Wait, is that not what I meant?

Nope!

I meant Navy Pier, Chicago, baby!

What is Navy Pier, you ask?  Well, it’s not where the Navy lands, that’s for sure.  The base is north of the city in North Chicago, which oddly is not connected to Chicago in any way and is near the border with Wisconsin.  Confused yet?  It’s the Naval Station Great Lakes and home to the only boot camp for the Navy, the Recruit Training Command.  There is a Great Lakes Naval Museum you can peruse.

But, none of that is Navy Pier.  It turns out that this year is its centennial, which means there will be events and commemorations galore.  While you can click on the links to learn more, I figured I’d share some more personal insights.

Originally conceived by Daniel Burnham, the same man who helped rebuild San Francisco after the Great Earthquake in 1905, it has served many functions in its history.  Now it is a tourist destination.  I am spoiled by Pier 39 in San Francisco, I’ll be honest, but that doesn’t meant that one should leave Navy Pier out of one’s calculations when considering things to do in the city.  For one thing, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater has garnered worldwide acclaim and not only brings Shakespeare to the masses, but in particular targets young people and strives to kindle in them a love of The Bard. If you’ve got kids, the Pier is also great because of its Chicago Children’s Museum.

What I personally like at the Pier is the walk with stained glass, but I’m interested to see what things they have up their sleeve for the Centennial.  The Tall Ships are incredible to view and I’d love to take a trip on one, but my heart truly lies with the Sea Dog Speed Ferry.  It’s a Ferry, but a speed boat – so imagine a cigar boat on some serious steroids.

Yeah, baby.

They take you out on the lake and open that puppy up and you speed demons out there will get this.  The rest of you will get wet.  ~fierce grin~

I haven’t tried this yet, but I want to try the multiple person bicycle golf cart things.  They’re called quadricycles.

As you might imagine, all these attractions are not cheap, and that’s what I don’t like about Navy Pier – it’s very expensive.  Each thing seems to cost something, and all those little somethings add up to a lot of money for a couple or a family.  Definitely look around and see what appeals to you, but be aware that it will not be inexpensive and if you’re a bargain hunter, Navy Pier is not the place to go.

Remember, tomorrow is Sunday so there is no challenge post; we resume Monday with the letter, “O.”  Hmm.  What shall we pick?

Your mind went in the gutter, didn’t it?

Yeah, yeah.  I’m onto you, Dear Reader.  Until Monday, then.

Thank you for joining us for the A-Z Blog Challenge.  If you’re blogging in the challenge, please leave us a link so I can come visit you too.  If you have a moment, please check out these other fine blogs:

The theme at Noony’s blog, Explore the Worlds of A. Catherine Noon, is The A To Z of the Zoo.  Join her as she explores Brookfield Zoo and finds animals, birds, and insects from A to Z.

Noony’s theme on Knoontime Knitting – One Writer’s Journey Into 3-D craft blog is Letterforms In Nature and the Built Environment.

The Nice Girls Writing Naughty have a new home, and we’re blogging in the challenge again this year.  Throughout the month you’ll be hearing from each of the Nice Girls, and during the RT Booklovers Convention from April 12^th to the 17^th, you’ll be getting live convention reports.  Join the conversation!

The Writer Zen Garden’s brand new website is up and running, and we’re bringing you posts from Noon & Wilder; the talented Darla M. Sands – a blogger in her own right, see below; as well as Grace Kahlo, Evey Brown, and author Tina Holland.  Check it out!

Our friends who are participating in the challenge (and if you’re not on this list, tell me and we’ll add you!):

• Darla M. Sands, Awakening Dreams and Conquering Nightmares with a Pen
• Kari Trenten, The Cauldron of Eternal Inspiration

Write on, and Happy Blogging!