Planetarium & Aquarium

Today I got to pick out our breakfast spot. I had seen an ad for a place called Yolk and it looked like it had tasty food so I looked it up online and found it was on the way to our museums. Since we didn't get there until about 9:30, we missed most of the breakfast crowd and had a nice, relaxing time. I ordered the banana nut bread french toast that came with sliced bananas and peanut butter. It was so incredibly delicious, words cannot explain. I mean, really? Banana nut bread dipped in french toast batter and cooked up nice and toasty. Topped with powdered sugar and sliced bananas and a side of creamy peanut butter to slather on top. They also had cinnamon roll french toast, orange bread french toast, and pecan roll french toast.
I couldn't eat it all, but I tried. We're going back in the morning because we have one more museum out that way. Chris had some kind of crepe combo that he really enjoyed, too.
Our first stop this morning was at the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum which has been there since 1930! It is a beautiful building out at a point in the lake. They had a special exhibit about telescopes going on. There were dozens and dozens of old (1500's to 1800's) telescopes and sundials. It was an interactive museum so there were lots of exhibits that were hands on.
Me, hanging out in the center of the sun.
They also had an exhibit of the actual Gemini 12 spacecraft flown by Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin in 1966.
After the Planetarium we walked down Museum Campus and went to the John G. Shedd Aquarium and met the world's fattest frog (or at least it looked like it).
Some ginormous turtle that looked "hairy", but it was some kind of algae that was growing on him.
The beluga whale show. It basically involved them swimming around and eating fish.
On the long trek back to the hotel we stopped at Bennigan's for an early dinner. Plus, Chris desperately needed a beer. A long, loud day full of screaming children will do that to you.
Now we're just watching t.v. relaxing until later when we're going out for dessert and coffee. I've been eyeballing the berry crisp over at Elephant & Castle. I just need to make some room for it.

River Boat Cruise

This morning we had a 10:00 am reservation for the Chicago Architecture Foundation river cruise on the Chicago River (fed from Lake Michigan).
The boat takes you down the main branch of the river, then up the north branch; turns around, and then goes down the south branch; turns around, and then takes you back to the main branch all the way out to Navy Pier which is where the locks to Lake Michigan are. There were some great old buildings from the 20's and 30's with Art Deco and Gothic styles.
When we got out to Navy Pier there were some great views of the cityscape.
And of course I can't leave out Sears Tower.
After the tour we went down the river walk and had lunch at an Irish Pub (the third or fourth of our trip).
At noon there's a water feature that goes off and shoots a spray of water over the Chicago river. It went off while we were lunching so we went over and got some photos.
This afternoon we spent walking the Magnificent Mile on upper Michigan Ave. It's where all the hoity-toity shops are; Prada, Coach, Chanel, Burberry, Tiffany's, Escada, etc. We went into some of the less intimidating shops like Neiman Marcus, Macy's, Coach, Ann Taylor, Anthropologie and Tiffany's. I found a pea coat (as if I need any more coats) I absolutely adored at Macy's until I saw the $325.00 price tag. I didn't want it until I found out I couldn't have it. Curses! Needless to say, I'm not bringing anything home with me (other than the dresses Chris bought for me yesterday at Ann Taylor Loft).

We're just hanging out at the hotel for awhile resting our tootsies. There's a restaurant and pub up the street that we're going to have dinner at later, but we need to unwind first. Tomorrow's itinerary; Planetarium and Aquarium.

Museum of Science & Industry

We had dedicated all of today to explore the Museum of Science and Industry. It was the one attraction that we had to take a bus to because it was too far to walk. We met a nice old, local lady at the bus stop who got us straightened out as to what buses to take and where they let off at. The museum is three stories tall and sectioned off into dozens of different themes. Our City Pass tickets got us admission and one OMNI Max movie.
Our first stop was the U-boat room all about U-505, the German U-boat Americans captured in 1944. They actually have the real U-boat there and you can buy tickets to go inside (which we did, although you can't take any photos).
Me in the replica U-boat kitchen (apparently where I belong according to some people...)
Chris existing the U-505 after the tour. What we learned was that there were 59 some odd crew members on this particular U-boat even though it was only meant to house 39. All those men and only one bathroom (the second was used as a kitchen pantry) and no showers. Couple that with cabin temperatures between 90 and 120 degrees and an average duty tour of 90 days. Yum, yum, yum...
We also spent some time in the auto and air wing of the museum.
And then there was the random and the weird.
These chicks were part of the chick hatchery and had literally just hatched. They were so cute. They'd lay down and rest and then get up and cuddle with each other. Awww.....

When we got back into downtown we stopped and did a little shopping at Ann Taylor Loft, for me. Then we came back to the hotel for a little coffee and to change into warmer evening wear. Our plan is to spend a little time at the Barnes & Noble down the street before catching a late dinner.

Sears Tower

Yes, I know. It's the Willis Tower, but nobody calls it that. Before we came to Chicago we purchased a City Pass booklet that gave us upgraded entrances into 5 different attractions. Sears Tower was one of them. It upgraded us to the Fast Pass lane that let us cut decades off our wait to the top. We literally got to to cut the entire line and go straight to the elevators. Per the suggestion on the website we arrived about a half an hour before sunset. That way we got to see the views in daytime and nighttime.
Chris was brave enough to go out onto the new Skydeck "Ledge", the Plexiglas jut out that you can see down through the floor. I couldn't get out on it without my legs wanting to collapse.
Today's sunset was scheduled to happen at about 7:28 pm so we grabbed a window spot and hung out until it started getting dark and the buildings started lighting up.
On our way back to the hotel we were keeping our eyes open for somewhere to eat dinner. That's when we stumbled right by Elephant & Castle. That was our favorite place to eat in D.C. Of course we stopped and we each got one of the specials. I had potato cheese soup with a bread basket and Chris had bangers and mash. Delicious!
Here's a photo for you to enjoy, Mom. There was a flag display on the bottom floor of the Willis Tower (for the 2016 summer olympics bid). I know the photo is dark, but check out what two flags are getting cozy next to each other at the top center.
You're practically cousins!

Garfield Park Conservatory

Today's daytime excursion was to Garfield Park Conservatory, 2 acres of greenhouse space built in 1908. Like the botanical gardens in D.C., the building was broken into separate rooms that housed different styles of plants. There was the Palm House, Fern Room, Aroid House, Desert House, Children's Garden, Sugar from the Sun, Show House, Horticulture Hall, Monet Garden (outside), Sensory Garden (outside), Lily Pool (outside) and Demonstration Garden (outside). It's interesting because one room would be very humid and then the next would be cool and dry. Not as many flowers as in D.C., but some really cool cacti in the Desert House. Here's some highlights:
A cool wall display of plants in the outdoor Monet Garden.
The big yellow lily pads were glass pieces of art that looked like they lit up at night.
Chris in front of the Fern Room which was supposed to be a representation of what Illinois might have looked like millions of years ago. It was full of cycads, mosses, and ferns.
Me, checking out the gardenia bush.
The view from the back of the building.
Some more of the plants.(papayas)
After the conservatory we caught the train back to our hotel and then had lunch at a pub called 'Tilted Kilt' which is the Hooters version of an Irish pub. The waitresses are all chest and legs. Good times. From there we wandered across the street and checked out some of the downtown shopping at Macy's and Feline's Basement.
Trying to decide which pair of knee high boots I liked better. Not that we have any room in our luggage. Here's the five million story Macy's. I couldn't even look up without my vertigo kicking in.
We also stopped back by Grant Park in the daytime. This time we checked out the outdoor amphitheater.
Behind the amphitheater was a footbridge across traffic that took you to the marina.
There was actually a triathlon going on today at the water's edge so there was a million people, plus the race participants, but we still caught some nice views. And lots of wind.

Tonight we're going to Sears Tower, or whatever it's called now. I wanted to see the city at night with all the lights on. Sears Tower is about two blocks behind us so it won't be a far walk. Pictures to follow.