Chi-Town

On our way back from Rockford we stayed in Chicago for about 24 hours. For us to fly back on a Sunday was going to be like $600 per person one way. To fly back on Monday it was $103 per person one way - so we froze our butts off in Chicago for a bit.

We got there Sunday afternoon and Jon & I ate at Gino's East. It was good but not that great - the best part was the Garlic dressing, which I will attempt to recreate in due time.

Jon then met up with his brothers and cousin to watch the NFC Championship game & I did some shopping on Michigan Ave. Let me save you a shopping trip - they have everything there that we have in Dallas. I'm sure in the summer it's nicer but freezing my arse off while going from store to store is not my idea of fun. Plus Chicago has so much more to offer than shopping!

Jon didn't have a hat or gloves so I stopped in a Gap to grab some for him. I asked the sales clerk what I had to do, reminding her that in Dallas we have equally great shopping. She suggested that I should "not miss out on Cheesecake Factory". The Tourism Center of Chicago would be so disappointed.

Sunday night the boys headed out for a steak dinner while I read & took a long, hot shower. I was still full from my Gino's lunch.

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On Monday, Jon and I went off on our own to The Field Museum. If I had more time and I was visiting again in the winter I think I would visit as many museums as I could.  There are several art museums that I would have loved to see.

Leaving our hotel, headed to the L, we were right across the street from Harry Caray's.

The Field Museum - This is what a museum building should look like. (Hear that City of Dallas??)

Totem Poles

Taxidermy Elephants - The Field has one of the largest collections of taxidermy in the world.  Most were collected in the early 1900s by The Field's curators.  We spent a LOT of time looking at these.  They were so interesting because the animals were killed over a 100 years ago and you could look at all the details of the animals.  They must've had every bird ever.

Sue - The most complete T-Rex ever found. Only a few bones were missing. Her skull is so heavy that it's actually in another location (this is a replica).

Jon with the hog display

An artist works on drawing a peacock's tail feathers.

The basement has Egyptian artifacts - including several mummies.  Even after back surgery Jon can not move a block to build a pyramid.

In the Egyptian exhibit I turned a corner and got startled when I saw this:

I gasped & called Jon over - this had to be Michael Jackson's plastic surgery inspiration.  I kept looking at it and an employee on a cherry picker who was working on part of the exhibit said that I wasn't the first who had noticed this & there had even been several news stories about it.  RIP, MJ.

Across from The Field is Soldier Field. Had it not been so cold and windy we probably would have explored it more but honestly, I couldn't wait to get on the warm bus.

We loved our small taste of Chicago and we will be back this summer for one of Jon's cousin's wedding. Mack will be with us and we have big plans to take him to Millennium Park and The Shedd Aquarium.  I loved the public transportation - I do in all big cities I visit - NYC, London, even Rome's isn't that bad (although you will get robbed).  I hope in ten years Dallas could be as easy to navigate via public transportation.