Chicago

This spring I had a conference in Chicago and I had to take advantage and extend my time just a bit. I didn't spend an extra night, I just spent a few extra hours and got to see a lot! Funny how different time can pass on my couch vs real life!

First the views from my hotel room weren't half bad...
And my co-worker and I got to eat at some fantastic spots. One night was at a great Italian restaurant and the next was at Uno Pizza - where they happened to be filming a show for the Travel channel! If I am on camera, it would only be because of the funny faces I was making at my co-worker's kid.

So conference over and I have 6 hours to kill before I need to think about the airport, so I headed for the Field Museum.
So the part of the museum that holds the dioramas and taxidermied animals... well it scared me. Freak me out. I swear to you, I looked in the eyes of this beast I think it blinked:

Then I fled to the mummies and tombs, not sure if it settled my soul:
And then the totem poles of Alaska (I think it was Alaska), are messed up:
Next I was off to the dinosaur bones and I even caught the 3D movie - sure it was geered a bit towards the kids, but whatever, I enjoyed it and it did not freak me out.

Well best be heading out and see a few more sites... like the Married with Children Fountain!
I waited forever for this water show to happen, but it was a lovely day and I enjoyed my ice cream cone and book while I waited.

Finally Millennium park. There are some weird things scattered about this park, but I enjoyed a nice stroll in my last fleeting moments in Chicago...

Minneapolis Tours

I have confessed my love for tours in the past, so no surprise I went on a few this year...

* Who knew the southernmost bog resides in Minneapolis? I didn't! But once I heard about a "quaking bog" tour I had to go on it! Tucked inside of Theodore Wirth Park is this fascinating wetland (that is right - fascinating). Did you now that the pinecone from a tamarack, which can reach heights over 60 feet, is smaller than the size of a dime? So what other kind of plants grow in this low oxygen environment? Carnivorous ones of course! Pitcher plants and sundews are about the only thing that can survive. Oh and buckthorn. Sadly, buckthorn is taking over the bog now and the caretakers suffer an endless battle. And if you are interested in the definition of a Quaking bog, well it has a vegetation mat half a meter or so thick that floats over water or very wet peat. Walking on this surface causes it to move – larger movements may cause visible ripples of the surface, thereby creating a quaking surface.

Ok, this shot is not the bog, but just outside of it... poison ivy!


This is not in the bog, but just across the street is Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and there was a cardinal! It made my day.


* Lake Harriet Traditions (co-sponsored by the Linden Hills History Study Group) was a lovely walking tour starting at William Berry Park (Queen and 40th St) and brought us through Linden Hills and ended at Lake Harriet. It was a fun look at the neighborhood and homes.


* Tour: Red Cedar Lane and the Purcell and Elmslie Homes. Starting out near 54th and Upton Ave this tour was all about the architecture in the area and the people who built it. Interesting folly spotted along the way!
I highly recommend checking out the walking tours of Minneapolis: www.preserveminneapolis.org