The Honeymoon: Wednesday - Chicago Day 2
We woke up relatively early and began planning our day. We decided we wanted to see the major landmarks: the Field Museum, the Planetarium, Aquarium, Art Institute and Sears Tower. We figured out where everything was and plotted out a walking route as we would be leaving the car in the parking garage for the day to save money.
Heading to the Sears Tower first, we made a quick pit stop in a corner Mickey D's on the way for breakfast. It took us a bit of walking but we made it there alright and paid for our tickets. There was no line to speak of so we were soon in the elevator heading straight up at a phenomenal rate. We flew past 99 floors in under a minute, and while it was fast, the wobbling and noise made it a bit scary. The usual 103rd floor viewing area was closed off due to construction (I later found out they were building little glass areas you could walk out on) so we stepped off onto the 99th floor. The view was gorgeous and we walked around the viewing deck, taking a few photos here and there. I appreciate the beauty of man's building as well as the beauty of pure nature, and Chicago is an absolutely beautiful city. But I wouldn't want to live there.
The Sears Tower didn't take long to explore so we were soon heading towards the Art Institute. Thinking we were a bit behind schedule for all the things we wanted to see in one day, we decided to see how much tickets were as it was on the way to the Museum Campus anyway. After walking in and checking out the prices we decided we definitely were behind schedule and crossed art off the list.
The walk to Museum Campus (the Field Museum, Aquarium and Planetarium) was long and cold along Lake Michigan. (I was actually surprised by how cold our entire vacation was. I was expecting it to be warm and didn't really pack accordingly.) It was quite some time, but eventually we made it to the Planetarium. The Planetarium wasn't as exciting as we thought it would be. We wandered around looking at spaceship parts and models and Jim Lovett sayings on the walls. We saw a show that put music together with 3D space images to invoke emotion. Steve dozed. After the show was over, we left the Planetarium a little disappointed. I guess I was expecting more out of the visit.
After the Planetarium we headed over to the Field Museum and got tickets. We saw Sue right off, but the legendary T-Rex skeleton wasn't as big as I imagined it would be (based on Jurassic Park). We went into the first exhibit we saw, basically: the Ancient Americas. It was HUGE...and the more we looked at the more we realized the whole museum was HUMONGOUS. There is so much to look at and learn and absorb there that I could spend days and days there just learning stuff. But we had so little time. We decided to change our plans up a little and see the Aquarium tomorrow morning so we could take in as much of the Field Museum as we could. So we also walked through the Ancient Egypt exhibit and saw real mummies! We hadn't even really finished the exhibit when we were being told to vacate the building as the museum was closing. We saw just 2 exhibits in an hour and a half and there was still SO much more to see!
It was dinner time and we knew we wanted to eat at the Navy Pier but it was getting later, and colder, and the long walk back would have been more than we could handle. So we hopped the first bus we found heading in that direction. I really enjoyed the bus ride, and the length of the ride was well worth the price. En route I decided I just wouldn't want to be any kind of driver in the city of Chicago. It's just too crazy there. We arrived at the Navy Pier as dusk was setting in and we walked in knowing we would soon be enjoying the fine food and atmosphere of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.
Bubba Gump is where Steve and I had one of our first actual dates at the Mall of America in Minnesota, so we thought it would be very appropriate to visit again on our honeymoon. I ordered the New Orleans shrimp (after some internal deliberation and external discussion with our waiter) while Steve decided to try the cocount shrimp. Now, let me just say how very rare it is for me to try a new dish and to be completely satisfied with what I ordered, rather than wishing I had just gone with something I knew. So understand that it is really something for me to say how much I ENJOYED my dish. It. Was. PERFECT. The New Orleans shrimp was quite a bit more spicy than anything I have had previously had in my life, but I couldn't stop eating it because it was just so FLAVORFUL and YUMMY.
OK, so you get the fact that I enjoyed my meal. The service was also spectacular and so we shared an ice cream cookie for dessert. The cookie was warm, and the ice cream cold, and it was also very delicious. We then explored the Navy Pier, and I remember much of it from our previous visit back when we were dating. The Crystal Gardens were beautiful and peaceful, and the shops intriguing. We did end up purchasing a panoramic print of the Chicago Skyline at night, which we intended to have matted & framed and hung above our bed.
We walked a different route back to the hotel, which wasn't too awful far away from the Navy Pier. We walked along the riverwalk, holding hands and enjoying the scenery of the riverbank below and the city on the level above us. After we got back to the hotel we watched some TV while I did some note taking (which I have turned into this detailed journal). At some point I brought up an idea Steve had mentioned some time ago, about keeping separate "romantic" journals of the first year of our marriage, to be presented to the other on our anniversary as a gift. This wouldn't necessarily be a journal of what happened that day, but a journal of our feelings and explorations and discoveries of the other. I thought this was such a great idea, and he still thought so too (I love how romantic he is!) so we started this journal tonight, predating the entries to the day of our wedding.
Heading to the Sears Tower first, we made a quick pit stop in a corner Mickey D's on the way for breakfast. It took us a bit of walking but we made it there alright and paid for our tickets. There was no line to speak of so we were soon in the elevator heading straight up at a phenomenal rate. We flew past 99 floors in under a minute, and while it was fast, the wobbling and noise made it a bit scary. The usual 103rd floor viewing area was closed off due to construction (I later found out they were building little glass areas you could walk out on) so we stepped off onto the 99th floor. The view was gorgeous and we walked around the viewing deck, taking a few photos here and there. I appreciate the beauty of man's building as well as the beauty of pure nature, and Chicago is an absolutely beautiful city. But I wouldn't want to live there.
The Sears Tower didn't take long to explore so we were soon heading towards the Art Institute. Thinking we were a bit behind schedule for all the things we wanted to see in one day, we decided to see how much tickets were as it was on the way to the Museum Campus anyway. After walking in and checking out the prices we decided we definitely were behind schedule and crossed art off the list.
The walk to Museum Campus (the Field Museum, Aquarium and Planetarium) was long and cold along Lake Michigan. (I was actually surprised by how cold our entire vacation was. I was expecting it to be warm and didn't really pack accordingly.) It was quite some time, but eventually we made it to the Planetarium. The Planetarium wasn't as exciting as we thought it would be. We wandered around looking at spaceship parts and models and Jim Lovett sayings on the walls. We saw a show that put music together with 3D space images to invoke emotion. Steve dozed. After the show was over, we left the Planetarium a little disappointed. I guess I was expecting more out of the visit.
After the Planetarium we headed over to the Field Museum and got tickets. We saw Sue right off, but the legendary T-Rex skeleton wasn't as big as I imagined it would be (based on Jurassic Park). We went into the first exhibit we saw, basically: the Ancient Americas. It was HUGE...and the more we looked at the more we realized the whole museum was HUMONGOUS. There is so much to look at and learn and absorb there that I could spend days and days there just learning stuff. But we had so little time. We decided to change our plans up a little and see the Aquarium tomorrow morning so we could take in as much of the Field Museum as we could. So we also walked through the Ancient Egypt exhibit and saw real mummies! We hadn't even really finished the exhibit when we were being told to vacate the building as the museum was closing. We saw just 2 exhibits in an hour and a half and there was still SO much more to see!
It was dinner time and we knew we wanted to eat at the Navy Pier but it was getting later, and colder, and the long walk back would have been more than we could handle. So we hopped the first bus we found heading in that direction. I really enjoyed the bus ride, and the length of the ride was well worth the price. En route I decided I just wouldn't want to be any kind of driver in the city of Chicago. It's just too crazy there. We arrived at the Navy Pier as dusk was setting in and we walked in knowing we would soon be enjoying the fine food and atmosphere of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.
Bubba Gump is where Steve and I had one of our first actual dates at the Mall of America in Minnesota, so we thought it would be very appropriate to visit again on our honeymoon. I ordered the New Orleans shrimp (after some internal deliberation and external discussion with our waiter) while Steve decided to try the cocount shrimp. Now, let me just say how very rare it is for me to try a new dish and to be completely satisfied with what I ordered, rather than wishing I had just gone with something I knew. So understand that it is really something for me to say how much I ENJOYED my dish. It. Was. PERFECT. The New Orleans shrimp was quite a bit more spicy than anything I have had previously had in my life, but I couldn't stop eating it because it was just so FLAVORFUL and YUMMY.
OK, so you get the fact that I enjoyed my meal. The service was also spectacular and so we shared an ice cream cookie for dessert. The cookie was warm, and the ice cream cold, and it was also very delicious. We then explored the Navy Pier, and I remember much of it from our previous visit back when we were dating. The Crystal Gardens were beautiful and peaceful, and the shops intriguing. We did end up purchasing a panoramic print of the Chicago Skyline at night, which we intended to have matted & framed and hung above our bed.
We walked a different route back to the hotel, which wasn't too awful far away from the Navy Pier. We walked along the riverwalk, holding hands and enjoying the scenery of the riverbank below and the city on the level above us. After we got back to the hotel we watched some TV while I did some note taking (which I have turned into this detailed journal). At some point I brought up an idea Steve had mentioned some time ago, about keeping separate "romantic" journals of the first year of our marriage, to be presented to the other on our anniversary as a gift. This wouldn't necessarily be a journal of what happened that day, but a journal of our feelings and explorations and discoveries of the other. I thought this was such a great idea, and he still thought so too (I love how romantic he is!) so we started this journal tonight, predating the entries to the day of our wedding.