chicago pit stop

we like to break up the long drive home from michigan with a stop or two. usually it's to get some gas and a slice of pizza at an illinois tollway oasis. but this christmas, we took a 2 day pit stop to see some cool museums, take frigid windy walks, ride trains, and stay at the very top of a tall hotel. it was a good stop.


skyway bridge into chicago, or as james called it, "a huge speed bump into the sky." see that tiny cluster of tall buildings in the lower right of the picture? chicago.

we visited the shedd aquarium to say hi to belugas (baby beluga and otherwise),

to stroke starfish,

see the dolphin show,

oooh and aaah at the fishes,

and see the sharks and seahorses.

back outside and into the -20 degree windchill, it was back to the hotel,

for a quick relaxation and video (and a breathtaking view of the merchandise mart on the river).

the ride down from the 40th floor was a long one,

and the walk to the L train station was a cold one.

the next morning, we discovered that our hotel parked our car in the spot on the sidewalk where fancy hotels usually put fancy cars to show people that fancy people with fancy cars stay at their fancy hotel. but our big old plain station wagon didn't fit in their garage with the car top carrier, so they had to put it next to that jaguar. it was pretty hilarious to see.

a walk down michigan ave took us to sugar heaven for breakfast....

the new nutella cafe!

fireside nutella pancakes. happiness, followed by a sugar crash.

after breakfast, we took a train ride to the museum of science and industry (still my favorite of all the museums ever....).

the chicago train set, the airplanes, the coal mine, the christmas around the world display, fetuses in jars and slices of human bodies....some things never change.

but a new lego exhibit was amaaaaazing,

and a fractals and patterns exhibit had the coolest mirror maze i've ever seen. we did the maze at least 4 times.

hamster wheel,

robot tic tac toe,

all followed by dinner in hyde park and the kids first uber ride (during which james mused that all the lights in all the windows of all chicago's highrises as seen through his car window at night MUST be birthday parties). if that doesn't make you smile, i don't know what will.