Michigan Ave and Beyond!

So last weekend, I was set on doing the tourist route in downtown Chicago- it did not turn out exactly I had planned but it was definitely a great time and we got some exercise!

On Saturday, we started out at the Shedd Aquarium- where the line was of about 300 people. It did not occur to me that is was Spring Break and all the other tourists in the city were as enthusiastic as I was. Therefore, we took a rain check and will try to go back on a weekday before we leave! We have heard really great things about the aquarium- and if the line to get in says anything-I guess it lives up to its reputation. Instead, we walked along the a path by the water- it was nice enough outside and I could not help but to imagine how fun and beautiful the view could be in the summer!


We then walked around downtown- stopped in for a bloody mary, got lost walking around and finally found Cloud Gate and Millenium Park. We took some tourist pictures of ourselves in front of the "bean"- as seen on facebook. We watched the ice skaters and had a few laughs.

We then walked down Michigan Ave to the "Magnificent Mile"- it is a lovely walk. There are some really nice buildings around the river and if you have money to spend (which we do not), all the high end shops are located here.

Here is a picture of me in front of a quote at the ABC- WGN Tribune Tower. I liked it.

We then headed back down to the Willis Tower- formerly the Sears Tower. There was a 2 hour wait to get to the rooftop and we were getting tired so once again, we thought we might come back later.

Moral of the story: do not complain that is sucks to work weekends- during the week it is easier to see and do everything without lines and crowds.

To end the day, we headed to Haymarket Brewing on our way home. We had some beers and relaxed. Nathan had their half-bock, which seemed pretty tasty. I tried their Wit beer and was not overly impressed so I had a wit from Crazy Mountain Brewing in Colorado next- they had a great selection of beers from around the country as well as the beer brewed on site. They are known for their events and group meetings so it seems we missed out on the Sausage and Beer festival that was going on in the front bar (it was sold out when we got there- my cholesterol and liver are grateful I am sure). They also have a drinking and writing club that meets there every week. (Seems like a great opportunity to meet people and be inspired creatively.)They seemed very busy so obviously they are doing something right- maybe I was just too tired to jump on the band wagon.