We had a lot of fun in Chicago over the last four days. We left last Thursday morning and got to the Museum of Science and Industry around 2:30. It’s very big and has a lot of fun interactive exhibits. It would be a great place to take your kids and there were plenty of them there. Since it was Thursday afternoon it wasn’t too busy though. Laura’s sister Melinda works close to the museum so we met her after she was done with work and drove to her house. We ate dinner at Margie’s Candies, which serves huge sundaes.
On Friday morning we took a train and bus downtown to the Adler Planetarium. We got there early enough so it wasn’t busy at all and we were able to enjoy the place with very few people. We caught a fun show and ate some lunch before heading to the Shedd Aquarium. By the time we got there around 1:00 it was packed. We bought a City Pass so at least we didn’t have to stand in the line outside in the extreme heat. Instead we got to stand in the line inside for about half an hour. After finally getting inside and looking around for about 10 minues there were just way too many people so we decided to leave. We went for a walk downtown and saw Buckingham Fountain and the giant bean at Millennium Park. We eventually made our way to the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) and went up to the skydeck. They recently built glass enclosures that extend from the side of the building and allow for quite a view. I have to admit I didn’t really like stepping out into it. After that we met with Melinda and Richard and went on a very cool architecture tour along the Chicago river on a boat. We went underneath one of the bridges where a scene from Transformers 3 was being shot. I didn’t see any actors, just a bunch of wreckage and some smoke. Afterwards we went to an Indian restaurant downtown and got some good food.
Saturday was Comic-Con day. When we got there the line was huge. We thought we were ok since we bought advance tickets but no, the huge line was for us. Those who hadn’t bought tickets yet barely had to wait in line at all. Many people including myself were baffled by the preposterousness of the situation, but at least the line went very quickly. I guess the lesson is to not buy tickets in advance. The whole event was quite overwhelming. There were so many people and so many things to see that you could only really do so much. Nintendo was there with a bunch of DSs for trying out some games and there was some kind of Xbox event going on. There were a ton of actors and lines all over the place for autographs, comic book artists and writers were showing off their work and meeting the fans, and everywhere you looked were comic books, toys, posters, DVDs, and a million other comic book, video game, movie, or television related items for sale. Laura and Melinda wanted to get their picture taken with Adrianne Curry but they decided not to pay the $10. I saw a few people from Buffy and Star Trek. We walked away with a lot of free stuff and I bought a few cool items. Overall it was a lot of fun and probably a once in a lifetime event for me.
After Comic-Con we went to a roller derby game. It was really fun even though the Windy Cindy Rollers didn’t do so hot. We went to a bar afterward where the team goes for their after party. We didn’t really talk with any of the players though. I guess they were also filming some kind of documentary there about the first punk band from Canada. Laura and Melinda saw them playing in another room.
On Sunday morning we got up and went out for breakfast before getting on the road. It was a very fun and very exhausting time. My legs are still tired. Laura is going to put many more pictures on Facebook soon.
Laura milking a fake cow at the Museum of Science and Industry
The coolest mailbox ever.
Laura posing by the giant bean in Millennium Park.
Downtown Chicago from the Willis Tower skydeck.
Posted by Justin on August 23rd, 2010
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