Chicago: Day 3

Better late than never....Finally posting the rest of our Chicago Trip

We started the morning with a Chicago Architecture Foundation Boat Tour.  This 90 minute cruise was well worth it, and we would recommend it to anyone visiting the area.  It was a great way to see all the architecture of the city while comfortably sitting and drifting down the river.  Our tour guide was especially great, and all of the Chicago Architecture Foundation tours are lead by volunteers.  They are passionate about the subject matter and well educated.
Following the tour, we hoped on the L to the Museum Campus.  We grabbed a quick lunch at Potbelly Sandwich Shop, and headed over to the Field Museum.  This was another included admission with our GoChicago cards, and this Natural History museum was packed with displays, including a large collection of taxidermy animals, dinosaurs, gems, and an ancient Egypt exhibit.  Next we were off to the Adler Planetarium (also included with GoChicago) where we checked out a 3D show and tested out an interactive moon jump.
We took a long walk along the tidal basin, but got some great shots of the city.  A quick stop at the hotel for some drinks and we were off to Millennium Park to enjoy a picnic dinner and listen to the symphony in the Frank Gehry designed outdoor amphitheater.  It was a beautiful evening.
After the symphony, we strolled down to the Buckingham fountain.  This huge fountain is choreographed with light and music, displaying a spectacular show.
It was time to sleep for another busy day ahead!

 Marina City - Boat Tour

 Architecture Boat Tour

 Yum! Potbelly Sandwiches :)

 Field Museum

 RAWR! Sue the T-Rex

 Adler Planetarium

 Tidal Basin

 Enjoying the Symphony

 Frank Gehry designed amphitheater at Millennium Park

 Buckingham Fountain

Sawgrass

We are currently in Jacksonville, FL at the Sawgrass Mariott Resort for the weekend.  Johanna has a prep class for her upcoming NCIDQ exam.  Im using the weekend as a relaxing escape to focus on my studying as well.  The resort has been amazing so far, with two pool areas, an irish pub, a gym, a starbucks, and plenty of lounge areas. I have been able to fit a weeks worth of studying into a day and half, all while getting some much needed rest and relaxation. (Chicago was a blast but definitely not R&R)  We will post a few pictures of the resort soon.

Chicago: Day 2

Started the day off getting in line at the Chicago Architectural Foundation store to get tickets for the Architecture Walking Tour of the Loop. I was particularly struck by the diversity we continue to encounter in this city both with tourist and residents.  In a line of 15 people I heard four different languages being spoken. The CAF has an impressive model of downtown Chicago. The tour covered the time between the fire of 1871 and WWII. It was incredible to see the innovation in man's desire to reach to the sky. After the tour, we ate at Castle and Elephant at the recommendation of Nick Peters. Exhausted from the tour and walking around the loop, we sunk into a rear table at the restaurant and were treated to a true local's favorite.
After lunch, we ascended the Sears/Willis Tower in what can simply be described as a feeling of endless freedom. Gazing for miles into the horizon, you can't help but feel inspired at the shear vastness of the city.
Leaving Sears on a euphoric high, we headed over the Art Institute for a whirlwind tour of art covering the past 3000 years. The American collection was quite impressive in both quantity and quality.  I was particularly exicited to see the collection of mid-century modern furniture and several Dali's.
For dinner I treated Johanna to one of the finest restaurants in Chicago - the Chicago Chophouse.  It was an amazing steak dinner!  Afterwards we had drinks at Sable, a trendy bar with an amazing selection of bourbons and whiskey.  We barely made it back to the hotel before we fell asleep exhausted, but eager for another day of Chicago.

The Rookery Lobby

 The city from Sears Tower

E. Hopper - Nighthawks

Chicago: Day 1

We arrived safely to Chicago, and checked in at the Amalfi Hotel.  This is a very nice boutique hotel, and we would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Chicago.  It is centrally located and there are many bars, restaurants, shopping, and public transit within walking distance.
After dropping off items in the room, we took a quick break and immediately went out to explore.  We ate a late lunch at a great place called Rockit Bar & Grill, enjoying the wonderful weather on the patio.  A stroll down Michigan Avenue (the Magnificent Mile) to do some window shopping and take a look at the old water tower were next on the list.
We came back to the hotel to freshen up, and stopped at the complementary hotel cocktail hour.  This is a wonderful amenity, and the house special cocktails are delicious!  Ben and I both agree that they may need to consider a larger space to hold these cocktail receptions, as it is quite small.  After cocktails, we had a light dinner at English.  This was a short walk from the hotel, and the interiors were a blend of traditional style wallcoverings, glass tile accent walls, and a full window wall that opened onto the street.  The sliders were great, and we enjoyed some English beers.
We decided to call it an early night and get to bed to prepare for our first full day in Chicago.

 Our room at the Amalfi Hotel

Water Tower

Finally...our vacation has arrived!  Now we just have to wait for the plane.
Justin took us to drop off Dakota at "Doggie Camp" and bring us to the airport on his way to work, so we have had plenty of time for people watching in the Charlotte airport while we wait for our flight to Chicago.  It is interesting to observe all of the different people and how they choose to travel.  In proper Southern style, I always make sure to look nicely dressed when I travel, but some people look like they have just rolled out of bed.  I understand the desire to be comfortable, but I just have to question some of the fashion choices that I see roaming through the airport.  Carry-on items are another personal favorite to pick out.  I think I could have a list of scavenger hunt items and could collect them from various people in the airport.  So far this morning, we have seen: boogie boards, skate boards, guitars, stuffed animals (carried by adults without children), a child's tiny Cars rolling suitcase (hardly even worth having wheels considering it was smaller than the size of my laptop), a plethora of animal print luggage, cardboard boxes, trash bags, and a dog that was refusing to walk any further.  Time to get back to the people watching and board the plane.  See you in Chicago!

Summer Changes

I'm excited to announce I have officially made the move to North Myrtle Beach. It's been a long time coming since I've been driving back and forth between Charlotte and Myrtle Beach for over a year now.  I will eventually do a post as a farewell to Charlotte, but for now I'm enjoying my new city and being closer to Johanna. The new place is only 320sf, however it's a mere 3 blocks to the beach. I'll add some pictures when it is all set up.
This weekend our good friend Josh is in town.  We have thus far had drinks at the marina, played putt-putt and had milkshakes at Sonic. It's shaping up to be a fine weekend along the Grand Strand.
Next week Johanna and I will be heading to Chicago. It's the first time for both of us and we are pretty excited. We will definitely try to post pictures and a daily journal of the trip if we have access to a computer.

Happy 4th of July

We wanted to wish you all a Happy 4th of July.


Some Thoughts about this special day: 
The world has dramatically changed over the past 235 years, but the ideals this nation were founded on continue to hold true and have been the guiding light that have helped this republic endure.  The second paragraph of the Declaration starts off with "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."  What an incredibly powerful statement to make in 1776, to acknowledge that man's rights are endowed to us not by a king or a government but by our creator.  The 56 men who signed the Declaration were by no means perfect nor did they represent a demographic mix of society, but they bravely put their name to an ideal that made them traitors to the British throne.  
On July 4th only John Hancock signed the Declaration. It wasn't until August 2nd when the delegates started signing the document with the last signature added in late November.  It is almost foreign to our modern society that it would take five months for such an important document to be signed.  But I think it speaks volumes for the rights laid out in the Declaration; they are universal regardless of the time period or technology available.  One could argue the creation of the modern society is a reflection of man's desire to express his individual freedom.  
And speaking of individual freedom I think its time we hit the beach today. Hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July and always remember why we celebrate this day.