Chicago story

This WAS going to be relatively short, because it's outdated and therefore probably not interesting, but my story got a little out of hand. Sorry. I've already mentioned the Batman Incidents, and I will blog more on the aftermath of that post later. Not everyone understood that I didn't actually mean to start internet rumors.

Anyway, we started our trip by being dropped off Saturday morning at the Megabus stop in Indianapolis (more on our MegaBus plans here.)

When we got off the bus at Union Station in Chicago, we walked to Grant Park to check out the Blues Festival. Turns out, it was very crowded (PACKED!) and all the food was really expensive, and we really wanted lunch, so we didn't stay long. In actuality, we didn't eat lunch for a little while longer, because there was so much to see!

We walked to Millennium Park next, and I was absolutely fascinated with the 'Bean' sculpture. I loved its curves, its placement, the way it reflected the crowd, and especially the way it reflected the entire skyline. We got up close, and it even reflected us! The really popular part of the whole sculpture was the underside- it was like it was a wormhole straight from Star Trek. Maybe I just watch too much Star Trek.

The sites on the streets provided entertainment as well. Not far from the Bean, we saw a man on stilts playing a ukulele. On Michigan Avenue, there were "statues" that danced, real dancers (As a side note, the older couple who was dancing came up to watch from where I was standing, and I talked to them for a bit. When I shared we just had our first wedding anniversary, they said they had been married 52 years, and challenged us to do the same. It was sweet.) Later, we saw another "statue" that was interactive.

We were looking for a corner Chicago pizza place for lunch, and the closest thing we found was Gino's, just a block off Michigan Avenue. The unique thing about this restaurant was that it encouraged patrons to write on the walls. We were happy to sit & eat lunch/dinner, which, after a wait, was delicious. We got the restaurant's signature dish- a sausage Chicago style pizza. The pizza was a very deep pan crust, with a thick layer of cheese on the bottom, a sausage patty the size of the pizza as the next layer, topped with sauce. Delicious and interesting, to be sure.

After Michigan Avenue, we continued our trek along Lakeshore Drive toward the Lincoln park zoo. I didn't know there was such an expansive and popular "beach" in Chicago! as we got further from downtown, I snapped a skyline picture again. When we got to Lincoln Park, people were playing chess. I thought this only happened in the movies!

We found the zoo, but the first animals we saw were these swan boats. The "most interesting animal" award goes to the Sichuan Tikan, because I had never heard of one before. It looked like a cross between a bear and an elk. Of course, we saw other animals too. The zoo was different than what I was used to- the animals had much smaller "habitats" than I've seen before- looking almost like cages in some places. It is an older zoo, so it is understandable. It was cool how the zoo was just a part of the park- and free!

On our walk back, we passed the John Hancock building again, the place that got us into this whole first-anniversary mess ;-)

On our way back, we stopped for ice cream, and the sun began to set. I was ready to catch a bus to Union Station, to get a train to our hotel out by the airport. But, as has been the pattern, Josh always has a surprise for me in Chicago. Apparently he changed our hotel reservation at the last minute, and instead of staying out by the airport, we stayed downtown at the Hyatt Regency! It was a fancy place and I was a spoiled girl. The 34th-floor room had a view of Navy Pier, where there were fireworks later. A creepy peeping tom managed to be outside our window as well.

The next morning, the sunrise was as nice as the fireworks the night before, and we headed to breakfast and then to the Navy Pier. I saw more skylines-in-shiny-things and had to take a picture. The view from Navy Pier was nice as well. At Navy Pier, there was lots to do. We visited a stained glass gallery, rode a huge ferris wheel (and enjoyed the view from the top), saw a dancing pirates show, and played putt-putt.

We ate dinner at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company before heading home.
I was exhausted but happy.