Chicago!!!

Craig and I decided that we should spend some time in Chicago while the weather was still nice.  We had a really great time.  There are a lot of things I love about Chicago.  AND some things that are not so smurfy.  We bought a Chicago GO Card.  It was expensive, but we got into all the following attractions for free.  It paid for itself on the very first day.

Monday, we parked near the museums.  We visited the planetarium.  They have a gorgeous view of the skyline.

As you can see, the day was perfect.  There were several wedding parties taking pictures with this beautiful view.

And, it appears like science geeks also have a sense of humor.

We then walked over to Soldier Field, where the Chicago Bears play (for all you non-sports readers).

Please excuse the nice man sitting in our photo.

It is a beautiful stadium.  We wanted to go on the tour, but the next one wasn't until Tuesday and it was somewhat pricey.  It may not surprise you to know EVERYTHING was pricey.

We walked from there to the aquarium.  It is the second largest aquarium in the nation.  These were our favorite fish.

You can't read the sign above this exhibit, but it says Chameleons.  Do you see everyone intently trying to find them.  I mean, how would you know if there were any in there or not?  I didn't even bother looking.

Right next door is the Museum of Natural History.  We wanted to spend some time there, but had run out of parking time on the meter.  We were also running out of daylight.  Our GO pass didn't work after 5:30.  BTW, parking on this street was $2.00 an hour.  AND, we got ticketed by the rent-a-cop for not having a front license plate.  Really???  We stayed for four hours, then drove into "the city."

We found a self-serve parking garage.  The parking here is on a sliding scale, depending on how long you stay.  We decided to walk around and find a place to eat.  We ended up walking down to Trump Towers.  Craig was somewhat disappointed to see only "one" tower.  There are actually several towers, but only one tall one.

We decided to have dinner here just so we could say that we did.  There are two restaurants on the 16th floor.  One restaurant is a "tasting" restaurant, whatever that means.  We went to the other one.  We ended up having shrimp bites.  They were just that - bites.  Five of them about two bites each.  $23.  No potatoes, no salad, no veggies.  Just the shrimp bites, and a very, very small coke.  Let's just say, we won't be going back any time soon.

Here was our view from the tower.  It was beautiful, if not a little chilly.

We found the Miracle Mile (a mile of shops similar to Rodeo Drive).  We found the theater section.  "Newsies" was playing but the tickets were too expensive for our trip.  We saw lots and lots of people:  walking, riding bikes, riding on the "L".  You can tell the native Chicago-ans.  They don't believe in waiting for the traffic lights.  They just cross and dodge cars.  The traffic was crazy.  Dangerous.  We decided to have some dessert in a local sports bar because the football game was on 100 TV's.  But it was too crowded.  We ended up leaving the city to try and find a reasonably priced hotel.  We drove about 20 miles north to find a room less than $200.  Then we found a wonderful diner and had dinner - again.  Something more than 10 bites.

Tuesday, we returned to the city and got tickets for the "hop-on-hop-off" trolley.  We parked in another garage and rode the trolley around.  Our first stop was Navy Pier.  This is similar to Santa Monica Pier.  There are amusement rides, shops, restaurants, and boats ready to whisk you off for rides on Michigan Lake.  Just by chance, we stopped at Billy Goat Tavern.  Here is the view from the restaurant.  We had cheeseburgers.  There isn't anything else on the menu.  The only toppings were mustard, catsup, onions, and pickles.  No fries, just chips.  

I felt like I was in the Saturday Night Live skit.  

Craig is sitting just to the right of the doors.

From here, we went on the Architecture Boat Ride.  We learned a lot about the buildings as we traveled up the Chicago River.

It wasn't very crowded, as you can see.

 Another view of the tower.

By the time the cruise was over, it was getting late in the afternoon.  We had planned to go up to the top of the Sears Tower, also known as the Willis Tower, but the trolley tour was ending and we never got there.  We missed our chance to go up in the John Hancock Building.

I'm not sorry.  I get nervous up high.  Always worried about earthquakes - even in Chicago.  They assured me again and again that they NEVER have them here.  But you know, it only takes one to set the precedence.  

After the trolley dumped us, we decided to walk back to our car.  On the way, we stumbled across Millennium Park.  There is a hugh amphitheater.  It looks space-agey.  That row of red near the grass is actually dozens of rows of chairs.  It's HUGE!!  

 We also found "the bean."  It is a giant kidney-bean shaped, highly polished, piece of artwork.  It is highly reflective.  You can see the skyline reflected in this view.

Here is a picture of Craig and I.  We are together, right in the middle of the other groups.  I've got the camera.

Another gorgeous view of the reflected skyline.  Everywhere, people are walking around it, looking at themselves and the city.  It was really amazing.

We had dinner here at the park.

As we got up to leave, I noticed a stain on the back of Craig's pants.  He had what we thought were mosquito bites on his legs, but now they were apparently oozing through his slacks.  We found a CVS and bought some gauze pads to cover them for the trip home.  

(He went to the hospital today:  poison ivy)

We decided we weren't ready to leave just yet, but as we walked around we saw fewer and fewer people and it was unnerving.  We decided it was probably time to go home anyway.  It only cost us $40 to get our car out of the lot.  Sheesh.  No wonder people use public transportation.  Who can afford the parking?

Back to missionary work.  Woke up this morning and while Craig was mowing lawns, I prepared my Seminary lesson, reviewed and made suggestions for the Primary Sacrament Meeting Program, spent some time looking for Primary crafts for "after" the program, and started my lesson for Sunday.  

I wanted to share some of the service that's been keeping us busy, but that will have to wait for another post.  

Anne was right - Chicago is a wonderful place -- expensive, but wonderful.  I'm glad we got to spend some time there.