October 28, 2010

• Chicago (Update #3)

  Chicago has treated us well. As we face our final moments in the city,  most of us are sad to leave.

  To pick up the thread from the previous entry . . .

  

  Wednesday found us at the steps of the massive Museum of Science & Technology. The building itself is longer than the typical Smithsonian building and at least 3 stories high. These folks take their science seriously! lol  We broke up into groups to explore the massive collection which ranged from biology to chemistry to transportation and technology. My favorite moment was watching the chicks hatch — the scientists participate in a breeding program for nearly-extinct species of chickens, and they let visitors watch the hatching process (which looks pretty traumatic).  We were amazed by the “molecular gastronomist” — the guys who are experimenting with rearranging food protein molecules so they can be “replicated,” Star Trek style, on long space missions.  The guys own a restaurant downtown too where they serve up their oddly shaped recreations of nutrition. The most amazing: the paper (it’s REAL paper) which IS cotton candy. It doesn’t just taste like cotton candy — all the proper food molecules are there, just reorganized into a paper structure. Weird.

  The museum was exhausting. We took the bus & train to Chinatown where a friendly neighborhood fireman pointed out some good local cuisine (and it was great), and then we were off — headed back to the hostel to recharge before some more shopping on our last night out.  We had hoped to do the Sears Tower on Wednesday, but it was closed again because of the high winds. (We later heard that the barometric pressure in Chicago on Wednesday was the lowest it’s ever been recorded . . . which explains the unbelievable winds.)

  On Wednesday night most of the group met Derrick, an Irish-Mexican living in California. Yep, you read that right!   The hostel was very full — a large group of IB students from a Chicago high school were staying the night as part of their assignment to interact with foreigners. Also the Danish National Performance Team (gymnasts) were around, plus our friend from France whom we’d met at breakfast the previous day. And a friendly older man from NYC who was moving to Chicago and looking for his apartment (which is why he was staying at the hostel). He grew up just down the street from the NY Giants’ baseball stadium, and was watching the World Series game (1) with intense interest. The Berliner sitting next to him was mostly just confused.

  
  This morning (Thursday) we had hoped to see the Sears tower before heading home, but the weather didn’t cooperate. The winds were too high in the morning and the tower was closed.  That’s a disappointment, but there’s really nothing we could have done.  Our only ‘free” evening with decent weather was Monday night, and we would have probably missed the improv show if we’d gone up to the Skydeck. Who knew the weather would be so uncoorporative?

  Instead, Coart took the kids on a walk downtown while I watched the luggage, and then we hit Lou Malnoti’s pizza one more time — so good!  Our Irish-Mexican friend hung out with us for a bit longer — he can turn on or off his Irish accent at will — and then boarded the train for the long ride to O’Hare.

  Truly, it was a great trip. I definitely found Chicago to be one of my favorite US cities. People seem friendly and helpful, and not particularly bothered by tourists.

  But it’s good to be home.  I always miss my bed.

  • 11:17 pm
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