There Were 5 Mass Extinctions?!

My sister S came to visit while she was between contracts (she works for a cruise line) so I got to play tourist!  First stop: Field Museum of Natural History.  S liked the gigantic columns.

We saw a cool exhibition about the horse (where we couldn't take pictures).

Next up: All the animal displays which at first we thought were fake but are actually quite real!  

Scary bear!

Our feet compared to other mammals'.

Stinky (fake) poop!

Go Gators!

Thigh for thigh, I think the dinosaur wins.

S got to learn the same truth A and I did the first time we visited the museum - there are four other mass extinctions they don't teach you about in school!  The fifth one was the extinction we're all familiar with.

We both enjoyed touching meteorites - rocks that actually came from space!

The next day we ventured to Millennium Park to see the hot spot for tourists: Cloud Gate.  (Commonly referred to as "The Bean".  In fact, I'd venture to say about 85% of Chicagoans don't even know it's actually called Cloud Gate.)

We also stopped by the Art Institute to visit the lions.

The day had started off foggy and cloudy, so we thought we'd have to skip Sears Willis Sears Tower.  However, the blue sky came out so we headed there next.

We were told the wait time was over an hour once we got to the basement. (Yes, you have to go down to go up - it doesn't make sense to me either.)  Thankfully, the line wasn't long at all (I've been in worse!) and we were quickly about to load up in the elevator.  Except something was different... our group was directed into a freight elevator.  No explanation given.  We were told we would stop at the 31st and 62nd floors and to not get out.  I especially loved the sign in the elevator.

After surprising a furniture mover on 62, we arrived at the 103rd floor.

It was still foggy when we first looked out the windows, but it cleared up to a nice view.

The longest line was to get into the Ledge boxes.  Four glass boxes which extend 4.3 feet from the Sears Tower.  You're basically standing 1,350 feet over Wacker Drive.

Difficult to get the entire Tower in a picture!

After Sears Tower, we got some infamous Garrett popcorn as a snack.  (S is sad the line is longer than the one at Sears Tower.)

We got cheddar, but the famous Chicago mix is cheddar + caramel.

That night all three of us went to a comedy show.  No, not Second City.  We went off the beaten path to an hilarious show called Pimprov.  The idea was pimps doing improv.  It... was... unbelievably funny!  No pictures, though, sorry.  

The next day S and I did some window shopping on Michigan Avenue.  We stopped for lunch at a place I have to take all my family members to see.

The Billy Goat Tavern slogan is infamous in our family.  Unlike my mom, S was excited to try the food.  Yum!

After a long day of exploring the city, we had some very tasty deep-dish pizza at Gino's East.  

This Gino's location is well-known for its decor.  I've never seen so much graffiti in one place and in so many layers!  We neglected to bring a marker (which is encouraged!), but we used a pen to add our names.

All in all, it was a fabulous visit with my sister!  And Orion even got to know her - by the end she was cuddling up against her just like with A and I.