Midwest travel: Giordano's pizza plus Skydeck Chicago equals high-flying fun
Chicago
Pie in the Sky
What can make a trip up 103 floors to Skydeck Chicago Willis Tower even better? Having a pizza might do it. Pie in the Sky packages allow Skydeck visitors to enjoy Chicago-style Giordano's pizza after the attraction closes to the public. Make it a special date for two or bring the whole family for dinner, which includes stuffed pizza, an entree salad, soft drinks and mini desserts. Skydeck Chicago also offers a Pie in the Sky lunch experience and a breakfast experience catered by the Metropolitan Club. Dinner experience at 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday from March through September. Dinner hours are 8:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday from October through February. Lunch experience on the 99th floor takes place at noon Saturday and Sunday year-round. Breakfast is at 7 a.m. Monday through Friday from March through September and at 8 a.m. Monday through Friday from October through February. Certain blackout dates and minimum party sizes may apply. $100 per person for dinner; $80 for lunch; $125 for breakfast. Advance reservations are required. Get tickets and menu details at theskydeck.com/private-events/dining-on-the-ledge/.
Put on your eatin' pants
The spotlight shines on Chicago's world-class culinary scene as James Beard Eats Week returns to town. Nearly 130 restaurants offer an inspired menu or dish for 11 days in honor of the culinary legend who was known as the "Dean of American Cookery." Browse the list of participating restaurants and special menus and make a reservation at the Choose Chicago website. The list of dishes includes Chez Moi's James Beard Burger Au Poivre - James Beard's favorite burger perfectly prepared with French Swiss and green peppercorn sauce. April 21-May 1. See the list of participating restaurants at choosechicago.com/jbf/.
Porky party
Snap up tastings of chef-prepared pork dishes at the ninth annual Cochon555, a culinary competition that trots into Chicago next week. The foodie event includes a competition among five chefs who are each given one heritage breed pig and one week to prepare the whole 200-pound animal. There are also wine and spirits smackdowns; dozens of innovative dishes from critically acclaimed Chicago kitchens; a delectable dessert bar; a pop-up bakery with artisan breads from La Brea Bakery; the Creminelli Salami Snack Bar; a Farmstead Cheese Table; a Luxury Butter Bar; a pop-up ramen bar; and a beef tartare tasting. Loews Chicago Hotel is the official host and hotel for the nose-to-tail culinary showdown celebrating family farms. 5 to 8 p.m. (4 p.m. VIP entry) Sunday, April 23, at Morgan Manufacturing, 401 N. Morgan St., Chicago. General admission starts at $125; VIP tickets cost $200. Buy tickets at cochon555.com/2017-tour/chicago/.
Midwest
All aboard!
America's largest railway museum, with more rolling stock than any other U.S. museum, is open for the season. Located about an hour from Chicago in Union, the Illinois Railway Museum is an iron horse fan's dream, with entire trains on display like the diesel-powered streamliner Nebraska Zephyr and the luxurious North Shore Line Electroliner. Plus, there are 45 diesel and 25 steam locomotives; passenger cars; Pullmans; dining and dome cars; cabooses; streetcars; commuter trains; snowplows and more. Hop aboard as various trains offer rides on 10 miles of track that loop around the museum grounds. Eat at a 1934 diner that's part of a modern diner; browse the gift shop and book store; and take a rest at the picnic area. Special events are scheduled nearly every weekend from May through September. Hours vary, but open weekends now through October and weekdays from May through September. Trains run daily Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, and on select weekends in April, May, September and October. Admission is $10-$14 for adults, $7-$10 for kids, $38-$50 for families, and includes unlimited rides. For details, hours, a calendar of events and webcam details, call (800) Big-Rail or see irm.org/.
Grant at 195
Celebrate the 195th birthday of Ulysses S. Grant, symbol of the Union victory during the Civil War and the 18th President of the United States, in Galena, Illinois. General and Mrs. Grant, with other re-enactors in period attire, will lead private tours of the historic Grant Home site during the Grant Birthday Weekend. Other activities include a lamplight tour (free admission, cake and lemonade); Main Street walking tour with U.S. Grant; re-enactments and encampments; a homemade pie auction; and a Sunday morning church service hearkening back to the days of 1860. Events times vary Friday through Sunday, April 21-23, at the Galena History Museum, 211 S. Bench St., Galena. A detailed schedule of events is available at galenahistory.org/ or (815) 777-9129. Admission fees are waived Saturday and Sunday of Grant Birthday weekend. For information about lodging, dining, attractions, events and more, see visitgalena.org/illinois-events.
Worth the trip
WOW air, Iceland's affordable transatlantic airline, will begin landing in Chicago in July, so Chicagoans will have access to low-fare travel to Iceland and 23 other European destinations including London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin, Copenhagen, Berlin and Frankfurt. The new O'Hare route will be serviced by the Airbus A321-300 aircrafts, notable for the planes' wider cabin, low operating costs and excellent fuel efficiency. Starting July 13, WOW air offers service to and from Chicago's O'Hare airport four times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Prices from ORD to KEF range from $99 to $219 and from KEF to ORD are $199 right now. Prices from ORD to KEF to other cities in Europe start at $149 to $339 and back to ORD starts at $249 depending on the destination. Visit wowair.us/.