Okay, so this post should have been up well before today. Mea culpa. 
On August 29, hubby and I headed to Chicago to see the Tall Ships docked at Navy Pier. We left around Noon, made it to the city by 1:00 pm, and parked by 2:30 pm. Did you pickup on the math? Yep, it took us an hour and a half to GET to a parking spot. Our strategy was to go straight to the pier, to ignore all the dire warning signs about the parking garage being full.
In the end, our strategy paid off. We found a wonder parking spot in the garage beneath the pier, so our persistence paid off, but I wonder if we would have made it there earlier by walking a mile. Our feet thanked us at the end of the day, though. The traffic was pretty much non-existent when we left.
On to the good stuff…
Threading our way through a see of pedestrians, the first “tall ship” sighting we saw was the enormous wooden masts of theUnicorn, Denis Sullivan and the Pride of Baltimore. Here’s the Baltimore…
The ocean of people parted long enough for me to capture the moment. The humidity was a killer that day–no laughing at my hair!
We strolled down to the east end of the pier, where a lot folks sat in chairs looking out over the lake (Lake Michigan). Beyond the breakwaters, we caught a glimpse of these beautiful, old-looking sails. We sat. And watched. The ship came closer and closer, until finally, we could read her name–The Lynx. She’s a beauty, huh?
Next up–HMS Bounty. Easily the biggest ship there, and she enjoyed being the star of the show. You might recognize the name from the movie Mutiny on the Bounty, or perhaps from The Pirates of the Caribbean. She’s a stunning replica of Captain Blih’s ship.
Oh, the lines to board her. No thanks. Hubby and I admired her fine construction dockside, where we were able to get really close look at the ship’s figurehead on the prow. After a little research, I found out her name is Bethia. She’s wearing more clothes than most figureheads. Back in the day, each ship sported a unique figurehead to help illiterate sailors spot their ride. I love learning new trivia!
Despite the heat, mass of people, and parking issues, we had a wonderful day. Seeing the Tall Ships Challenge is something we’ve always talked about, but never made the effort to actually DO.
We live near such a wonderful, vibrant city. It’s a shame not to take full advantage of all Chicago has to offer. We’ll continue to try, though.
Life’s too short to let the daily madness prevent us from experiencing her treasures.
Hugs, Tracey
