Chicago!

We spent a couple of days in Chicago.  First we drove through the loop.  It is always amazing to be in a big city again after spending so much time in the country!  We drove past a few buildings that survived the Great Chicago Fire, including the Water Tower building (that gave White Castle its inspiration), saw the Chicago Theater, and many more famous buildings as well as the Chicago River, and the Art Museum.

the Art Museum and its famous Lions

After gazing at the tall buildings, we drove up Lake Shore Dr. to see Lake Michigan. Many people were out on Labor Day sunning on their towels on the edge of the lake, which is not a beach but more like a dock or pier, until we got to North Beach which is a tiny little strip of sand.  

We had Chicago style hot dogs (all beef) with all the fixins (mustard, bright green relish, diced onions, tomato wedges, dill pickle spear, sport peppers, and sprinkled with celery salt) all on a poppy seed bun. They were tasty! Of course I didn't eat the peppers, but Bekah did! 

Next we drove around Wrigley Field and saw the famous statues around the stadium. 

bleachers over the sidewalk!

Then it was time for a walk in Millennium Park.  We went past Daley Plaza and Pritzker Pavilion to Cloud Gate.  There we walked under the "bean" and took pictures of ourselves.  We drove past Crown Fountain too.

We had Chicago deep dish style pepperoni and sausage pizza for dinner.  It was cheesy and delicious!

Of course we went to Willis Tower (formerly Sears), the tallest skyscraper in the US, and rode the fast elevator up to the sky deck.  It was really cool riding up in the elevator as they told us when we were at the height of other landmarks around the world.  We enjoyed the views of the city, river, and lake far below us.  Rebekah was brave enough to stand out on the clear platform above the streets below and finally convinced me to join her, for a quick picture. 

 

We went to an old Route 66 chicken place and had the lunch buffet.  Delicious fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, cheese lasagna, salad, green beans, desserts, and more!

We spent most of the next day at the Museum of Science and Industry.  I have wanted to go there since I was little.  We went down into the coal mine, walked through a 727 airplane, saw the Nazi 505 submarine captured in WWII, played with stormy weather and made tornadoes, saw the circus exhibit, watched newly hatched baby chicks, and explored the human body.  We wished we had another day to see the rest of the museum. It was fantastic!

U 505 submarine

tornado!
 

For a delicious lunch, we had an Italian beef sandwich.  Thinly sliced roast beef and gravy, with peppers and giardiniera piled on an Italian roll.  So good! (Once again I had to pull off the hot stuff!)