Chicago: A Review

Mark and I have returned from the great windy city and it was AMAZING.

Instead of giving an hour-by-hour playback of our 3-day adventure, I have picked the 5 highlights of the trip (although I'm sure I could list 20). 

1. Our first-night dinner. Mark and I didn't really know where to go our first night, but we knew we wanted to hit up a pub, since we don't really have any here in Carbondale. Thankfully, our hostel had a list of bars/pubs nearby that were worthwhile. We decided on Elephant and Castle, which I was all for because the name reminded me of the time I spent in London (and how can you go wrong with London?!?).
   
   
   
   Needless to say, it was INCREDIBLE. Mark and I both got Fuller's London Porter (mmm Porter) and spinach-artichoke dip to start. Then I had the best Shepherd's pie of my life. Seriously. Unreal.
   
   
   
   
   
   A little drink porn to satisfy the masses.
   
   
2.  After dinner our first night, we went to a blues bar named Buddy Guy's Legends. I have never had the pleasure of going to a blues bar, despite digging blues thoroughly, so I didn't know what to expect. Well, we walk in and there is a cover. I am totally cool with paying covers for a good show so I ask the bouncers who is playing. They respond: Nellie "The Tiger" Travis. For some reason, I assumed this performer was male. I was happily surprised that it was a fierce (sorry for the pun) black woman with a set of pipes and great stage presence!

The stage, the band and Buddy Guy's logo.        

Nellie "The Tiger" Travis. It's a shame I didn't get any pictures of the harmonica players or random dancing audience members. They were also highlights of the performance.      

Mark and I loving life at Buddy Guy's. (This was probably after the middle-aged PDA-fest couple in front of us left...otherwise, our faces would have been filled with digust.)       
  3.    So, Mark and I like food. If you didn't know that before, now you do. So highlight #3 was another restaurant and another meal. After a lot (A LOT) of walking between hostel #1 and hostel #2, we decided we deserved a break and some lunch. Mark and I have a knack for finding good hole-in-the-wall-type pubs or Irish-themed bars and day two of Chicago was no exception. Enter Buddy McGuire's on Division Street. I had an amazing Reuben (rivaled my own mother's) and Mark had his first Chicago-style hot dog.  

  No food/drink porn this time, just happy post-lunch faces.  
4.     Before stopping at Butch McGuire's, Mark and I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art. The museum itself was much smaller than I expected, without much of the permanent collection on display. HOWEVER, the Luc Tuymans show was, without question, one of the best exhibitions I've ever seen. Here are some highlights: 

        5.     On our final day in Chicago, Mark and I went to the Museum of Science and Industry. We mostly went because of the Jim Henson exhibit that is currently up, but also because we heard great things about this museum. Boy, were all the thing we heard true! This place was intense (and slightly overwhelming since it was a rainy Saturday), but it was definitely worthwhile! The Henson exhibition was incredible, but another highlight was the following:

 

TESLA COIL!!!

Well, I wish I had a better final thought, but due to crazy Blogger posting issues my frustration is insurmountable. I shall leave you with a serene picture of Lake Michigan, perhaps my favorite picture of the trip. Now back to reality...