Humid Chicago

Tuesday, August 06, 2013
Chicago, Illinois, United States
This morning we started with breakfast at our hotel. It was busy, very busy. One of the staff gave us a good start to the day. She was very happy and loved to use the expression "holy moly, guacamole". I tried to clear the trash off our table and she snapped in a friendly way, "hey youngster, no you don't, that is what I am here for" and she took the trash from me and threw it away.

We retrieved our car and headed south for the Museum of Science and Industry, which is about 8 miles south of our hotel . We arrived prior to opening which was good as we had lots to see today. Jack had scooped out a hands on lab that allowed the participants to play with a 3D printer. We got in line for the lab but only Jack was able to go in as the class size was limited. In the lab they scanned their heads and then printed them out in plastic using a 3D printer. Pretty cool technology that Jack got to play with.

While Jack was in the lab the rest of us went through the Body World exhibit of animals that have been partially dissected and then plastinated to show the muscles and organs of the animals. Very interesting and a little creepy too. No pictures are allowed in the exhibit so you don't have to see what we saw today.

We viewed several more exhibits but by no means all of them. We finished up with a viewing of the U-505 German U-boat. This is an amazing exhibit of a German U-boat that the US captured. I has been on display in Chicago for years and was moved into a new permanent home just a few years ago . It is amazing to see the full size submarine inside the exhibition hall. Yesterday we went to the Field Museum and would not likely go back. Today we went to the Museum of Science and Industry and we will definitely go back if we make it back to Chicago. Well worth a half day or even more.

Time for lunch and we decided to explore the shopping of the Magnificent Mile. We had lunch at the Nordstrom Cafe and then explored many shops. We enjoyed the Apple store, the Nike Store, and Patagonia. Grace was delighted when we walked upon Sprinkles cupcake shop. We waited in line to sample a few flavors of Sprinkles cupcakes. This location is one of only two to have a cupcake vending machine. It is a refrigerated vending machine that holds a wide variety of their flavors. They are available 24/7. So if you need a cupcake at 3am you can get it in Chicago.

Jack and I enjoyed a quick photo op at the Bentley, Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, Maserati dealership . We were just about to go to Navy Pier for dinner and more exploring when we received a call from some friends from Spokane who live just 30 minutes north of Chicago. We changed our plans and headed for Evanston and dinner with our friends. The drive up Lakeshore Drive was beautiful with Lake Michigan to the right and towering condos to the left. It really is a pretty drive right along Lake Michigan. We met Bryan and Shannon at one of their favorite neighborhood restaurants. We had a great meal and enjoyed hearing about their time in Chicago and future plans. We shared our travel adventures and got them caught up on Jack and Grace. Bryan used to babysit the kids when they were much younger.

Our return drive into Chicago gave us a view of the skyline at night and was a great conclusion to our quick visit of Chicago. Tomorrow we head north to Milwaukee. Good night.

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2025-02-11

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