Chicago

Finally made it down to Chicago this past weekend! It was a really fun trip, I can’t believe I haven’t managed to check it out yet. We took the train down and had a hard time finding somewhere to stay, but eventually snagged an AirBnB on the south side by the University of Chicago. That meant that we had to take a train into the city and back out, but there was barely anywhere else we could go without spending a lot of money.

The first day we stayed down by the University of Chicago and checked out the Museum of Science and Industry. I really enjoyed it, science museums are always overrun with screaming children and this was no exception. But they had a whole exhibit dedicated to genetics and I can’t say no to that. There also was a really cool miniature train set simulating how cargo gets from Chicago to Seattle. There were a lot of miniatures in general, like a miniature circus and a fairy castle, neither of which I could figure out why they were there otherwise. We also walked over to Promontory Point, which had some amazing views of the city and the museum. I had wanted to check out the Renaissance Society, a small art gallery that’s part of the school, but it unfortunately was closed.

The next day we took the train to the center of Chicago to do all those touristy things. Like getting a picture with the bean (formally known as Cloudgate)! We also went to the Art Institute of Chicago which was probably my favorite part of the trip. They have an amazing collection! I particularly loved the impressionist section and the contemporary galleries. There was also a really cute miniatures wing here (more miniatures???) with all sorts of different architecture styles in it. After that we went across the street to the Chicago Cultural Center to get a taste of more local art. It was definitely a good idea to get the feel for both sides: famous and local art. Then we walked along the Riverfront to the Navy Pier, which had more great views of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. Last museum of the day was Intuit: the Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art. It’s a small gallery but has a neat collection of self-taught artists primarily. Around the corner from there is Time Out Market which had a milkshake bar that was really delightful.

For the final day I wanted to check out the Jane Addams’ Hull House and the National Museum of Mexican Art, but they were both closed. So instead we went to the Aquarium! They had a pool where you can pet the sting rays and a lot of really cool exhibits about local waters and fish. Plus belugas, dolphins, and penguins are always a hit. From there we went to Chinatown for lunch and to walk around a little before leaving.

Chicago is interesting, it’s very similar to New York City in it’s layout with the numbered streets. But I would honestly say that the infrastructure of NYC is better, we mostly only took the Chicago subway on the last day in town. Chicago does feel more integrated though, there’s less cultural enclaves which is really nice. Chicago is patchwork in it’s own way, the only subway line that goes south is the red line and that clearly cuts off communities from downtown, but you get much more of a mix in the majority of it.

There’s just so much to do in Chicago, so many museums and fun activities. I really want to come back soon to check it out, and to check out some of the music scene there. I still feel like I didn’t quite get a handle on the pulse that Chicago runs on, possibly because it’s so big and contains so much. I hope I’ll be back there soon!