Missed ATC Night

The ATC exchange for July was Water, I created these ATC(s) for the exchange tonight, but had to miss it.

The stamps are from Tim Holtz Components Collections - Swirl and Parlour Victorian (Mermaid Kiss), which I bought when I was in Halifax in 2006.   I finally found a use for it.  This ATC was stamped with Perfect Medium stamp and sprinkled with Light Blue Perfect Pearls and coloured in with watercolour pencil.

Potion Man

We went to the Zoo in the afternoon, thinking that the Polar Bear exhibit was open.  We received the Zoo newsletter where it says Tundra exhibit now open (at the front), of course, if we had read it more carefully, it is opening in August 2009.  

At anycase we checked out the Mayan Ruin area, where the Cheetahs, Panther; pink flamingos and marmosets are hiding.   Aidan enjoyed a splash at the Splash Island where he met a friend which he named Potion Man.   There were three boys going around the splash pad filling out a plastic bottle with water and pretending it's potion, which they pour on one of the "wooden bridge".

Gone Fishing

Gone fishing today at Ashbridge bay with snacks on hand.   The only fish we came across was a catfish; a dead fish and fishes that seagulls were snapping up for themselves.

Of course, we had more luck attracting ducks, than fishes.   This duck stole three of our worms from the hook, becoming more daring each attempt.

Vacation Essentials

When we were packing for our Chicago trip, I asked Aidan what is he going to pack for the trip?  Well he ran to his room, emptied a Lee Valley canvas bag containing his Darth Vader outfit and replaced it with a bath towel; his favorite sweater; bathing suit and an underwear.  Now that's what I call traveling light.

I wish I took his lead.

Home Sweet Home

Although it was an amazing trip, I'm glad to be home.  I certainly missed home cook meal; my own bed and garden.  I must admit the area we stayed at the Magnificent Mile, inspired me to do something more with my newly landscaped back.

Being home though doesn't include missing dealing with the piling garbage and the strike.   We did encounter our own strike at the Hilton Suites where the employees picketed the front of the hotel on Day 2 but everyone seems to be back to work today.

Architectural Tour

On Day 5 of our stay in Chicago, we went up the Sears Tower and went on an Architecture Cruise from Navy Pier.  The highlight of the Sears Tower for me is the glass floor (retractable) viewing deck.  There were a few along one side of the tower.  However,  I like the view better from John Hancock Observatory tower.

The Architecture Cruise was a tour on the Chicago River and its architectural landmarks and and insight on how Chicago was built.   The tour guide we had was certainly knowledgeable and entertaining, recounting the dramatic story of  Chicago's rise from the Great Fire of 1871 to become the home of the skyscraper and the cradle of modern America architecture.   Along the one-hour cruise are remarkable buildings by world famous architects including Miles van der Rohe, Skidmore Owings and Merrill and Helmut Jahn.

After the cruise, Aidan spent half an hour playing at the Navy Pier fountain, along with other kids and splashed away the afternoon.   Aidan also met up with a not so nice character at the fountain, which we called Buckwheat with similar hair features from Little Rascals.   He happened to be punching all the kids splashing at the fountain, including Aidan who came up to me and Wallace complaining.  All we can do is tell him to avoid him.

Trek to Museum of Science and Industry

Chicago certainly has a lot of Museums and we're all just in awe of how much they have. We decided to add Museum of Science and Industry to our itinerary and it was a good thing. The trek started bhy taking the CTA which was a breeze, however we decided to walk from Garfield train station to MSI. What we thought to be a 10 to 15 min walk turned to a 45 min walk. Although, it only took us an hour to get from Watertower to MSI, it seemed like two hours. We ended up walking a few miles from the train station and ended up walking through the University of Chicago, which was nice treat. The campus is huge.

The trek was well worth it because we ended up discovering and learning a lot and witnessing a miracle of life.

They had an amazing exhibit of the U505 submarine; Burlington Zehphyr, Toymaker 3000 and Chick Hatchery. There was a Harry Potter exhibit but we didn't end up going to see it, as it was extra. I now wish I did check it out but there were so many things to do already. The most amazing thing that we witnessed while we were at the MSI was the hatching of an egg (chick).

We ended the night having dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and enjoying a slice of pineapple upside down cheesecake and latte.

Rainy Fourth of July

We spent the day at Navy Pier / Children's Museum. The weather was less than perfect, it rained for most of the afternoon but it cleared up around early in the evening. I wanted to stay for the 4th of July fireworks but I got overruled by Aidan and Wallace. In the end it might have been a smarter decision, as there were tonnes of people streaming into Navy Pier, as we were leaving. We felt like salmon swimming upstream. It would have taken us a long time to get back to the hotel. I ended up enjoying a stop at Borders and picking up a Somerset Studio mag and postcards.

The museums in Chicago are amazing, there are lots of things to do for kids and adults alike. At Children's Museum, we ended up building a little house; Aidan climbed a netted "jungle gym" (which I was a nervous wreck but my little guy was amazin); cooked for us at the Children's block party and invented some flying machine.

Hopped on to the Ferris Wheel and believe it or not didn't even mind the height.

Museum Alley

I must have been really tired when I was posting my Day 2 (July 3) entry, I forgot to mention that we spent the day checking out the Shedd Aquarium and Field Museum. We gotthere by taking the Grayline Hop On Hop Off Trolley tour. It was a pretty good tour of the city and managed to get some facts about Chicago.

The Shedd Aquarium was incredible with the Caribbean Reef 360 aquarium; Oceanarium where it housed the penguins; seals and otters. Aidan decided he wanted to be penguin for the afternoon and donned a penguin costume.

The Field Museum was another amazing place for kids and adults alike. The Sue exhibit (dinosaur exhbit) was breath taking. I don't know where they rank in the dinosaur exhibit but they rank # 1 to me. It had 1300 exhibits, in which 90% are fossils and bones. The rest are casts or replicas. Amazing!

On our way back to the hotel, we checked out the Taste of Chicago at Grant Park and Millenium park. All the walking certainly helps the fastfood diet we've been having.

Loving Chi-town

Woke up early and went for breakfast at Corner Bakery. Then we went on the Grayline hop on and off tour of the city. The tour took us to the Museum section of the city and hopped off to check out the Shedd Aquarium and Field Museum. There's a perfect shot of Chicago from the Shedd Aquarium outside cafe....but of course, we were so zonked out, we forgot to charge the camera battery for day 2. We relied on the video camera and phone shots.

I'm in awe of how well the city was planned...at least for tourism. There are so many things to see. The Taste of Chicago at Grant Park is going on, it started on June 29 and goes on until July 5th. Everyone was gearing up for the 4th of July, so there were lots of people, enjoying the food; free concerts and firework. We had a bit of bite to eat - Harry Caray's handmade potato chips; tempura shrimp and vegetables and sticky rice with mango from the Chef's table (culinary school).

Everything seems to be in close proximity of each other, we also headed over to the Millenium Park where the famous Cloud Gate is located, although it looks more like a kidney bean and therefore dubbed by the locals, as the Bean. It's a three feet tall steel structure and definitely an attraction, all the kids and adults hanged around to get a perfect photo opportunity.

Headed back to the hotel, via CTA.