The Field Museum in Chicago

Sean really likes going to museums and Chicago has a lot of them to choose from (my favorite is the Art Institute of Chicago).  He picked the Field Museum, an incredible natural history museum that we both really enjoyed!  There were displays of animals from around the world, artifacts from different regions (I loved the Polynesian displays), and fascinating science displays (Sean spent more than an hour at a microscope station).  However, we both absolutely loved the dinosaurs!

Maximo the Titanosaur!

Sue is the largest and most complete (90%) Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil ever found and it was very impressive!  There is a really cool light show which shows which bones are not real and explains what they have changed from the original exhibit after studying the T. Rex (they positioned her shoulders differently and raised her tail).  It was fascinating!

We spent most of the morning here and it was definitely well worth our time.  I would highly recommend a visit if you are ever in the Chicago area.

A Day at the Clark Planetarium

Since Sean and I had to leave the zoo earlier than planned, we decided to visit Clark Planetarium which is probably Sean's favorite place.  We have been here many times before but there have been some renovations with some new exhibits added.  Sean was in heaven!  The really great thing about the planetarium is that all of the exhibits are free of charge.  There are Earth exhibits about water, wind, volcanoes, and earthquakes; moon exhibits including actual moon rocks, the phases of the moon, and lunar landings; and space exhibits about planets, black holes, and gravity.  Sean really likes playing with the tornado simulator, the gravity floor, and the lunar landing video game.  He could spend hours and hours here.  You can also buy tickets ($7.00) to see 3D movies about the Earth and space in the IMAX theater and star shows in the Dome theater.  While Sean and I were there we saw a show in the IMAX theater called "Amazon Adventure" which was absolutely fascinating.  Clark Planetarium is not just fun for kids.  I like visiting in the evening to see laser shows set to music.  You can go here to find out more information about all of the activities and shows at the planetarium.

A Day at the Natural History Museum of Utah

On Friday I was on aunt detail and I told Sean that we could do anything that he wanted.  He chose to visit the Natural History Museum of Utah on the campus of the University of Utah.  Sean absolutely loves this place and we ended up spending most of the day there.  The museum showcases the history, physical geography, plant life, and earliest peoples of Utah.  There are lots of fun interactive displays for kids and Sean and I enjoyed the Great Salt Lake exhibit and the earthquake exhibit.  Sean's structure withstood the earthquake much longer than mine did!  I absolutely loved the dinosaur displays.

I had never been to this museum before and I quite enjoyed it.  I think it is a great place for both adults and kids because the displays are very informative as well as vibrant and interactive.  I think Sean could have stayed for hours and hours.  Go here for more information about hours and admission prices.

Note:  Currently there is a special exhibit about the Vikings which Sean and I both really enjoyed.

A Day at the Art Institute of Chicago

Whenever I am in a big city for a few days, I always like to visit a major art museum (like I did in New York City).  Marilyn and I had a morning free in Chicago so we decided to visit the Art Institute of Chicago.

Because we are such tourists we had to find what is arguably the most famous painting in the museum:  A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat.  This painting is featured in the movie Ferris Beuller's Day Off and because I love that movie it was really fun to see this.

Another really famous painting in the collection is American Gothic by Grant Wood.  It took us quite a while for us to find this painting but it was absolutely spectacular to see it in person.

I am a huge fan of Impressionism and I was thrilled to find a huge collection of paintings by some of my very favorite artists.

Cliff Walk at Pourville by Claude Monet

Houses of Parliament by Claude Monet

Stack of Wheat (Thaw, Sunset) by Claude Monet

Stacks of Wheat (Sunset, Snow Effect) by Claude Monet

Stacks of Wheat (End of Day, Autumn) by Claude Monet

Two Sisters (On the Terrace) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Venice, Palazzo Dario by Claude Monet

Water Lilies by Claude Monet

Water Lily Pond by Claude Monet

Waterloo Bridge, Gray Weather by Claude Monet

Woman at the Piano by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazarre by Claude Monet

Poppy Field (Giverny) by Claude Monet

Drapery, Pitcher, and Fruit Bowl by Paul Cezanne

Self-Portrait by Vincent Van Gogh

It was incredible to see all of these paintings, which I had studied in college, up close and in person.  I highly recommend a visit to the Art Institute of Chicago!

Madame Tussauds

The actors who have portrayed 007 at Madame Tussaud's (Daniel Craig was at the front entrance).

Another really "touristy" thing I did while in New York is visit Madame Tussauds.  I just couldn't resist (and it was part of the New York pass).  I've been to the London one several times as well as the one in Las Vegas.  I had a lot of fun wandering around the exhibits in the morning before seeing a matinee.  Here are some of my favorites.

Anderson Cooper (I may or may not have a small crush on him).

Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan during happier times.

Pope Francis (I wonder how they got him to model for this?)

JFK and Jackie Kennedy

Mahatma Gandhi

Pope John Paul II

Mikhail Gorbachev

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones

Director Steven Spielberg

Judy Garland as Dorothy

John Wayne

Charlie Chaplin

Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula

Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's monster 

The King of Pop (I stood in a long line to get this picture for Marilyn because she loves him).

Bob Marley and ???

Jimi Hendrix

Whitney Houston

Taylor Swift

Rihanna

Muhammad Ali