5 Things - Chicago

1.  I can't believe I didn't get a chance to mention this in any specific post, but the Chicago city flag is everywhere.

• The three white stripes represents the 3 sides of the city (north, west, and south)
• The top blue stripe represents Lake Michigan and the North Branch of the Chicago River
• The bottom blue stripe represents the South Branch of the river and the canal
• The four six-pointed stars represent major historical events in Chicago history: Establishment of Fort Dearborn, Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and 2 World Fairs/Expos (1893 & 1933-34

2. While Hamilton was the reason for this trip at this time, there were also several things on The List to see in Chicago. Those will be appearing on 1000 Places over the next couple of weeks.

3. The food in Chicago is really top-notch. And we didn't even get to half the places to eat, and now they've opened a Nutella cafe, which means I definitely need to go back and try that.

4. Lower Wacker Drive will haunt me forever.

5. Chicago was safer than I thought it would be, it was friendlier than I thought it would be. I really, really had a great time there.

Cloud Gate

Ya'll know the Cloud Gate; it's the giant reflective bean near the Art Institute.  It was one of those things that we had to see, just because you kind of have to see it.

First Glimpse


I think it was On/Off bus, but don't remember for sure, but somewhere we got a certificate for a free backpack at this little shop by the bean.











Cort and I played a game of "Where's Waldo?" with our reflections.  I am somewhere in these photos.

Adler Planetarium

I love a good planetarium, and this sign totally made me want to visit.


I mean, if it's the least I could then, I better go touch it:



You guys, I can now say that I've been inside a meteorite!



Our pass let us choose 2 shows to attend, and we decided on Planet Nine and Skywatch Live.

I though Planet Nine was super fascinating.  It was nominally about Pluto, but it talked about how Pluto's orbit actually suggests another true planet is out there in our solar system.  The theater for this one was a bit dinky with plastic chairs set up like we were attending a lecture, although the were leaned back so we could see the dome.

Skywatch Live was in a proper theater with plush chairs.  This means that I don't know what happened in this show because I took a nap instead.  (I didn't sleep very well on this vacation.)  You'll probably have to read Cort's blog to find out about the show.  :)

Adler also has an old school planetarium as well.  In the olden days you used to ride this little car up inside a sphere with little holes in it.  The sphere then spins around and it looks like your in outer space.  I had no idea this was how it was done.






We used the Hop On/Hop Off bus for transport basically this whole day, which meant we also got to see entirety of the tour, although without much hopping off.

We'd talked about also visiting the Shedd Aquarium, but didn't have enough time.  I still like to visit, next time I'm in Chicago, for sure.

Battle of the Observation Decks Part Two: Sears Tower/Willis Tower and The Ledge

After visiting Chicago 360, Cort and I decided that we should really wait until after dark to visit Sears Tower so we could see the city all lit up.  Again, Chicago-Go Pass for the win, we were able to skip the main line and fast track it to the elevator line.



Fun facts about Sears/Willis Tower:

• 110 Stories
• 104 Elevators
• Elevators travel 1200 feet per minute

Observation Deck Facts:

• 1354 feet to the Skydeck
• 412 meters
• 103 floor up

So I was really, really sunburned after 2 days of boat excursions. You can definitely tell in this photo.  In fact, it turned out to be second degree burns, and made for the week after the trip quite an adventure.

The Ledge are basically glass boxes that jut out from the side of the building.  It was really poorly managed the night we were there.  There were no clear lines, and people were not especially considerate of other people, and the staff were basically non-existent.  

There was an extended family of, like, 20 people who were taking pictures of every possible combination of their group.  Some of their group would leave the ledge and then push their way back in to take more pictures, and overall it was just really frustrating and rude.  And, as mentioned, the staff were around, but not actually facilitating viewing at all.  Kind of a mess. 

We did spend a lot of time waiting our tour chatting with a couple of ladies behind us.  One was from Chicago and was there with her visiting friend.  We ended up taking a stand, and basically telling the rude family their time was up, not letting those who left back in, and pushing our way out on the ledge whenever they left an opening.  They took the pics of Cort and I, and we took photos for them.  

This is what happens when you are taking a picture and someone jumps up and down inside the Ledge.

Overall, I would say the winner of the Observation Deck Battle is John Hancock/360 Chicago. by a hair, though.  There isn't really much of a difference in experience unless you really want to do do TILT.  The Ledge was definitely a disappointment and not worth a special trip to see. The city, however, is beautiful regardless of which deck from which you observe it.

Battle of the Deep Dish Part Two- Lou Malnati's

There are definitely fewer LouMal's around, but the one we went to felt very much like a local neighborhood restaurant and not a huge chain.


To ensure an apples to apples comparison we again ordered a cheesy bread appetizer and the small pepperoni deep dish pizza.


I like this cheese bread a lot. it was proper bread that I could tear into pieces and dip into the sauce. At Giordano's I ate the bread with a knife and fork.

The pie:



The presentation:

Not as impressive as Giordano's, the cheese didn't stretch into the cheesy, gooey spectacle I was hoping for.  Even though the pizza was definitely super cheesy.

The Crust

The crust was so light and buttery.  It was miles better than Giordano's, so much better, so much better that I didn't have a plate full of crust at the end of the meal.

The results:
Cheese bread winner:  Lou Malnati's
Presentation winner:   Giordano's
Crust winner:              Lou Malnati's
Toppings winner:        Giordano's

Overall:   Giordano's  (but I would definitely eat at Lou Mal's again, too!)

Museum of Contemporary Art

"Stop thinking about art works as objects, and start thinking about them as triggers for experiences.  That solves a lot of problems; we don't have to argue whether photographs are art, or whether  performances are art, or whether Carl Andre's bricks or Andrew Serranos's piss or Little Richard's 'Long Tall Sally' are art, because we say 'Art is something that happens, a process, not a quality, and all sorts of things can make it happen'...What makes a work of art 'good' for you is not something that is already inside it, but something that happens inside you - so the value of the work lies in the degree to which it can help you have the kind of experience that you call art."  --Brian Eno

If you're going to visit a contemporary art museum you really need to believe this quote is true. Otherwise, it is just 3 bags of ice and a potato on the wall.


"A woozy web of red creeps across a nearly regular checkerboard: Mary Heilmann's Metropolitan simultaneously sets up and subverts systems of organization."


"Charline von Heyl's paintings 'impose themselves and insist on being seen'.  Alabaster evokes the unforgiving landscape surrounding the artist's Marfa, Texas studio with blinding yellow sunbursts and lines that tangle like barbed wire."


I call this performance piece, Guy at Table, Behind Cordon.

I love these mobiles, The Met has one as well, and I could watch them float around all day.








This was far and away my favorite piece:
Pedro Reyes, Violoncello 


The artists series, Disarm, re-purposes weapons confiscated and destroyed by the Mexican army into musical instruments.




A good reminder....



Skeletons Kissing, Paul Heyer


America's Joyous Future, Erika Rothenberg


"Once disease strikes, we don't blame those that are suffering....We try to love them and care for them and comfort them. We don't fire them, we don't evict them, we don't cancel their insurance." -George H.W. Bush

The award for Best Dressed goes to this shirt:

So. Many. Butterflies...Awesome


I just like cool pictures of cool staircases.  Cort took this one for me.

Navy Pier and Tall Ship Windy

One of  the things covered with the Go Chicago Pass was a hop on/hop off bus.  We upgraded our tickets for $5 so we could use it like public transportation for 2 days, because a lot of our remaining itinerary was on that bus route.  It was like if public bus drivers also gave a little tour. The only thing I wish we'd taken advantage of there is getting off at the original Portillos and getting a regular hot dog (and cake shake).  Then y'all would've seen battle of the Chicago Dogs (between Portillos and Super Dawg) - next time for sure!

First stop on Sunday was Navy Pier to catch a sail on the Tall Ship Windy.  Our Go-Passes covered three boat rides: the architecture tour, Windy, and a regular sight-seeing river cruise.  The only catch was that you could only do one boat ride per day.  On our last day, Cort decided to walk down to the Pier and do the last sight-seeing tour, while I slept in and packed for an earlier flight.

Anyhow, do y'all know that I love boats?  I do, I wish I could spend my life sailing around the world.  I love being on the water even if I end up super, duper sunburned (which I did).  I think if I weren't absolutely blind I would love being in the water, too.  But alas - you can't really swim in glasses, and underwater with RGP contacts is terrifying.  Especially knowing that if you lose one you literally cannot see more than an inch in front of your face.  So, yeah, I love boats.







Windy has a number of different themed cruises out on Lake Michigan.  I didn't particularly care which one we went on, and it ended up being a pirate theme.  One of the crew told pirate stories on the main deck.  We didn't go listen, we just sat on the upper deck, chatted with a nice couple, and enjoyed the view.





So, the first thing you have to do in order to set said is hoist the actual sails, right?  They encourage the passengers to help.  Cort volunteered.


HEAVE!


HO!


Look at that said, all hoisted.

She'll be feeling that in her arms tomorrow morning.

Goodbye, Navy Pier - we'll see you later.


Adios, Chicago - we're off to Lake Michigan


One of my favorite photos:


We sailed on Mother's Day, and this guy and his brothers were all crewing the ship.  He was taking a moment of downtime to write her card.


Sails unfurled



Flags flapping in the wind


Wind whipping through our hair


One of the things most people don't know about sailing is that is can get really, really cold on deck. Even on nice sunny days.  This was no exception, by the end of the trip this is what most everyone looked like:



It was a hot day and most of the passengers were in shorts and tanks, appropriate for being on shore. Not so much on a boat.  This little girl was cracking me up - she was really, really cold.


Navy Pier was super crowded, I don't know if it was because it was a Sunday, or because it was Mother's Day, but it was crazy crowded.  After the ship, Cort and I grabbed a churro - cause it ain't a vacation until you've had some fried dough, and debated riding the Ferris wheel.

(You will notice this wheel in A LOT of my pictures of the skyline.)

Our Go-Chicago card covered the Navy Pier rides (Ferris Wheel, carousel, etc.), but it didn't have an express line, and neither Cort nor I are huge fans of these rides.  But again, we could've and that would've made our already excellent bargain even better.  Go-Chicago should really be paying me, as much as I've promoted them on this trip.