Chicago

Vacation Installment #3: Chicago

So we actually were surprised to end up in Chicago. Last year some friends moved there for MBA school and we said we'd come visit without really thinking it would happen. When we decided not to go to Europe for this vacation and incorrectly thought Nauvoo and Chicago were kind of near each other we thought it would be fun to actually go visit. Chicago was probably the highlight of our trip: Rachel and Westin planned everything, drove us around, and gave us a very comfortable place to stay. Heck, we even got to do some laundry! It was awesome. Even better is that our visit overlapped with finals week but Westin was already done so he could hang out with us too!

Thursday morning we went to the Field Museum so we could see some dinosaure bones and other things. It was a cool place to look around and great to have some friends along. Scott loves to read EVERY SINGLE thing and I could bust through a museum in 30 minutes so it was good to have some company while we waited for him to read.

And that's a pretty ugly shark!

Dino bones and replica.

Rachel, me and cute Morgan. She was about 10 months then and the perfect child. We drug her all over the city for 3 days and she hardly squawked. She's so cute!

Westin, Morgan, Scott and dinosaur Sue.

The Hatch's and Sue.

The Lee's and Sue.

For lunch we (and by we I mean they) got Chicago style hotdogs. I wasn't touching that stuff!

It had tomato, pickle, pepper, and other weird stuff. They all seemed to like it...

Chicago skyline. Does it look cold?

While this may actually be called Cloud Gate it looks like and it colloquially referred to as the Bean.

Scott is working hard to hold it up.

We had to ask many strangers to take our photo so we could get us and the entire structure in the photo. What did they think I wanted in the picture? Either we or the bean got cut off by most of the people we asked.

We went to the top of Willis (formally Sears) Tower. 

We got there seconds before a group of about 100 teenagers so it was lucky timing!

Hanging out on the glass ledge. I didn't look down.

Chicago skyline to the north.

More of Chicago. It was cool to go to the top of Willis Tower because in Atlanta I went to the top of the Westin and saw the skyline there. It was cool to compare.

Friday morning we took a walking tour of Evanston and the Northwestern campus.

When you have huge ice blocks and a bridge it's hard to resist.

Going...

Going...

Splash!!

Chicago skyline to the south.

Yes it is as cold as it looks and yes it was extremely difficult to zip up my jacket!

Spelling out the letters of Kellogg, Northwestern's MBA school.

Future MBA family!

Perhaps this is the worst picture I've ever taken but I thought you would all enjoy it.

I try to pretend I don't feel this way being pregnant but I usually do.

Northwestern!

We went to a Baha'i Temple and got there 1 minute after it closed! At least Scott got some good practice carrying around a baby.

The Home Alone house.

Saturday morning we went to the Art Institute of Chicago and did an abbreviated tour since we got a late start. (Scott and Rachel woke up with queazy stomachs and took the morning to hopefully sleep them off.)

Nice painting!

Scott clearly didn't sleep all the illness off. He didn't even pose with the correct hand!

Picasso was there and he is one odd painter!

I had a hard time appreciating his work. Seriously?

An African headdress.

What we thought would be our last stop before flying off to DC: a tour of Wrigley Field.

The tour was really good. There is tons of history since it's a really old field.

In the dugout

and on the field. (My jacket was having a hard time.)

From Wrigley Field we drove to the airport so Scott and I could catch a flight to DC. We made it to the airport but didn't catch the flight. Are you curious (or even still there)?