Visiting Chicago

We visited downtown Chicago today, seeing Buckingham Fountain and spending the better part of the day at the Museum of Science and Industry.  The weather was very nice today as we hailed a cab.  The driver let all 8 of us in the car, and most were crammed into the back seat of the sedan for the 10 minute drive to the museum.  We found out on the way back that the other taxi drivers wouldn't do that for fear of getting a ticket, so we had to take two taxis.

The museum is quite large, filled with airplanes, trains, large models of the city and many displays on chemistry, physics and biology.  We were able to take the tour of the coal mine that exists under the museum (the lines were long in the afternoon).  It was interesting, but a little claustrophobic.  Out in the larger exhibits we learned about tsunamis, saw a very large Tesla coil, tried out the air pressure machine and ran through the hall of mirrors based on petrochemicals and catalysts.  I'm not sure that any of the kids could explain to you exactly what a catalyst is or how petroleum is cracked into different products at a refinery, but they did have a good time running around the exhibit and pretending to be a molecule bouncing off large punching bags.

The bombardment of information, noise, light and crowd presence wiped us out by about 1:30 and we went back to Buckingham Fountain.  We ate ice cream and watched tourists wander around on Segways.  I believe that all the major American cities have been organized so that bus tours, Segways, City Passes and major destinations are clearly marked and organized so people can visit easily.  We walked to the Willis Tower, but were unable to get up to the Sky Deck, where people can go to the top of the building and stand on a plexiglass window looking straight down.  It was 1 1/2 hours wait time to get there, and we thought it best to skip it.  We went back to the train station, had snacks, did some shopping and took the train up north along Lake Michigan with all the tired commuters, back to our car.

Tomorrow we leave early in the a.m. to Nashville to visit with relatives.  We will listen to country music, and possibly visit the Country Music Hall of Fame.  We might visit some honky tonks, historical sites and maybe Chattanooga.

Interactive science lesson at the Museum of Science and Industry