

and the collapse of law and order during the 1920s

Prohibition Era, Chicago was known as a lawless city

but now its reputation is more as a legitimate centre for big business.

Chicago historically has a large Irish community

and there's a legendary story about how a cow belonging to Mrs O'Leary,

an Irish immigrant, kicked a lantern over and started the Great Chicago Fire

that almost completely destroyed the city in 1871.

The Irish are still one of the largest ethnic

groups in the city and even our deckhand has Celtic connections.

My family is from Westport in County Mayo.

My great-grandfather came over here.

Any tourist that comes to Chicago should go on an Architectural Tour.

We are the architectural capital of the world,

something we are very proud of.

Chicago is also one of the top culinary cities in the world.

When you come here you should definitely eat.

People coming here from Ireland,

we have a rich Irish history in the city of Chicago.

On the north-west side there is the Irish American Heritage Center,

which has a great library.

It represents people with Irish descent

here in the United States of America.

We also have the Southside Gaelic Park where there's hurling and whatnot.

It is great to see how much of the Irish

traditions in the United States are still kept alive.

The Architecture Tour really is the best way to get to grips with

the geography of Chicago.

Wasn't that really cool? What a brilliant way to see the city.

I didn't think I was interested in architecture but the

-buildings there are fabulous. That was a great tour.

-Yes, it's breathtaking. Let's go.

Lake Michigan is to Chicagoans what Central Park is to New York.

There are 33 beaches close to the city centre and this one is

literally a two-minute walk from the main shopping area.

How handy is that?

As you can see, the lake can be choppy and unpredictable sometimes

so just be careful if you are going out for a swim.

And remember the sun cream. We visited at the end of August

and the temperatures were in the 30s.

After a hard day's work in the city, Chicagoans like to

chill out on the beach.

Today I'm meeting up with my cousin, Sean,

who's lived here for the past ten years.

-It's a bit of a change from County Mayo.

-It certainly is.

I think it's raining at home right now, so it's a good way of life.

It's a good city. The people make it the most comfortable.

Their midwestern attitude, they are almost like people at home.

They make you feel welcome and warm. They certainly welcomed me.

And if someone's coming over to Chicago on a city break to

see the place, what would you recommend they have to do?

Generally I always start off with a trip up to one of the towers

and let them take in the city for what it is,

because they are not used to buildings of that height.

The lakefront, there is so much to do. Navy Pier, very children-orientated.

The museums.

There is something to do 365 days of the year in Chicago,

summer and winter.

It is fantastic.

You told us shopping was a big attraction in Chicago

and this area will seriously worry your bank manager.

This is Michigan Avenue, also known as the Magnificent Mile.

It's a wallet-wilting parade of the biggest names in retail

Bloomingdales, Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany's, Armani

and Topshop!

You've also got a little bit of history and architecture in this area.

Behind me is the Pump House, a rare survivor of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

But let's face it, if you're around this area you're just here to burn some cash.

You said the best way to see this city is from the air.

Or at least a really high vantage point.

This is the Skydeck on the Willis Tower, once the Sears Tower.

From a glass platform 103 floors up you can take in panoramic

views of Chicago.

OK, it's time to go on the Skydeck. Are you all set?

-Not in the slightest.

-You can go first, OK?

A lot of you recommended that

if you come to Chicago you have to go to the Skydeck.

I have a morbid fear of heights

and if you notice I'm not looking down at all, but I'm standing

now on a one and a half inch thick pane of glass over 100 storeys up.

Why would anybody do that for fun?

Why would you pay to get in to do that?

My turn to go out on the ledge now. Whoo! It is high.

OK, so you wouldn't want to dance a jig on it but the city is amazing.

It is vast and the views are absolutely gorgeous.

Well worth doing. 103 floors up and it's just lovely. I'll try it again.

Now that's grand. Nothing worth worrying about.

There we go, that's lovely.

Go on. You wouldn't guess you were 1,350 feet up.

-Are you OK?

-I am all right, thank you very much.

Solid ground. You feel so good.

But the views are just spectacular. Are you sure you're OK? We'll go for tea.

Do you know what? I'm fine. I prefer looking at it from down here and looking up.

That's as good. Thank you.

There's an abundance of museums here in Chicago. Whether you're interested

in art, science or history, there is something here for you.

I am going to see a really special exhibit here at The Field Museum.

Dinosaur fossils are always interesting so if you want to

see the largest, most complete, best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex

in the world, you should come here and meet this lovely lady, Sue.

Sue lived about 67 million years ago.

Then, she would have been 14 metres in length by four metres tall

and would have weighed over seven tonnes.

Sue is named after the fossil hunter who discovered her in 1990.

The Field Museum here paid 8.36 million for her,

the highest amount ever paid for a fossil.

The Field Museum of Natural History has a fantastic dinosaur display.

There are 4.6 billion years worth of exhibits here

so it may take some time to get around.

There are also regularly changing exhibitions covering

everything from the Evolving Planet to the Ancient World.

So many of you contacted our website saying

when you come here you have to visit the hallowed ground of baseball,

Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs.

Your best advice was get a hot dog, hit the bleachers and enjoy.

The Cubs are known as The Lovable Losers

as they haven't won the World Series in over 100 years.

Kind of like Carrick Rangers back home except the Cubs will

attract more than 30,000 supporters every single game.

Fair play, lads.

-The Cubs have a terrible record.

-Yes they do.

-Yet over 30,000 of you will come to every single game.

-Right.

-Why?

They're like family. You support your family.

Do you think you're going to see a World Series in the next five years?

I would certainly hope so,

or I've been spending my whole life on the wrong team.

As one of your local sports commentators said,

-"Any team can have a bad century."

-They passed that already.

-They're into the second century.

-You are due some luck. I hope you see a World Series.

Yes, thank you.

We're not allowed inside the stadium to film.

The team are tied up with a sports television network. It happens.

If, like us, you can't get a ticket to get into the game, you can

take advantage of this.

The buildings across the way from the stadium have put bleachers up on the roof.

Now that's enterprise.

As well as catching a game you also told us that this area,

Wrigleyville, is a good place for sports bars

and restaurants perfect for hanging out with the sports jocks.

The Major League baseball season runs between April and October

and there are around 160 games, so matches are played pretty regularly.

Chicago has one of the richest musical histories of any

American city, and Buddy Guy is considered one of the city's

most influential musicians.

He's credited with being the pioneer of the Chicago Blues sound.

# This plane's gone tonight... #

Every night different blues musicians play in his club.

# ..See I'm going to leave

# Can't get a job... #

The blues developed here alongside the great migration

from the south in the early 20th century when African-Americans

were moving north to get jobs in industrial cities like Chicago.

The lyrics classically depict tales of struggle, heartache and loss.

# ..And bring it back... #

You cannot come to Chicago without getting the blues

and your first port of call should be Buddy Guy's Legends Club.

-I can't wait for this.

-Come on, let's go.

If you're all feelin' all right, say, "Yeah."

ALL: Yeah!

Buddy Guy tours internationally

and although he usually only plays here in January, our luck was

in as the king of the Chicago Blues decided to take a turn on stage.

# Saying something to you

# And I really don't care how you feel

# You just don't realise

# That you've got yourself a good deal. #

APPLAUSE

Thank you very much. I love you, man.

Major musicians that have played with,

and been inspired by, Buddy Guy include Jimi Hendrix,

Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.

That was absolutely amazing. Chicago really is home of the blues.

And Buddy Guy was in there.

-BUDDY GUY:

-Bless you, ladies and gentlemen.

Now there's no denying Chicago is an expensive city to

stay in as it's geared towards business conferences.

I went to meet an Irishman who's running one of the city's

top five-star hotels, the landmark Trump Tower.

I asked him to show me one of the best suites.

-The views here are spectacular.

-They're great. You get the view right down the river.

You are now vice president and general manager of Trump Towers in Chicago.

That's amazing. Tell me where you're originally from.

I'm originally from Killarney.

My family have a small hotel in Killarney,

right in the middle of town, called The Failte.

My mum still works there seven nights a week.

Through lack of imagination, I stayed in the hotel business

and I find myself working at Trump Tower in Chicago.

And it's such a beautiful tower and this is such a beautiful room.

How much would it cost to stay here for one night?

You've got expensive tastes because this particular suite costs 1,800.

You also pay for these dramatic and exciting views of the city,

the skyline, the lake and the river.

We also have more affordable options within the property.

If we were coming over now for a city break, what is the top

tip you would have for an Irish tourist coming here?

There are so many tips I could give. I would say be ready to be surprised.

It is a lot more affordable than New York. It is clean, it is organised.

The people are friendly and down to earth.

You have great theatre, great restaurants,

everything that New York has, but people are much less caffeinated

and have more time for you.

If you can afford a room with a view, starting prices at the

Trump Tower are from 395.

For our trip we stayed in the Swissotel.

It's in a prime location being within walking distance of the main

shopping streets, Millennium Park and Navy Pier.

But a great location always comes at a price the rate for a room

here per night is from 259 plus tax and breakfast is not included.

OK, Chicago is not a cheap city but a low cost option is hostelling.

You can get a bunk in Hostelling International Chicago

from as little as 35 per bunk per night.

There are also family rooms available that sleep four or five.

These cost 130 plus tax per night.

The rooms are clean and breakfast, towels and bed linen are provided.

The hostel also provides free outings such as walking tours

and trips to local jazz clubs.

We booked flights and hotels separately and flew with Aer Lingus from Dublin.

For more information on all our holidays visit...

Right in the heart of the city is one of yours,

and indeed our, favourite spots. This is Millennium Park.

Chicago has one of the most enviable collections of public

art in the country. This is the most iconic. British artist Anish Kapoor's

Cloud Gate. The locals love it so much they've given it its own nickname.

What else - The Bean.

110 tonnes of seamless polished stainless steel.

The curve of it brings in all those harsh verticals of the skyscrapers,

drawn in its environment. It draws in the crowds as well.

Right next to The Bean in Millennium Park is another amazing

sculpture and this one doubles up as a concert venue.

This is one of the most perfect marriages of function

and design. This is the Pritzker Pavilion designed by Frank Gehry.

Not only is it visually stunning, but this was designed to replicate

interior sound in an external environment.

It is an audio-visual triumph.

The Pritzker Pavilion has 4,000 fixed seats and 7,000 lawn seats.

Concerts and musical events are held here throughout the summer

and the best news is that they're free!

And if you can't stand the heat, the Millennium Park has somewhere

ingenious to cool off.

This is the Crown Fountain, two glass bricked monoliths that act as

fountains to cool down the visitors to the park.

This is the bit I love about it.

On each of the facing walls there are projected

images of over 1,000 citizens of Chicago, which basically means

the fountain is about the city and for the people of the city.

And from one crowd pleaser to another this time to a much

older city institution.

-Wow!

-Chicago is very well known for its fantastic food,

but it is most famous for its signature dish.

That is the deep dish pizza.

We're here in the restaurant of Lou Malnati who created it.

-It looks good.

-That looks incredible.

I don't know if we will be able to finish it all.

You are about to see something really special.

You know what makes a good pizza? This has it.

The perfect ratio of base, sauce and cheese.

Mm! Oh! I surrender!

It's perfect. It's a perfect pizza.

Now for those who prefer not to travel too far, I'm going back

to my home county to see what it offers for a weekend break.

I'm from County Mayo and it's famous for its beautiful landscapes.

I'm delighted to be home and this weekend

I'm going to try something a bit different.

Learn-to breaks are increasingly popular

and there's all sorts of things you can try your hand at.

I love hats and today I'm going to try and make one.

I'm going to a hat making workshop in the home of Lina Stein.

She trained in classic theatrical millinery

and is known for her flamboyant creations.

She holds regular hat-making workshops for beginners and intermediates.

If you want to get ahead get a hat.

What am I going to try and make today?

Today you are going to make a felt cocktail hat or a bibi

as they are called in French.

To mould the felt what we need is steam.

Let's get hatting.

Once the felt was mouldable, we made the base of our hat by stretching

the felt over a standard wooden base known as a block.

Then it was time to start the decorative pieces.

I'm going to trace around one of my blocks with some tailors' chalk.

-Now I'm going to cut them out.

-Are hats back in fashion?

Are people still wearing them as often as they used to?

They are very popular, even these little ones.

People wear them out, even to the pub at night. Let's get cracking.

Not to burn yourself, the pliers are a great help.

To make our trimming, we're going to use a tool called a flower-making tool.

Get a cushion. Going to steam your felt.

-Put a huge amount of pressure on and pull against it.

-Can I try one?

Yes of course.

Put the ball in and just pull the felt up around it.

You need to be strong.

-Then you can kind of get an idea of what you have just done.

-Yes.

-You just position them inside each other.

-Lovely.

-Make one more.

-What hats are in fashion?

-Fascinators are still on the go.

They have changed a bit.

Getting bigger, more structured, more hat-like.

For the winter, definitely a felt hat is a must.

How do you know what type of hat suits you?

People with pointy features should not be wearing angular hats.

-Go for something rounded.

-OK.

If you've got rounded features, a hat with angles is good,

or pointy feathers coming off it. There is a hat

-out there for everyone, you just have to find it.

-What do you think?

-That is stunning. That is so pretty. You're going to sew your flower onto your base.

-OK.

-And I might just even put the pearl on straightaway.

-OK.

-And sew that on.

-Then we'll move across. We will do the other side.

-That is fabulous.

There you go.

I love it.

-Thanks.

-It's very Chanel.

-Ooh, thank you!

Lina's workshop is based just outside Westport, which is

renowned as a popular holiday destination.

And there's good reason it's so popular -

it's right next to some amazing beaches.

Bertra Beach is one of my favourite places to come for a walk.

It is a little less crowded than the rest of the beaches

and is a great place to blow away the cobwebs.

As well as the beautiful beaches and scenery, visitors are also attracted

here by the pilgrimage mountain of Croagh Patrick where many

people still make the barefoot walk to the chapel at its summit.

I think we are all guilty of not going to see the local tourist

attractions in our own area.

I am from Mayo but I have never been to this museum before.

The Museum of Country Life is a branch of the National Museum of Ireland.

The first surprise is the modern exterior

and inside there are some fascinating collections.

The museum has artefacts from all aspects of rural

life in Ireland, dating from the time of the Famine

until the end of the Second World War.

A lot of the exhibits here at the museum show some amazing craftsmanship,

just like this which is a hen's nest made from straw.

There are six permanent exhibitions

Romanticism and Reality, Trades and Crafts,

The Times, The Natural Environment, Activities In The Home, and Working on the Land and Water.

On the day I visited there was a cross stitch demonstration in the Trades and Crafts gallery.

So this is what the ladies of the day would've been

doing in their spare time.

Well-to-do ladies would probably have sat,

they might have done some practical

sewing like shirt-making and suchlike,

but they filled their time with fancy work which was mainly embroidery.

How about if you were not so well off? Would you still have to learn how to do this?

A lot of not so well off children go into service.

One of their jobs might be to sew the monogram for the family

-on things like sheets.

-I don't think I'd be very employable yet.

-Just having a line of orange. I'm getting there.

-You're getting there.

I think it looks great.

For more information visit our website...

There are loads of options for places to stay

in this area from country house hotels to budget-friendly B&Bs.

Any time I'm home I love to get a few tunes in

and this is one of my favourite spots for a trad session.

Matt Molloy's has become one of the best-known pubs in Ireland for traditional music sessions.

I should admit I'm not quite in their league

but it's great to get the chance to play with some talented local musicians.

The pub is owned by Matt Molloy who played with

The Chieftains and tonight we're joined by his son, Peter, who's on the flute.

MUSIC PLAYS

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

A bit of music like that is always good for the soul.

And now our number 1 choice from your recommendations

for things to do in the Windy City.

This is Navy Pier, situated right beside the city centre.

It is Chicago's top tourist attraction.

Nine million visitors a year can't be wrong.

Distinguished by its landmark Ferris Wheel, Navy Pier was

used by the American Navy in World War Two for training.

You told us to come here for a great day's entertainment.

This Ferris Wheel is 150 feet high and is modelled on the very

first one that was built for the Chicago World Fair in 1893.

I think it is a lovely way of seeing the city skyline.

Navy Pier is an entertainment resort right next to the city,

so you're getting the best of both worlds.

From the pier you can take a boat tour on the lake or grab a boat taxi

into the city which only takes ten minutes and costs five dollars.

Great value.

The thing I love about Navy Pier and Chicago in general is it's not

just about entertainment and indeed things you have to pay for.

They try and bring as much art

and culture to the public as they possibly can for free.

I think they're very successful at it.

-Does it beat New York?

-Absolutely hands down.

It is a more compact city. It is a different city.

It has all the attractions of the lakeside.

I think it is the cleanest, most friendly city

I have never been to and I just loved it.

-Why don't you try it yourself?

-Join us next time on Getaways.

And to top it all off, Chicago has one last treat.

Every Wednesday and Saturday there's a free fireworks display held on Navy Pier.

It's an awesome way to say goodbye to an incredible city.

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