Do you know what one million dollar bills look like? Or which four rivers in the world are the most polluted with plastic? Thanks to visiting two new-to-me Chicago museums today, I can now answer “yes” to both of those questions.
My morning started with a walk and the obligatory pictures of Cloud Gate (AKA “The Bean”) in Millenium Park before heading to breakfast.
I just couldn’t bring myself to tackle another pile of pancakes this morning so instead I went to Hero Coffee, a tiny coffee shop tucked into a small alley off E. Jackson Blvd. The inside is big enough for maybe 6 people to comfortably occupy the space, but outside they have tables and chairs set up along the sides of the alley. I had an egg and cheese on a bagel, which came with cream cheese also. It wasn’t my favorite, but it fit the bill of being a change of pace from pancakes.
After breakfast, I went to Grant Park to get some pictures of Buckingham Fountain with the skyscrapers behind it. Then I hopped on a bus to the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry where I spent the next three and a half hours. For me, that’s a long time to spend in a museum. But I was fascinated by all of the different exhibits, including the effect of plastics in oceans, an old Boeing 727 plane, patterns in mathematics, and an actual SpaceX Dragon capsule that has been to the International Space Station two times. It was a lot to take in (though organized very well) and by the end of my visit I was ready to leave.
Next stop: another museum. This time, it was the Federal Reserve’s Chicago Money Museum, where I learned all about the history of currency, saw examples of counterfeit bills, and marveled at what one million dollar bills actually look like. The museum itself is fairly small, with a short film and several exhibits that can be seen in about 30 minutes.
I went for an early dinner tonight because my left foot has been extremely sore and difficult to walk on all day and I wanted to get back to the hotel to put some ice on it. I took the train about 30 minutes to get to Pat’s Pizza and Ristorante in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, considered by many to be the best thin crust pizza in Chicago. In fact, it even ranks on Eater Chicago’s list of the best restaurants in Chicago. The crust is cracker thin and has just the right amount of sauce and cheese. I rarely eat my pizza crust, but the sauce on it was so good, I didn’t leave a single bite uneaten. To round out my day, I took the train a couple of stops to Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream for two half-scoops of their famous ice cream – one salted peanut butter with chocolate, and the other gooey butter cake. Yes, I know I can buy pints from the grocery store at home, but it’s not the same. I’m hopeful that my foot will hurt a little less tomorrow and I can do some more walking around the city on my last day in Chicago!
Traveling with Laura 