On Friday, we hopped on the red line and made it to the Field Museum (the museum based around archeology and field studies)which is south of the downtown loop. It was the farthest south we have been so far, and there was a fantastic view of the city and frozen Lake Michigan. We made it there pretty late in the day, so we were a little limited on time (but it was a free day for residents so any time there was better than nothing. If you come to Chicago, scope out the free/discount museum days). This museum really has something for everyone- prized gemstones, animal replicas, tibetan artifacts, insect collections, amazing dinosaur bones, fossils from all walks of life, native americans relics, mummies and more. I loved the beautiful adorned and carefully preserved ancient Native American clothing and Nathan loved the dinosaur bone exhibit the most. Most importantly, it was nice for Nathan to have a break from learning about beer and it was nice for me to have his company.
Above: One element of the Tibetian relics exhibit
Right:Big art wall at the end of the evolution of living beings exhibit
Left: Sue- largest preserved dinosaur
(T-Rex) skeleton in the world; 90% of the bones shown are real
Below: mummies from the Egyptian exhibit
Above: One element of the Tibetian relics exhibit Right:Big art wall at the end of the evolution of living beings exhibit
Left: Sue- largest preserved dinosaur
(T-Rex) skeleton in the world; 90% of the bones shown are real
Below: mummies from the Egyptian exhibit
After the museum, we headed back north to our neighborhood and visited a local Lakeview bar called Northdown. We trampled through the snow farther than expected to make it there, but it was worth it! The staff was so friendly (we ended up making friends with the owner Tom- who had just gotten back from Austin and had a friend in the Siebel Brewing Program as well). Tom and Megan gave us samples of several beers off of their draft list that we had not tried before. (For example I tried the Alpha King from Three Floyds, a beer brewed with mirepoix, and a local Berliner Weiss style). I recommend this bar to anyone in the area- they were relaxed, fun and accommodating. The bar has a dark artistic feel, the food is good, and it was not too expensive. We are definitely going back!
After I got off work on Saturday, we celebrated my birthday by whipping out the New Glarus Brewing Raspberry Tart beer that Nathan bought on one of his field trips to Wisconsin. (New Glarus Blog post coming later this week!) It was delicious- perfect for my birthday because I typically love this style of beer!
We then headed to Bar Pastoral, a local cheese and charcuterie bar that specializes in wine and pairings. It was cozy and the cheese and cured meats we ordered were great. If I could afford to eat here all the time I would- you can watch the pantry chefs put together your cheese board while you drink a great selection of wine and beer at the bar. Our server seemed knowledgeable and the baguettes were amazing! We were determined to not spend the entire evening there- there are too many things to explore!
Above: Bar Pastoral duck sausage and Bresola cured meats- we had already eaten half of it when I took this picture!
And good thing we left there- because we stumbled into a dive bar that we had walked past several times called the Dram Shop. I would never of stopped in this place alone (its tiny and dark and typical bars without "concepts" do not usually excite me) but Nathan insisted that we give it a try. We were greeted by a cute black lab- the regulars claimed he was the bar's mascot. The dog was really friendly and so was the colorful crowd! (We have been back again since and they seem to have a group of regulars-one older lady in gawdy clothing, a middle aged hippie chip, a middle aged gray haired man that knows everyone in the bar and a rotating group of young people that resemble ourselves.) They always have $3.50 Guinness draft beers, hockey on television and good music on the juke box. I cannot pin point it, but it just seems like the fun is infectious around this place. In conclusion, I am really glad we took a chance on this one!
We then headed to Bar Pastoral, a local cheese and charcuterie bar that specializes in wine and pairings. It was cozy and the cheese and cured meats we ordered were great. If I could afford to eat here all the time I would- you can watch the pantry chefs put together your cheese board while you drink a great selection of wine and beer at the bar. Our server seemed knowledgeable and the baguettes were amazing! We were determined to not spend the entire evening there- there are too many things to explore!
And good thing we left there- because we stumbled into a dive bar that we had walked past several times called the Dram Shop. I would never of stopped in this place alone (its tiny and dark and typical bars without "concepts" do not usually excite me) but Nathan insisted that we give it a try. We were greeted by a cute black lab- the regulars claimed he was the bar's mascot. The dog was really friendly and so was the colorful crowd! (We have been back again since and they seem to have a group of regulars-one older lady in gawdy clothing, a middle aged hippie chip, a middle aged gray haired man that knows everyone in the bar and a rotating group of young people that resemble ourselves.) They always have $3.50 Guinness draft beers, hockey on television and good music on the juke box. I cannot pin point it, but it just seems like the fun is infectious around this place. In conclusion, I am really glad we took a chance on this one!
No comments:
Post a Comment