Chicago!

I had the wonderful opportunity to spend the weekend in America's windiest city, Chicago! Lyndon is the best. I have been feeling really burnt out and tired lately, and one night when I was talking to Lyndon about it he said that I should go on a trip, a "momcation" if you may. He whipped out the computer and started looking up flights to all different places and then we found a fantastic deal to Chicago. We have friends who just moved back to Chicago and they were gracious enough to let me stay with them and showed me around their beautiful city. It was wonderful! I have been with the kids 24/7 since Cosette's birth. This is the first time I have been away for a night without them. It was so nice to have the liberty to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. I came back a very refreshed momma. 

The first line in my Chicago travel book is "steely skyscrapers, top chefs, rocking festivals-the Windy City will blow you away with its low-key cultured awesomeness". That statement is the best summary of the city. I was really impressed by all the architecture in the city. It's pretty spectacular for a modern city, which is exactly what Chicago is. I am such a nerd because I loved doing all the research for my trip. I learned that Chicago is a relatively new city since it was only settled in 1830 and then the Chicago fire in 1870 destroyed the city. The city had to start from again from blank canvas, thus the beautiful aweinspiring architecture. And the art scene there is huge! There is a bunch of public art scattered around the city which is pretty fantastic. I started my trip off my doing a self guided tour of some major landmarks in the city.

The first stop on my tour was Daley Plaza to see Picasso's Untitled sculpture. And from Thanksgiving through Christmas, Daley Plaza is home to the famous Christkindlmarket a traditional German Christmas Market which was also on my todo list.  Picasso's sculpture is in the middle of the market and was hard to see. The market was pack to a point where I was like get me out of here! There was traditional German cuisine and a lot of  traditional German crafts for sale. It was great, aside from it being so crowded.


Cute market booths.

 

I wanted to buy one of these nesting dolls for Cosette so bad. She was obsessed my Mother's over the summer and these were so beautiful.

There was this beautiful nativity in the front of the market. It makes me happy to see christian Christmas symbols because this is why we celebrate this holiday. He is the gift!

On the way to my next stop I saw this gem. It is the Reliance Building, which is the building that set the tone for modern skyscraper design. You can tell by the windows.


The Old Marshall Field's Clock. It's a Chicago tradition to meet under the clock . 

The Chicago Cultural Center. It hosts a variety of arts related events. It is most famous for the world's largest Tiffany's stained-glass dome. Which I did not get to see and am now kicking myself for not stealing a glance at it.

The Cloud Gate better known as The Bean. This is probably the coolest sculpture I have ever seen. It reflects the city skyline and the sky. It is a pretty fantastic place to take pictures. You can take a picture of yourself with the city skyline with no effort thanks to this sculpture. 

Inside The Bean. 

The crown fountain I thought was a little odd. There are giant projects of people's faces smiling back and forth at each other. I didn't care for it too much. It was like people leering at you. Kind of creepy. My friend said that during the summer it is nicer because there are fountains spouting water that make it look like the faces are spitting water at you. Still doesn't sound to great. I guess I'll have to go back in the summer and see it in all its glory. 

The iconic lions that stand guard at the Art Institute. They remind me so much of the lions in front of the New York Public Library's main branch. That was the last thing I saw on my self guided tour. I had booked an actual architecture tour with the Chicago Architecture Foundation to see all the modern skyscrapers in the loop area. Modern architecture is not my style, but taking the tour gave me a greater appreciation for it.     

I got lucky because on our tour we hit up a few on the sites that were on my self guided tour list, so I got everything in. The Flamingo statue is perfectly placed in this concrete jungle. It adds some color and life to what is a intense business area of the city. It makes me think more of an ostrich since it neck looks like its burrowing into the ground. 

The Kluczynski Building. Our tour guide had us stop at the Chicago Federal Center and look three buildings done by the same architect, Mies van der Rohe. It was all about the symmetry and even the lines in the brick that we walked on aligned with the windows.  

This is the Chicago Library. All I have to say is post modern art done right.

Our tour guide who is an architect himself. He was telling us about the sandy building in the back ground which if you believe it or not is a prison. It is in the downtown area so if someone is on trial they don't have to be transported far. We even saw some of the inmates walking along the top which apparently is their outside recreation area. Crazy!

After my architecture tour I headed to the Shedd Aquarium to see the fish and meet up with my friend. One of the best aquariums in the world! The best part was the beluga whale and dolphin show.

Those trainers are so lucky! I really want to swim with dolphins some day. Another exhibit I saw was called the Wild Reef which focused on the reefs in the Philippines. That was really cool because we lived there and saw some of the places that the exhibits were about. It make me miss the Phils, well mostly the friends we made over there.


Dishing out our deep dish pizza because you cannot go to Chicago without getting some. Sorry Chicago, I am a New York pizza gal. It was good, but not as good as some of the stuff we have in the city.


The beautiful Chicago city skyline. It was an exhausting day, but it was pretty perfect.