#62 Travel to Chicago

I have wanted to go to Chicago for quite some time, and finally went last weekend with Amanda for the "Emancipation Vacation." We packed a ton of stuff into 3 days! Settle in, folks, because this is going to be a long post!

Day 1: We arrived in the city late Saturday morning, dropped our bags off at the hotel and took off. Amanda went to Navy Pier and took a speed boat tour while I went to the Art Institute. I was such a happy girl walking through the galleries and seeing some of the most famous paintings in the world. A few highlights:

American Gothic by Grant Wood:

The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso:

The Bedroom by Vincent van Gogh:

And, of course, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat a/k/a "the painting from Ferris Bueller's Day Off":


I had a great, relaxing lunch in the garden cafe.

On my way back to the hotel, I walked through Millennium Park to see Cloud Gate a/k/a "The Bean." Nice reflection of the Chicago skyline:

And the obligatory self-portrait:

It was a warm, humid day and lots of people were playing in the fountain.

After dinner at Aria, which was in our hotel, we went over to The Second City comedy club for their sketch comedy/improv show. We have both seen quite a few other comedy shows over the years, but we agreed that this was the hardest either of us has ever laughed at a show. I'm talking doubled-over, tears in the eyes funny!

Day 2: In the morning, Amanda rented a bike and took a ride down Lake Shore Drive while I did a tour of Wrigley Field. Wrigley is the mecca of MLB parks and I couldn't wait to worship at its ivy-covered walls!



View from the Press Box:

Making myself at home in the visitors' clubhouse:

Chillin' in the Cubs dugout:

In the Cubs' on-deck circle. I seriously could not have been any happier than I was at this moment!

This is Brandon. He was the only other person in our tour group who was by themself, so we became "Camera Buddies" (he took all of the pics of me and I took pics of him with his camera). Brandon is a hot, funny doctor who has a goal of visiting every major league ball park. It was like I custom-ordered someone to share the Wrigley experience with! We ran around the park together like two little kids, looking at each other in awe at the fact that we were actually on the field at Wrigley. We had a blast together.

The Cubs' clubhouse:

Showing some love for my all-time favorite Cub, Ryne Sandberg:

In the afternoon, we met up at the Museum of Science and Industry, where we toured the U-505 Submarine, which was captured by the Americans during WWII and is the only German submarine in the United States.


After a few hours of checking out the other exhibits, we headed to The Chicago Diner for dinner. The Chicago Diner is considered to be one of the best vegetarian/vegan restaurants in the country, and it did not disappoint. I had the "pork" tacos (actually made with seitan) and they were fantastic. I also had the best Snickerdoodle cookie I've ever eaten! I couldn't believe it was vegan.

Day 3: In the morning, we headed to the Willis (f/k/a Sears) Tower and the famous Skydeck on the 103rd floor.



We also went out on the Skydeck Ledge, which are basically four plexiglass booths attached to the side of the building. The view straight down:


We went into two adjoining booths and took pictures of each other. Doesn't it look like I'm levitating?

In the afternoon, we went on an architectural cruise up the Chicago River and out into Lake Michigan.



In the evening, we went to the Cubs/Pirates game at Wrigley, which gets its own separate post.

I can honestly say that this was the best vacation I've ever had. I saw a ton of stuff and Amanda and I just had a ridiculous amount of fun. I can't wait to go back!

Date Completed: June 29, 2010
Tasks Completed: 27/101