Our next destination in the Museum Campus Chicago is Shedd Aquarium.

Shedd Aquarium which opened in 1930 was the first inland aquarium with a permanent saltwater fish collection. One million US gallons of seawater from Key West was transported to the Shedd Aquarium via railroad.

Man With Fish sculpture by Stephan Balkenhol.

The exhibits are by regions like Amazon, Caribbean, Waters of the World, Great Lakes, etc. Here are some of the photos we took.

Catfish swims in schools to protect themselves from predators. (more…)

After breakfast, we picked up our Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) tickets from Hilton Palmer. We took the HOHO bus to the northeast tip of Northerly Island where Chicago’s Museum Campus is located.

Our first destination is the Alder Planetarium.

Alder Planetarium is named after it’s founder, Max Adler. This is America’s first planetarium, founded in 1930.

There was a Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads exhibition at the boulevard leading to the planetarium during our visit. It’s courtesy of the artist Ai Weiwei.

The rest of the zodiac. One is missing though. (more…)

On the day 4 morning, we had to pick up the Hop On Hop Off tickets which included in the Go Chicago card from Hilton Palmer Hotel. We walked to Hilton Palmer via Jeweler Row.

We came upon Pittsfield Cafe and we decided to have breakfast here.

The Pittsfield Cafe is located in the Pittsfield Building. We picked seats in the foyer with very high ceiling.

I ordered the French Toast with Sausage and shared some with Ben. (more…)

When we visited the First McDonald’s, we came across Portillo’s.

We were too full then to try it. So, we return for dinner tonight.

Portillo’s serves Chicago’s style street food.

It’s a self service place.

Nanzaro had Italian Beef Hotdog with hot peppers. There were generous amount of slice beef. (more…)

After the experience at Willis Tower Skydeck, we took the subway to The Merchandise Mart. We intended to have dinner at the north side.

The Merchandise Mart was the largest commercial building in the world with 4 million square feet of floor space when it opened in 1930.

The Merchandise Mart Hall of Fame is commissioned to commemorate outstanding American merchants like Frank Winfield Woolworth, Marshall Field, Aaron Montgomery Ward, Julius Rosenwald and Robert Elkington Wood of Sears, Roebuck and Co, John Wanamaker (advertiser), Edward Albert Filene and George Huntington Hartford.

The eight bronze busts rested on white pedestals are 4 times life size. They are facing toward the gold front door of the Merchandise Mart building.

While passing through the Merchandise Mart, we came across the Canstruction 2015 competition display.

Here are some of the can structures. (more…)

After the visit to the Art Institute of Chicago, we went to the Willis Tower to have a bird eye view of Chicago.

Willis Tower is one of Chicago’s most popular tourist destination with more than a million visitors each year. The Go Chicago card includes entrance for Willis Tower.

Willis Tower is 108 story skyscraper with a height of 1,451 feet.

Here are some views from the observation deck on the 103rd floor. (more…)

The Chicago Go card includes entry to the Art Institute Chicago. The main entrance is guarded by two lion statues.

When we redeemed our tickets at the counter, we were warned that Garrett Popcorn is strictly prohibited as we were carrying the Garrett Popcorn bag. We brought along the popcorn to enjoy on the river cruise. So, we had to stuffed the bag into our small bag pack to sneak it in. Of course, we are not going to eat it in the museum.

The Grand Staircase.

We started our tour on the second level, Impressionism section as Nanzaro wanted to see Vincent van Gogh’s art pieces.

Georges Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte – 1884.

A closer look reviews the painting is painted in dots.

The above oil on canvas is by Claude Monet; Poppy Field; 1890/91.

Vincent van Gogh, Bedroom in Arles, 1888.

Vincent van Gogh, Self-portrait, 1887.

Vincent van Gogh, The Poet’s Garden, 1888. (more…)

After lunch, we intended to go to The Art Institute of Chicago.

Along the way, Nanzaro wanted coffee from Dunkin Donuts.

There are many Dunkin Donuts in Chicago. We stopped by one to get coffee.

I find this one is more pleasantly decorated and comfortable.

Nanzaro had the frozen Dunkaccino which is the smaller one. It has a chocolaty taste. Ben and I shared a large frozen coffee. The large is really gigantic. (more…)

After the river cruise, we went looking for a place to have our lunch.

We walked along Jewelers Row.

There are so many jewelers on this stretch of road.

We settled with a middle eastern cuisine place called Naf Naf Grill.

Ben and I shared a Hummus with Chicken Shawarma. (more…)

Ben bought the 3 Days Go Chicago Card for our next 3 days adventure. It costs USD149 per person.

Our first adventure was the Chicago Architecture River Cruise. We made it just in time for the first cruise of the day. The river cruise is a great way to see Chicago’s skyline from the river.

Here are some of the photos we took for the river cruise. A raised bridge with the John Hancock Center in the background. John Hancock Center is the 4th tallest building in Chicago and 8th tallest in the United States.

The reflection of Chicago skyline on the Nuveen Investments is fascinating. (more…)