After seeing a weather report predicting rain and 60s, I promptly overdressed for my little outing to the Shedd with Martha. I wore jeans, a tank top, pull over sweater, olive green ankle boots and matching belt. I even took a light rain jacket. Mistake!
We arrived downtown around 8:30 and decided to walk to the museum. We were shocked at how warm it was even at that hour, and thoroughly enjoyed walking by the lake stripped down to our lightest layers. Just past nine, the line was already starting to form at the aquarium, so we wasted no time in checking out the Komodo dragon. Faust was fast asleep in a corner of his plush enclosure, and didn’t make for a good picture. After wandering through the reptile section and peeking at a few tanks, we decided the best course of action was to have lunch.
One glace at the food court filled with screaming kids solidified the decision to eat in the upscale sit-down restaurant overlooking the lake. We were among the first seated at eleven, and tables filled fast. A glass dish of Goldfish crackers was brought to the table and we enjoyed an excellent meal in a pleasant setting. Ok, I’ll admit to my surprise that the menu wasn’t filled with seafood ‘mistakes’. Stuff like: Didn’t Make It Damsel Fish, Who Forgot to Check the PH in Tank Five Flounder, and Baby Beluga on a Bun.
Things were getting really crowded by the time we finished, but we soldiered on to see all the exhibits and dolphin show. The highlight of the afternoon was the rare Blue Cayman Iguanas. They were very active and the male was as interested in the crowd as they were in him. Hard to believe there are only 30 left in the wild.
To see the shark tank, visitors must use an elevator to a lower floor, which allowed me to quip, “Now to complete your fishy experience, we will pack you in like sardines…”. Got a pretty good laugh on that one. Even better was the man on the return trip who looked at his watch and told his little girl that the gift shop closed at 1:20 p.m. and she was out of luck… I think he’s been speaking with Mr. Right or something. Anyhoo…
After buying some pins at the gift shop (which was very open, thank you) we proceeded to walk back to State Street to commence the Serious Shopping. Glancing about, we concluded that others had heard the same confusing weather reports that we had: many people carried umbrellas, and dress ranged from skimpy jogging attire to layered sweaters and long pants. Stopped off at the Architectural Store and saw lots of cool stuff we couldn’t afford. Like the $59.95 shirt emblazoned with the city skyline. Nice, but not happening at that price.
Our next stop was Nordstrom's Rack, then over to Filene’s Basement and TJ Maxx. I bought a lot of gauchos and Capri type pants. Reports of a sagging economy are greatly exaggerated according to my observation of the check-out lines in these stores. They announced TJ was closing for the night, and the line was incredible. We checked the train schedule and decided we weren’t doomed … yet… and shuffled along to checkout. Walking back we enjoyed an evening temp of 76 degrees! Tulips and daffodils were blooming in planter boxes along the streets (thank you Mayor Daley) and trees were beginning to bud.
Martha suggested stopping at an open air bar/café and I’m so glad we did. It was a beautiful night to sit outside and enjoy a drink and some appetizers. We decided to do a Chicago trip once a month, checking out a different museum each time. Sounds like a plan! Not sure how I’m going to afford all that world class shopping however…
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