Museum of Science & Industry
The Palace of Fine Arts was built for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition to display art from around the world. After the World’s Fair, the palace housed a museum that would become the Field Museum in 1920.
A Chicago professor led a public campaign to restore the building and turn it into another art museum, but the building was later selected as the site for a new science museum. Julius Rosenwald, the Sears, Roebuck, and Company president pledged $3 million towards the cost of converting the Palace of Fine Arts into a modern museum in 1926.
As luck would have it, we timed it perfectly to see the newest special exhibit: 007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond.
Bond movies have always been part of my life. Jeremy is new to the series, starting with Daniel Craig.
I know by today’s standards the older movies are cheesy and kind of dumb, but who cares, they are so much fun.
The exhibit talked about the science behind many of Bond’s gadgets. It was really cool to see so many props from the different movies.
And those Astin Martin’s are all class. I would love to own one, or even drive one, that would be cool.
Chef Art Smith Reunion
Celebrity chef Art Smith has always been one of our favorite chefs across all the cooking shows, whether he was competing or judging, we just adored him. He was Oprah’s personal chef for ten years.
I thought this would be a great moment to take Chef Smith’s bio and have ChatGPT rewrite it, to make it more sensational, I requested it write it in the style of a recipe. Check it out:
Recipe Title: Chef Art Smith’s Nourishing Success
Instructions:
1. Preheat your entrepreneurial oven to success.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the passion for food and community with the culinary expertise until well blended.
3. Fold in the dashes of entrepreneurial spirit and sprinkle with the celebrity clientele. Allow to marinate for at least a decade, or until golden brown.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the television charisma glaze by whisking together the generous serving of television charisma and the handful of magazine features until glossy and irresistible.
5. Once the mixture has risen to stardom, garnish with a sprinkle of philanthropic zeal and serve hot, alongside Common Threads for an extra touch of heartwarming goodness.
The food was OK. We were a little disappointed. The biscuits appetizer was sweet and not that tasty. Which also left us sad about the biscuits and gravy, which used the same sweet biscuits. The service was standard. Nothing exceptional. What was delicious? The fried chicken. It is what Chef Smith is known for and it was excellent. Thick breading, very well-seasoned, the meat was juicy and made the meal worth the visit. The Bloody Mary was also extremely flavorful.
Navy Pier
Navy Pier, stretching over 3,300 feet and spanning more than 50 acres along Lake Michigan’s shore, stands as one of Chicago’s top tourist destinations. Originally christened the “Municipal Pier” upon its public unveiling in 1916, its primary function was to accommodate freighters, passenger ships, and a diverse array of indoor and outdoor events. However, its significance grew during World War II when it transformed into a bustling training center for the United States Navy, housing thousands and boasting facilities ranging from theaters to tailor shops. Post-war, the pier adapted to new roles, hosting University of Illinois classes and later evolving into a mixed-use venue blending retail, dining, entertainment, and cultural experiences.
My friend Gordon Bassham stayed at the pier during his time in the service. I imagine it’s a lot different now. A good chunk of the pier is dedicated to an amusement park. There is a theater and an amphitheater along with several chain restaurants like Margaritaville and local chains like Harry Caray’s.
If you walk all the way to the end of the pier, you will find a statue of Bob Newhart sitting on a chair as the therapist from the Bob Newhart Show. There is a longer couch next to Dr. Hartley so you can sit down and have a session with the TV icon. The statue was dedicated on July 27, 2004, it was a gift from the TV Land network.
The Second City
The Second City is the oldest improvisational theater continuously based in Chicago, opening on December 16, 1959. As a Saturday Night Live fan, this stage is truly hallowed ground. It is the Grand Ole Opry of Comedy.
This is a very short list of some of its biggest names: Alan Arkin, Joan Rivers, Avery Schreiber, Robert Klein, Fred Willard, John Belushi, John Candy, Kansan Ed Asner, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Eugene Levy, Harold Ramis, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Linda Lavin, Gilda Radner, Dave Thomas, George Wendt, Martin Short, Shelley Long, Jane Lynch, Valerie Harper, Ryan Styles, Amy Poehler, Kansas native Jason Sudeikis, Steven Yeun, Dan Castellaneta, Bonnie Hunt, Catherine O’Hara, Mike Myers, Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, Bob Odenkirk, Steve Carell, Colin Mochrie, Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert, Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey, Amber Ruffin and Cecily Strong… you know.. just to name a few.
I visited this place in the late 80’s. You can read a story about it.. Did I ever tell you about the time… I met Chris Farley.
It seemed to me like the stage was much smaller the last time I was there. The hostess said they had a fire a few years back and they enlarged the stage area. The bar limits clients to single shot drinks, but as it turned out the single shots were strong, so good thing I couldn’t order a double.
The live shows used to have a standard show full of quick skits and then the second half was all improv. The show we saw was all skits, and little improv. I am not sure what changed, but the performers were very funny, and the skits were fresh and got some great laughs. I can’t wait until September to see if any of them made the cut as SNL Not Ready for Primetime Players. I thought Evan Mills and Kiley Fitzgerald stole the show.
When I worked for AAA and members asked for advice on Chicago, I always mentioned this as my top pick. And I still do.
Baton Show Lounge
The Baton Show Lounge has been hosting drag shows for 55 years. It started out with beer crates as a stage, but owner Jim Flintturned turned it into one of the top female impersonator shows in the country. This is the second location for the club.
It was my birthday, so we went to see the show. Several female impersonators and a male dancer provided the entertainment. There were only a few people in the audience which took away some of the interaction fun of a drag show.
Chinatown
We weren’t sure if we were going to make it to Chinatown. To be honest, if you take away the restaurants and the gift shops, there’s not much to it. Most of the stores sold the same stuff, cutesy toys, anime characters and weird potato chip flavors. But I am glad we checked it out, after about five stores we decided it was probably a better place to eat than shop.
Triple Crown
Since 1996, the restaurant has been serving up Chinese food. I guess they were on a side street but moved to this bigger location around the corner.
Courtesy: Time Out
With windows overlooking Wentworth Street. I had the Triple Crown Seafood Hand-Pulled Noodles. It was excellent. I wish I could have finished the plate, but since gastric bypass, I just can’t cram that much stuff in my stomach. Jeremy got a fried rice, which was also very good.
Chinatown Gate
Chicago’s Chinatown Gate is iconic. It was designed by Peter Fung and was dedicated in 1975. It was inspired by Beijing’s gates and is said to symbolize the community’s resilience and heritage. The hand-painted characters say, “The world belongs to the commonwealth,” an homage to China’s republican era.
The Nine Dragon Wall
The Nine Dragon Wall is modeled after a similar one in Beihai Park, Beijing. It was erected in 2003 by the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce.
There are nine big dragons and over 500 smaller ones, painted in red, gold, and blue. The wall is meant to symbolize good fortune and resilience. This replica is one of only four outside of China, there are two in Canada and one in Singapore.
Shedd Aquarium
Courtesy: wgnradio.com
The Shedd Aquarium was a gift from retail leader John G. Shedd, 2nd President of Marshall Field’s Stores, to Chicago in 1930. It cost $3 million to build, and it opened with 132 tanks. According to their history. A set of special train cars were built to bring seawater and sea creatures from Key West to Chicago.
Before I get into the details. The aquarium has surge pricing. It was spring break in Illinois and the place was very busy. We had to pay $47 bucks a piece to get inside. That felt a little steep.
The aquariums that date back to the original opening are still working and showing off the fish and assorted oddities of the water.
These aquariums remind me of the amphibian and reptile exhibits at the zoo. Sometimes you really have to look before you see the creature because they are camouflaged.
The newer part of the aquarium are three sizable tanks. You can see them from the top, and you can see into the tanks from the lower level.
One tank has otters, which are a favorite or ours, but they were not very active.
There is a dolphin tank, they were swimming and popping up on occasion.
The third tank is home to Beluga whales, which we could not see from the top. The view was much better from downstairs.
There is another exhibit with a huge aquarium with a number of sharks. I know people seem to be scared of them, and after seeing Jaws, I don’t blame people. But to me the sharks have an almost regal quality. They are the lions of the sea world.
The Bean
Cloud Gate is a modern icon of the Chicago. It’s more well known as “The Bean.” The stainless-steel sculpture by Anish Kapoor was completed in 2006. According to the city it “weighs 110 tons and measures 66 feet long, 33 feet high, and 42 feet wide.” Kapoor was inspired by liquid mercury. Apparently, the sculpture was in trouble because fencing blocked it off from the tourists. The area around the Bean is getting updated to celebrate Millennium Park’s 20th Anniversary.
We were disappointed that we couldn’t go under the Bean for the really cool photo op, but it was neat to see the statue wrapped up for protection.
Seville
Our hotel, The Canopy at the Hilton had a rooftop bar run by a celebrity chef. Seville was created by chef Fabio Viviani.
We had a couple of cocktails which were fine, and we tried the bone marrow appetizer. We always wanted to try bone marrow, so this seemed like a good place to do it. The bone marrow was interesting. The flavor was fine, but it seemed gritty and tasted like fat. That may be exactly what it is supposed to taste like, but we weren’t fans. The service was good, and the view was exceptional.
Wrigley Field
The ballpark opened on April 23, 1914. Originally known as Weeghman Park, it was built for the Chicago Whales. In 1916, the Chicago Cubs moved in, and the park was renamed Cubs Park. It was later renamed Wrigley Field in 1926 after the Cubs’ owner at the time, chewing gum mogul, William Wrigley Jr.
Chicago Theater
I wish we could have taken a tour of this beauty. It just did not work out. I was glad we got the opportunity to see it at night. Jeremy, a Perfect Strangers fan, recognized the icon front he show’s opening credits. “Standing tall… on the wings of a dream…”
The Chicago Theatre opened its doors on October 26, 1921, it was designed by Cornelius and George Rapp in the French Baroque style. The movie theater closed in 1985 but reopened in 1986 as a live theater venue with a performance by Frank Sinatra.
SPiN
We did not stop in, because we were short on time. One of the owners of this club is Susan Sarandon, known for her roles in films like “Thelma & Louise” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” This is a chain, and their website shows 9 locations.
Lego Vending Machine
I guess I didn’t know this was a thing. There are Lego vending machines in airports around the world. I had not seen one so was excited to take a picture and send it to my buddy and Lego fanatic, Justin. His immediate response was you must be at O’Hare.
Lego dates to the early 1930s when Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen founded the company. Originally producing wooden toys, Lego eventually moved to plastic bricks in the late 1940s. Not that I flew much as a kid, but I think that would have saved some boring layovers for me. Truth be told, as an adult it might be nice to have them now during layovers.
Luke’s Italian Beef
Since 1992, Luke’s Italian Beef has been serving up Italian beef sandwiches and hot dogs to the locals and businesspeople. According to their website they are owned by the Gagliano family and have been a long-time staple in downtown Chicago. They were inducted into the Vienna Beef Hot Dog Hall of Fame.
Jeremy got the pizza burger, which he really liked. Who knew marinara and mozzarella on a hamburger would make sense? I had the Chicago Dog. If you know me, you know first I don’t like hamburgers, second, except for a slice of cheese, I don’t like condiments on my hot dogs. I made the exception here, because I wanted to get the Chicago dog the way it is meant to be served. It was fantastic. The wiener had just the right amount of snap, all the ingredients were fresh, and everything just worked well together. Jeremy and I split the fries. They were pretty good; we thought they needed salt. The man at the counter gave me some grief about salt being hard on my heart, then he smiled and gave me two tiny salt packets.
Equestrian Statues in Grant Park
Sitting in Congress Plaza, the two equestrian statues depict powerful Native American figures. They were sculpted by Ivan Mestrovic, who chose two Native Americans to honor the Illinois tribes. They are 17 feet tall, but 35 feet on their pedestals.
The city’s website mentioned they were, “Poised as if to shoot an arrow or throw a spear, they notably lack weapons, prompting viewers to imagine them.”
Harry Caray’s
Harry Caray, famously known for his exuberant “Holy Cow!” catchphrase, was a sports broadcaster and according to fans, a beloved Chicago icon.
He was the voice of the Chicago Cubs for over five decades. The restaurants offer memorabilia from the man and his beloved Cubs.
Boystown
Boystown, is Chicago’s LGBTQ+ neighborhood. It was one of the first officially recognized gay neighborhoods in the United States. The streets are lined with rainbow flags, all sorts of stores, restaurants, and bars.
Kit Kat Lounge
One of many bars in Boystown. The Kit Kat Lounge (similar to the club in Cabaret) has been around since 2000.
During certain hours of the day and evenings, the Kit Kat Divas, a group of drag queens work the room and provide entertainment. Jeremy and I had a couple of cocktails and enjoyed the kitschy, “South Beach meets Hollywood” theme.
Random Chicago stuff
There is so much to see and do. We didn’t even get through my whole to-do list. Here are some more random photos, including a few pics of the hotel room after Jeremy decorated it for my birthday. The best part of the whole trip was spending the time and seeing the sights with the man I love. Thank you Jeremy for making it all happen.
If you missed part one of our Road Trip to Chicago… check it out.