Niagara Falls and Chicago!

Hello hello!

After Connecticut, we headed to Buffalo, Ny to see Niagara Falls. It took us two days to get there because a concert the night before and a 9 hour drive do not mix well. We made our way into the town of Niagara Falls, which really isn't much to brag about, it was almost hard to believe that something so beautiful could be hidden there. We drove into the park and walked to the edge and were instantly taken by the intense rushing river leading down to the falls. The falls are just as awesome and huge as they seem on tv. If you didn't know, the thick mist from the falls hitting the water below could easily be mistaken for smoke. We snapped some pictures of the falls from above and then bought our tickets, ponchos and sandles for the Cave of Winds walk. An elevator brought us down through a cave and out onto a walk way of stairs that led right under the falls. This was one of my favorite things we have done. I have never seen nor been near such strong, intense, crazy water. We winded around the stairs and path and finally made it to the "Hurricane Zone." Conner stayed back a few feet to take pictures but I got right in the thick of it and got soaked! Pretty amazing! After the tour, we headed to Cleveland where we would stay the night. We were pretty surprised by Cleveland, it was actually really pretty and seemed to have some really cool downtown areas. We got there late and didn't really have time to explore so we just headed for the hotel.

In the morning we hopped back in the car and started the 7 hour drive to Chicago. We stopped in Goshen, Indiana, why? Food, obviously. South Side Soda Shop Diner has won best chili seven years in a row, so of course we had to make the stop. We just ordered one chili because we knew we wanted some famous pie as well. When the waitress brought the chili out, we both looked at each other because we weren't really sure what it was. It came in a classic ice cream sundae glass, with a dollop of sour cream on top and noodles at the bottom. Super weird but very very good. A few hours later we were in Chicago. I loved the city as soon as we got there. Two of my really best friends from high school moved there about a year ago and to be honest, I never really understood why...now I know. The lake, which looks like an ocean, boarders the city with awesome beaches packed with volleyball nets and good food. They live in Lincoln Park, so when we got there we made some drinks on their rooftop and then went to a crab dinner down the street. After dinner, we got some drinks at a local bar and met one of my friends I studied with in Spain. Now, what is Chicago known for?? Deep dish pizza, Chicago style hotdogs and italian beef sandwiches. We had a lot to eat the next few days so we decided to be practical and get the deep dish at midnight. 45 minutes was worth the wait. Conner had our leftovers for breakfasts the next two days.

On Sunday, Alli and Jamie took us to the beach which was perfect because it was so hot. It felt like a resort city, it's hard to believe that it get so cold in the winter. After a few hours, we were pretty worn out by the heat so we headed back to their place and hung out for a while. Next came the hot dog. It was actually Jamie's first time eating a Chicago dog too so we were all rookies. If you don't know, Chicago dogs are a vienna beef hot dog with lettuce, pickles, tomato, spicy sport peppers and mustard (I think it's a crime to put ketchup on it). Satisfied, once again, by food.

On Monday, Jamie and Alli went to work so Conner and I headed off to explore the city. Everyone told us to do the architecture tour so that was our first stop. I'm usually not one for tours, but this was actually really fun. We got on a boat and were taken down the river too see all the different buildings and hear about their history. Might sound boring to some of you but it was really interesting, just extremely hot. After the tour, we got lunch at Billy Goat Tavern. This was an experience. Hard to describe, but just imagine an Italian man yelling at the chefs and forcing all the costumers to get double "cheezborgers" even if they just ordered a single. These crazy places are always the best and I'm glad he made us get us get a double. After lunch we headed to the John Hancock building, one of the tallest buildings in the city. We went to the 96th floor to a bar that's walls were pure glass. This is definitely one of the coolest places to have a cocktail, the 40 story apt buildings looked like anthills from this view. We could see the whole city and lake and it was incredible. We met Jamie down on the beach where she had a vball game. The whole beach was packed with hundreds of people playing volleyball, definitely made me miss it. There are so many runners, volleyball players, kids playing in the water, it's just a really fun city. Alli said that if it weren't for the extreme weather, she thinks everyone would live in Chicago and I totally agree. Alli and Jamie, we love you and thank you so much for letting us stay!

We stayed a night in Madison, Wisconsin and are now in St. Paul, Minnesota. We will let you know what happens next!

Love,
Katie and Conner