Monday 20 June - wow Chicago exceeded all expectations. Decided slightly reluctantly to plan in a night's stay here to make getting to the California Zephyr easier, but really glad we came. City is huge with towering skyscrapers everywhere (the world's first skyscraper of all of 8 floors was built here in the 1880s and they haven't stopped since!) the traffic is horrendous and there are people everywhere (quite a culture shock after New England) but it's very clean, feels safe and is full of fabulous juxtapositions.
Took a boat trip along the Chicago river (which is the only river in the world to have a lasting effective reversal of flow direction), and out onto Lake Michigan, which emphasises the size and scale of the city (see photo gallery).
Chicago's famous deep pan pizzas are effectively filling pies with the dough like pastry - interesting experience probably not to be repeated!