Chicago Adventures: Playing Tourist in Chicago | Part I

Last week, I played tourist in Chicago as I showed a first-time visitor the Chicago sights! The Chicago weather wasn't very welcoming for most of her trip, so she was treated to a lot of fog and indoor views. 

Fortunately, Chicago is rich with culture and food, so we never ran out of places to go or things to eat. (She'll just have to come back so we can do the outdoor things we didn't get to do, like take an architectural boat cruise on the river, go up on the ferris wheel on Navy Pier, and do more walking tours of the city!) 

Both my camera card and phone are jammed with photos -- S. is still waiting for me to send her photos. (I did send her photographic proof she went on the TILT at 360Chicago, though!) 

The weather on the first day started out fairly nice, so we headed out to Millennium Park for the obligatory Bean photo:  

We also explored the new (and still in-progress) Maggie Daley Park

And popped into the Chicago Cultural Center to see the glass domes

We topped off the evening with some dessert! 

Tuesday morning, it was damp and chilly. We decided to head to the Field Museum -- a perfect rainy day adventure. But first, some caffeine and nourishment. I decided to zip out to the Whole Foods across the street from the hotel to grab some food. It's a good thing I put on a spot of makeup before I headed out -- Chicago Fire was blocking out a scene right outside the front door of our hotel! The crew was really friendly. (No Jesse Spencer sighting; they were just setting up how they would film a scene & would do the actual filming on Saturday.) 

We checked out the Vikings exhibit at the Field Museum. Very interesting -- loved this piece of silver! 

After the museum, we chilled at the hotel a bit then headed back to the Cultural Center to see if the Bradley Preston Hall was open (it wasn't, but we were still able to take a few photos), then headed to Macy's on State Street. There's a Macy's closer to our hotel on Michigan Avenue, but the Macy's on State Street is the one you want to visit when in Chicago because of its historical aspect! We had dinner at the Walnut Room -- wonderful atmosphere and the best chicken pot pie I've ever had! 

More to come!! Thanks for reading! 

Thoughtful Thursday

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty." :Maya Angelou

(Photo shot at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Butterfly Haven in Chicago.) 

Chicago Adventures: Evening at the Art Institute of Chicago

The view from the Nichols Bridgeway outside the Art Institute of Chicago.

Since I moved to Chicago, I've been amazed at all the cultural opportunities that have opened up as far as accessibility goes. Sure there have been a few roadblocks, like last year's impasse with Social Media Week Chicago, but they only serve to make me more determined. 

Looking back over the past several decades, the positive changes are impressive. There's video relay service, texting, captioning devices at the movie theater, and many other technological advances. I often wonder where I would be today if only these had been available when I was in high school, college or even the first several years of my professional life. 

Here in Chicago, I've been able to participate in a lot of new experiences, and one of those just happened last week. I've gone to the Art Institute of Chicago several times, but have never gone on a guided tour or lecture. Last week I got to go on a Sign Language Gallery Talk at the Art Institute. 

The tour was presented by a deaf graduate student in American Sign Language and voice interpreted. This was the third in a series, but the first one I was able to attend. It was, in a word, amazing! It was refreshing to be able to interact directly with the speaker and not receive the information secondhand. If I wanted to ask a question, I could -- and I didn't have to worry about being behind in the conversation or misunderstanding something. Communication was easy -- something many people take for granted but I usually have to work hard at every day. 

The first stop on the sign language gallery talk:
Woman Reading in a Garden by Mary Cassatt.

I'm already looking forward to the next gallery talk, which is tentatively set for the fourth Thursday in April. Noel King, the graduate student who presents the talk, is graduating in May but the Art Institute hopes to continue the gallery talks if there is enough interest.     

Noel King talking about Sky Above Clouds IV by Georgia O'Keeffe
(Not the best photo -- I was engrossed in the lecture &
didn't pay much attention to the photos I was taking.)

A slice of the museum--love the architecture
almost as much as the art! 

Weekend Adventures: (Just After) Sunrise at 360 Chicago

Last weekend was the 11th annual World Wide Instameet weekend (#WWIM11), and the Chicago Instagram community did it up big! I knew of three fantastic meetups and while I wanted to go to all of them, I could only fit one into my plans. And it meant heading into Chicago on a 5:28 a.m. train! (I think the last time I got up before 5 a.m. was for a horse show.) 

For the first time ever, the 94th-floor observation deck of the Hancock Center was open during sunrise, thanks to Chitecture and 360 Chicago. While the doors opened at 6 a.m., I missed out on the sunrise opportunity -- I was in yoga class when the tickets were first released and they sold out almost immediately. However, I was lucky enough to get one of a second round of 100 tickets released for 7:30 admission. I may have missed the sunrise, but I still got to go up for some of the early morning light and check out the new Tilt feature at 360 Chicago. I still can't believe I TILTED 30 degrees with only a pane of glass holding me 94 floors up over Chicago. For the record: it was awesome and I would do it again! 

Lake Shore Drive

Tilt in action

Hancock Center

Looking down from Tilt!

Weekend Adventures: Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I went to Chicago for the traditional river dyeing Saturday -- it's always a fun event and a great time to take photos. This year, the weather was cooperative (last year, not so much). Temperatures were in the high 60s, the sun was shining...what more could you want? 

It almost looks Photoshopped, doesn't it?

Just a "few" people gathered to check out the river.

The Chicago Water Taxi was back in service for St. Patrick's Day. I treated myself to a ride -- there's no better way to see the river! 

Mandatory selfie...

Weekend Adventures: Afternoon at the Field Museum

Sue! 

This weekend's adventure was on a Monday afternoon, but since it was a holiday, it was technically a three-day weekend! A group of Chicago Instagramers met up at the Field Museum for an IgersChicago photo walk and scavenger hunt. We were far from the only ones at the museum. February is free admission for Illinois residents at the Field Museum, and Monday was also President's Day, so it felt like every family in Chicago was stuffed into the museum -- and on the #146 bus from the downtown loop! 

I took the bus from downtown, and the bus was standing room only; people were turned away at the last stop. I didn't get a seat, which was a bit nerve-wracking for someone who can't hear and has bad balance. First, I can't hear someone behind me asking me to move, heycanyoumove, MOVE!!!! when he or she wants to get off the bus. No matter how alert I try to be (without making too much eye contact!), I end up blocking someone's exit. It happened yesterday, and the woman was not pleased with how "rude" I was for not moving outta her way in a timely manner. Whatever. Second, if you've ever been on a city bus, you know they lurch and slam on the brakes like there's no tomorrow. If you're an experienced rider or have the balance of a surfer -- no problem. Me? I hang on and don't let go. I don't really care if I look like a greenhorn who's never been in the city; I don't want to fall into some nasty stranger on the bus. But riding a crowded city bus full of grumpy people sure beat walking all the way from downtown in subzero temperatures! 

Anyways. Field Museum. I'm ashamed to say I've lived in Chicago for three years and this was the first time I'd set foot in the museum. It's an architectural beauty. Light and airy, but still packed with an enormous amount of history. There's still a week and a half left in February; I will have to try to go at least one more time this month. Even if I don't make it for the free admission, I'd really like to check out the Vodou exhibit! 

Weekend Adventures: Christmastime in Chicago

The Christkindlmarket tree, with the First United Methodist Church towering above.

Christmas in Chicago is full of tradition. Now that I've lived here for three years, I'm creating my own. Two of my Chicago favorites so far: the Christmas window displays at Macy's and Christkindlmarket. 

The Macy's Christmas trumpets line State Street every year.

Since 1897, window shopping has taken on a new meaning on the block of State Street occupied by Marshall Fields (now Macy's). The animated displays are designed and constructed anew each year. This year's theme is "The journey of a Christmas wish" and, as usual, the details are incredible. It's really fun to walk along the sidewalk, take in the display and watch the faces of kids (and kids at heart) as they check out the windows. 

The first of the Macys animated holiday windows

Love the details. Even the dog has a letter for Santa.

So much mail!

Santa's workshop

One of my favorites. I wanted to capture the silhouette of a kid looking in the window (without being a creeper!), but there were so many people around, it was hard.

Full view of the "global" window & Santa's sleigh.

Macy's on State is also home to a 45-foot Christmas tree. I'm not sure why I didn't go inside to see it -- I've never been inside the Walnut Room where it's housed. I'll have to make a point of seeing the Walnut Room and the Great Tree the next time I go downtown.

My second destination on this visit downtown was Christkindlmarket, just a few blocks away in Pioneer Square. I had the "mandatory" gluhwein (German mulled wine) in a souvenir mug as part of the festivities, although I skipped the selfie in front of the Christmas tree in favor of prettier photos!

Yes, it really is that crowded!

THE tree!

Weekend Adventures: Chicago Cultural Center

This weekend's adventures took me to the Chicago Cultural Center's Preston Bradley Hall. I've been to the Cultural Center a handful of times, but somehow had never been in this side of the building! I'd been to the Healy Millet dome on the north side of the building plenty of times, but had no idea the Cultural Center was also home to the world's largest stained glass Tiffany Dome. I should probably be embarrassed to admit that, but I'm not. It's really fun to make discoveries like this. There's so much to see and do in Chicago that it's impossible to know -- and do -- everything. Discovering it is the fun part!

The room the dome is in was closed for a private party when we were there, so I couldn't explore the room or take photos directly underneath the dome. My photos from this visit didn't turn out all that great, and they don't do the dome justice. I was playing with the manual camera settings and messed up. I ended up editing these photos in HDR to try and salvage them. I plan to go back and take more photos and figure out what I'm doing wrong with the camera, as well as enjoy the beauty of the space. It's a gorgeous location.