Chicago, Day 2

We are having a snow day AGAIN.   This has already been one crazy winter this season!  I'm wondering if schools will be closed tomorrow since the snow is staying on the roads, and we are not supposed to get above freezing (high 17/low -1 today, high 14/low 3 tomorrow), and the wind chill is expected to be -20!!!  Did I bring Chicago home with me, or what?!

On our second day in Chicago, we had a yummy breakfast in the hotel and headed to Shedd Aquarium for the day. We got to see Sea Monsters (a 4-D experience), as well as the aquatic show with dolphins, penguins, and even a dog named Coral! I spent much of my time in the Amazon Rising, Oceanarium, and Polar Play Zone, but the highlight had to be the Jellies. Zach was pumped about seeing them, but I couldn't have cared less when we arrived. Out of curiosity--and the fact that we had the wristbands to get in--I decided to tour this area. I LOVED it. All of the different jellies were so interesting and mesmerizing, and I learned so much. I also captured some beautiful, haunting, and otherworldly images.

 largest fish caught in the Amazon



 4-D Sea Monsters Experience




 the aquatic show

view of Lake Michigan




















After the aquarium, we changed hotels, moving to the Intercontinental on the Mag Mile. 

For dinner, we went to Andy's Jazz Club, where I had a delicious strawberry spinach salad and gin Big Ben cocktail, and we enjoyed some live music. 




On our way back to the hotel, we came across The Eataly! I'm not sure how to describe this place, other than it is an Italian foodie's mecca. It's like a shopping mall of Italian goodies, with separate stations for different types of goods. So there was a patisserie (I don't know what the Italian word for this French term is--probably something awfully close), a gelateria (that sounds good, huh?), a WHOLE Nutella shop, a wine "cellar," a cheese bar, a separate mozzarella bar, a deli, a pesca-ria (that sounds good, too), a bread section, a pasta section, etc. (I could have tried to Italianize my semi-French words for some of those other areas, but I gave up.) 






We ordered desserts and took them back to the hotel to enjoy. I ate mine and stayed up to finish Monsters of Men. A glorious time!

 We're part of the ambassadors program, so we got a fruit basket, mineral water, truffles, and a personal letter from the head of our hotel!

 I forgot what this was called, but it was like a mousse-type dessert!

Zach's was delicious as well!  :)

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Share Your Thoughts

  1. no snow here, just UNBELIEVABLY COLD! and you are totally making me want to go to Chicago

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    1. Go to Chicago--just don't go in the winter! We ended up having work yesterday and today, but all of the area schools were closed, and some of the smaller districts are closed tomorrow. :)

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  2. Those desserts look glorious! What a fun trip! It's really cold here too. I'm sitting in my living room with the thermostat at 70 (like usual), but it feels sooo much colder in here. I've even got extra layers on...come on spring (or a more normal winter temps!)!

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    1. I know what you mean! I had to bump our thermostat up to 75 because our space heater downstairs in our bedroom is about to go out, and it was FREEZING this morning. I hate to think what the rest of January (and February!) holds...

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