“How high are we right now?” I yell over the roar of the engine as my hair whips around my head with much less glamour than if I was a model on a photo shoot.
“At least 1,000 feet up and look over there, it’s the Willis Tower—wave!” says John, our pilot with Rotor Zen Helicopter Tours. I turn my head slightly to the left and there they are, tourists waving at us from the Skydeck.
It’s 10 a.m. on a sunny day and I’m buckled into a very tiny (four person tiny) helicopter flying over Chicago. At first this sounded like a great idea, but now that I’m hovering above the earth strapped in by a vinyl seatbelt, I’m having second thoughts. To make matters even more exciting (or terrifying, depending how you look at it), this helicopter does not have doors.
“It is nice and warm today, why not take them off?” suggested my steel-nerved fellow passenger before the flight.
A few minutes in, I start to relax and realize that the view is tremendous. From 1,000 feet up, I can see north along the Lake Michigan coast to Evanston, Ill. The city beneath me never looked more beautiful. The emerald green Chicago River is dotted with boats and crossed with bridges. Lake Michigan looks Caribbean blue; I can almost imagine the sound of steel drums as I spot dozens of sailboats lazily anchored, spilling over with sun-loving vacationers.
Safe on the Ground
A little more than 30 minutes into our flight, John veers toward Midway International Airport, we land gently on the ground and I hop out with a hairdo resembling someone who’s just been electrocuted. Soon we are whisked away to our home for the night, the newly renovated, 2,019-room Hyatt Regency Chicago on Wacker Drive.
Before this trip, it had been seven years since I’d stepped foot in the Hyatt and distinctly remembered the lobby being overtaken by a tacky water feature (think a cross between a Vegas-style lagoon and a lazy river with a floating restaurant). Although I’d heard about a sweeping three-year, $168 million renovation (completed in April), I was still skeptical. What about the lagoon?
I caught my breath as I walked into the property. A sleek lobby with a wide, inviting bar was filled with Cubs fans watching the game on flat screens. The couched lounge area to my left was bustling with travelers sipping cappuccinos and the whole space was illuminated with a soft light from ceiling of windows. A high-end eatery was situated behind the bar complete with a mural resembling water on the back wall. And…the water feature I remembered so well was history, replaced with touches of pure elegance, all in muted tones.
Our group retreated to our rooms. I found myself impressed by the modern furnishings in the bathrooms and sleeping areas—all done in warm, rich colors. The view wasn’t shabby either—overlooking the Chicago River with the iconic Wrigley Building and Michigan Avenue in the background.
Before dinner, we were treated to a tour of the hotel meeting space—soft goods updated and sprawling—with 228,000 square feet. Equally impressive were the plasma televisions scattered throughout the property, where guests could simply touch a screen to find out how to get to a meeting room or restaurant.
Happy Belly
We didn’t travel far for dinner, just to Stetsons Modern Steak + Sushi, located on the main level of the Hyatt. Again the restaurant wowed the whole group. It had been refreshed from stem to stern as part of the property’s renovation and now featured deep brown furnishings and a modern fireplace encased in marble and visible on two sides.
The dinner started with the Stetson Street Manhattan, a smooth (yet strong) drink of Evan Williams Bourbon, locally grown cherries, vanilla bitters, molasses and Maraschino liqueur. Our whole table raved about it, only silenced when the sushi and steaks came. The food was divine, giving hotel restaurants a whole new standard to live up to.
The following night, our group checked out Two, a loft-like spot (think exposed light bulbs, cement floors) in the city’s West Town area. The restaurant specializes in tender beef jerky (so popular, they sell it to customers), arguably the tastiest cheesecake in town and innovative cocktails.
