Museum of Science and Industry

Oscar gets to spend some time at the hotel windows in the evening

and in the mornings, John and I are planning the way to the Museum of Science and Industry.  It’s far enough away from the river that we have to get on a Metra train to get to the stop closest to it.  This is a new form of transportation for us in Chicago and the city doesn’t do the best at making it

clear what platform, which car on the train, etc.  I’m a little amazed that I feel surer of my decisions, directions in an Italian train station where I don’t speak the language than in Chicago.  But, we’re doing a good job of taking things easy on this trip to Chicago to not make the travel overwhelming

on us like we would like to do on the sabbatical.  We made it to the Science Museum and I was loving the architecture.  I was trying to explain to Oscar how we would be seeing some of these aspects in Ancient Greek buildings on sabbatical, but neither he nor John seemed to care.  My friend and her kid

have just arrived at the same time and we meet in the lobby.  We get in free on her membership and I finally get to meet her 3 girls and learn that she had a little boy this spring.  Surprise!  I can’t believe that she agreed to meet with us with 3 girls and a new baby to walk

around a place that is like the one Smithsonian museum on steroids.  I thought that we weren’t overwhelming Oscar with activities until we entered this place and he was completely overwhelmed.  There’s a tornado here people….lightning is going off and he

  gets very upset when we suggest going to get some lunch in the café in the basement.  He is all over the place and only gets better when he and daddy get to go see the model trains again, he starts to warm up to the girls who take care of him and baby him throughout the museum.  I get a second or two to talk with Silvia, but it’s not the easiest

place or situation to catch up in.  When all the kids run down to see the full size submarine that is in the museum and Silvie has to take a break to feed the baby, we do get a second to talk.  I hope that they can take some time and come to Michigan for a break from the city some time to have more

time together.  We spend the whole day there and finally hit a wall where we can’t walk around anymore or see any more exciting things.  We found a Powell’s book store on the way back to the train station, but luckily, their prices were not that enticing to John, so we succeeded in getting out with

only one book for Oscar.  Coming up out of the train station, we decided to hit Broken English Taco Pub which we loved last time and it was Taco Tuesday!!! The tacos were on sale and so was the alcohol. BONUS!!! Over ate there, but I don’t think that our walking in this city is going to compensate for my eating.  Do you see how my latest trip to Chicago only relates food information and parks?  UGGHHHH!!! This is what traveling with a kid has brought me to…..so, my guess is that you will only hear me talk about food and parks in Europe for 6 months….