Kirstin, great pictures! The Huntington looks beautiful; makes me sorry I've never made it there.
Looks like the only day I'm available for Chicago will be Saturday. I was hoping for tomorrow, but the fronline is a little slim and I've been having to cover it more than I normally do. The pitfalls of being the boss: two stations, three people. Empty station means I have to come out of my cave and answer phones/greet people. Ugh.
Anyway, I'd love to do some of the touring (any of it, actually) that dcp mentioned. Can't afford the fancy charity do in the evening, my cat is emptying my purse rapidly with all his tests and meds.
I love Chicago museums. There's the Art Institute, where you can see "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte." The Museum of Science and Industry is in the only remaining building from the 1893 Columbian Exposition. There you can visit a coal mine, a real German U-boat and a recreation of a 1910 Chicago street, plus see a lot of wacky inventions. Unfortunately, the website says the Colleen Moore dollhouse is closed at the moment. The Field Museum of Natural History has dinosaurs!, plus scads of archeological and biological exhibits. The two science museums are both among the largest in the world.
And adjacent to the Field Museum is the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium. The Field Museum's Sue recently got a bath. I have no idea how you bathe a T-rex skeleton but apparently they figured out a way.
The Art Institute, Field, Adler, and Shedd are all pretty centrally located. On a nice day it's a lovely walk through Grant Park between the Art Institute and the museum campus. The Museum of Science and Industry is on the south side and requires a little more planning to get there.
Dang, it's 10 years since I've been to Chicago and visited all the museums. Y'all are making me want to go back.
Also the Lincoln Park Zoo, which is free: [link]
I also loved the boat tour I took--great way to see different parts of the city.
Sorry, I really should have been following this thread much earlier. Anyway, I'm trying not to be anti-social, so I'm up for whatever while Shir is here.
OK, here goes:
I will arrive to O'hare at 12:30PM tomorrow. I thought of having lunch there, so if anybody wants to join me there (or suggest another alternative), just say so. I'll get to brenda's whenever she'll say is convenient.
Museums are nice. local stores are great, so is art and food (food! I heart food). I do want to check Sephora for a lipstick that was recommended by Buffistas (Makeup Forever's Aqua Rouge), and I want to buy a Kindle too. I still need to find 2-3 plays from the New Swan Shakespeare for my dad, and a Thermos for my sister.
However. My main interest is seeing Buffistas. Whatever we'll do, watch, or eat, I'm sure we'll have a great time.
Brenda - the only thing I'm not entirely sure about that benefit is the gambling. I'm not very much into it, and wondering what I'll do there all night.
I love that Shir is planning a trip to Sephora. Gotta love us!
I'm fairly available evenings and weekends while Shir is here and up for some adventures and/or food.
Shir, if you want to drop by my office for a free lunch on a weekday, let me know. My office is downtown near shopping.
