I'm trying like crazy to play catch-up on this blog. December just seems to be one of those months that the to-do list is a mile long. And, every time I feel good about myself for getting something done and crossing it off....I find there's more to do. :) Fortunately, it's all fun and is for good purpose. We did have a bout of sickness running through our family which also threw a wrench in my plans...but alas, we are all healthy.
I thought about posting about my grief and sadness, that I know is felt with each one of you for the horrible tragedy that took place in Connecticut last week. I still, however, find myself inarticulate on the subject. I may share some thoughts in the future. Until then my heart breaks. It means so much more to me now that I am a mom and Karis is precious and special to me in a way that words don't fully convey.
I thought until then...we could just play catch-up and try to finish up our Chicago trip. So, here goes...
On Sunday morning we woke up and headed out on foot in the opposite direction than we had previously. We walked up Michigan Avenue and headed towards 'the bean.' This is the one thing that I knew I wanted to see when we discussed going to Chicago.
It really is a gorgeous city. Here we are along the river.
And then we made it...ahhh!
The bean is actually called Cloud Gate and was created by a British artist. It is made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together. They are so highly polished that there are no visible seams on the outside. It's this beautiful mirror-like, bean-shaped art piece. If you would like to learn more about Cloud Gate, you can click here.
So, of course we had to get pics of our reflections.
Karis wanted to keep looking at everyone else around us, so Daddy helped with the head position. :)
This is of us underneath the center of the bean...the navel of the bean. :)
Baby Girl definitely had fun with her reflection too.
A sweet tourist offered to take a family shot for us...we were happy to oblige.
I highly recommend taking a few minutes to visit Millennium Park and Cloud Gate if you are ever in Chicago. It's totally free...and totally worth it. A very cool place. The reflections of the skylines are just beautiful.
After a while Karis became much more interested in practicing going up and down stairs.
This girl could have just gone up and down these three steps for at least an hour.
She loves it! And, she loves having her Daddy with her.
Happy girl.
So, there you have it...the bean.
Next, we continued to walk through Millennium Park.
Such gorgeous fall color.
This is as close as we got to the Sears Tower, which is actually called the Willis Tower. It's the tallest building in the western hemisphere. We wanted to go up to the top, but didn't make it this trip. Perhaps next time.
This was next to Buckingham Fountain, which was unfortunately not turned on while we were there. It is a HUGE and beautiful fountain that I'd love to see in action sometime.
Now, we are back on Michigan Ave. This is the Art Institute of Chicago...with all the beautiful flowers and the lions, etc. it seemed very Biltmore Estate-esque to me.
A view from the outside of Millennium Park as passing by via Michigan Ave.
Our last stop before heading out of town was for some Chicago deep-dish pizza. When in Rome...
After consulting with some friends who lived in Chicago, we went to Giordano's Pizza, as we heard it was the best. I have to say deep-dish isn't my favorite...but it was ok. It was my first experience with it and I'm glad we had it...but I'm a New York style pizza kinda girl myself.
Deep dish also takes a LOT longer to bake...so Karis was quite a ham while we were waiting for lunch. Love that girl!
So, that's the last of Chicago. Next up, Wisconsin. :)
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