Bright Lights, Big City

Sunday morning we slept in as late as possible. Unfortunately, I have become a creature of habit. I was awake rather early anyway. :)

We did take our time getting up and around. It was nice to move at our own pace, nobody (or no dog) begging to eat or asking for help or arguing with siblings. Peaceful. My favorite kind of morning.

After we did throw ourselves together, we took a stroll down the street on our way to the museums. On our way, we walked through the park (Grant Park, I think?). We were intrigued by these statues. They are headless/armless. Looks like big old giants walking around.

I just loved the fact we were in a big city but could still see signs of fall around us...
a view of Michigan Avenue taken from the steps of the Field Museum
We decided to get the Chicago Pass which let us into five different attractions at one low cost. It also put us at the front of the line everywhere we went. Gotta love that. Our first stop was the Field Museum.

I will admit, this was one of my favorite exhibits. Meet Sue. She is the most complete T-Rex skeleton in the world (I believe).

Another neat area was the Egypt burial grounds. I believe this is the first mummy (true mummy) I have ever seen...

After our whirlwind tour of the Field Museum, we walked on over to Shedd Aquarium. We ate lunch there and then enjoyed observing several sea creatures. Love these sea horses!
Part of our ticket included free admission to the animal show which mainly consisted of beluga whales and dolphins. Of course, I loved every minute of that!
This "sunflower" sea star was just beautiful.
I love these fish. Don't remember their name but they look like they are walking on the ground!
A favorite exhibit here was the Jellies exhibit. They are such beautiful creatures (when they are in a tank, not in the water I am swimming in!).
After the aquarium, we hopped on a bus (still walked out from the night before) and headed back over to the river. We then embarked on an architectural tour via boat. I would have never said I was interested in architecture in any way but I found this tour fascinating. I also took a BUNCH of pictures but I will spare you most of that. :) Oh, and I discovered that I prefer the "old architecture" (as in the '40s) rather than the more modern. I guess I am just an old fashioned girl...

I am pretty sure I saw as many as (if not more) American flags flying as I did in Washington D.C.
Isn't it just breathtaking?
We never did ride this but it was fun to take pictures of. By the way, this is only half the size of the very first Ferris wheel which debuted in Chicago at the World's Fair many years ago!
As we walked along the river after our cruise to dinner, we passed a Vietnam memorial.
Walking down the river at sunset
We arrived at our restaurant early (Chicago Cut Steakhouse) but thankfully they could go ahead and seat us. We splurged on this appetizer. One. One crab claw. Probably a bit overpriced. But it was delicious.
Here is my steak with an Oscar topping. I really did almost cry when it was gone...I could have eaten more.
Several of the buildings in downtown Chicago were displaying pink lights in honor of breast cancer awareness month.
After dinner, we caught another bus and headed over to the John Hancock building. We rode the elevator to the 94th floor and had a bird's eye view of the city at night. That was probably better because I am terrified of heights...I couldn't truly get a grasp of how far up we were!
I cannot imagine being a window washer on this building.
There is Navy Pier and the Ferris Wheel again...
When we emerged, safe and sound, at the bottom of the building, we stopped into Cheesecake Factory and picked up a slice of caramel pecan turtle cheesecake to enjoy later back at the hotel.

It was a busy day full of fun and adventure!

More soon,
Reba