Visit to the Windy City

 ,,, that's how Chicago is called. Today, when we arrived from Dulles Airport in Washington/DC, it didn't prove to be true: it was sunny and we had around 60 deg F. (15 C). 

We got up at 6:30 am in Reston/VA, drove to the airport, returned our rental, by bus to the terminal, where check-in and security was quickly done. Flight took only 1.5 hours, in a large Boing 787 Dreamliner, and, flight was on time. Surprisingly, we had no waiting time for luggage, and, pick-up by a car service was waiting. We had a smooth, quick drive into town to the St. Clair Hotel, closeby Magnificent Mile. The hotel room (in a historic building) - photo on right - was ready and we  threw our luggage in before getting out again at 1 pm.

Thanks to the Uber vouchers we got, we didn't have to walk all the way to Grant Park and the Field Museum, our first stops this afternoon. The Field Museum (left & below) is sort of overwhelming, majestic, great architecture, great exhibitions. Built in 1915 near Grant Park, it's focused on Anthropology, Botany, Geology, Paleontology and its signature piece is "Sue", the fossil skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex, 90 % complete! She lived about 67 mio. years ago in what is now South Dakota.

Besides the exhibition hall about Sue, the other one we found extremely interesting is "Native Truths: Our Voices. Our Stories", about different Indian tribes and their history and culture, past and today (photos below). Also, "The Pacific" (far below) was catching our attention.

The nearby Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium opened in 1930, joining Soldier Field (the American Football stadium) on Chicago’s lakefront. From here, the views of the skyline are gorgeous, and, we noticed a lot of new highrises popping up in this neighborhood. 

 

 

The Shedd Aquarium is undergoing restauration at the moment, but their main attraction -  eight Beluga whales, with their snow white skinand thick blubber - are a beloved attraction. Looking forward to seeing the aquarium again once it's finished, perhaps in 2025 when IPW - the huge U.S. tourism sales show - takes place in Chicago.

 Navy Pier at sunset. The pier was originally a training center for the U.S. Navy during World War II. It was reopened for entertainment & dining in 1995, now it has heaps of restaurants, shops, a Ferris Wheel, a theater, tour boats board here and there is a lot offered. Latest addition is the Sable Hotel at Navy Pier and the new Offshore Rooftop Bar.

 

 

 

 

 

We had dinner arranged at Reunion, a new restaurant serving Chef Art Smith's Southern Food. Had Deviled Eggs ("Russische Eier"!) and cheese buttermilk bisquits (photo) as appetizers, followed by fried chicken and mac&cheese before we walked back to the hotel to burn some calories.