Spending One Day in Chicago During the COVID Pandemic

The city of Chicago was still under strict lockdown orders when I went to visit at the end of July 2020. I wasn’t sure what the city would look like due to the pandemic, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to check it out if I was following the government rules. I was shocked at how different the city looked compared to when I visited in September of 2019.

Amanda and I drove downtown and parked on E Adams Street at a rate of $7 per hour. Since this was the first time I was out of the house since the quarantine was issued, I was a little anxious and I didn’t know what to expect. It was an eerie feeling walking around the empty streets of the once busy city. I barely saw any cars or people in area.

Things got even stranger when we got to The Bean. A gate was set up around the perimeter so that we could not get close to the sculpture. I thought about the contrast between how The Bean looked now compared to the last time I visited. In 2019, hundreds of people were in the area. Everyone was taking pictures of each other. People were touching the sculpture. Everyone was happy and the sun was shining. In 2020, there were 10 people around. The Bean had to be admired from a distance. A security guard was walking around enforcing the social distancing and mask rules. It was cloudy in the sky, giving the day a gloomy feeling.

After spending a some time at The Bean, we made our way to Maggie Daley Park. With nobody around, this was the perfect time to have a mini photo shoot. It was fun to take pictures that captured the contrast of the lush green of the park to the glass buildings of the city.

Next we crossed the street and walked on the path that runs along the Chicago Harbor. There were more people in this area of the city and kids were playing soccer in the fields of Grant Park. We made our way in the direction of Navy Pier and enjoyed the view of the boats bobbing in the waves of the harbor.

It was time for lunch so we decided to head back to the car and get food. I was extremely disappointed to discover that every single restaurant that served vegan deep dish pizza was closed on Tuesday. I decided to eat at The Chicago Diner. I would 10/10 recommend ordering the cuban sandwich and the mac & cheese! In true road trip fashion, we parked on the side of the road and ate our food in my car. We had a nice view of the water in the distance while we ate our delicious food!

We survived spending the day in Chicago during the COVID Pandemic. We were sad to leave the city, but excited to make our way to St. Louis! But first, we made a quick stop in Springfield, Illinois!