Just a Little Bit of Rain

We awoke from our slumber and set out to get some breakfast. Luckily our hotel was just steps from Chicago’s Eataly. This is a multi-story, Italian food extravaganza. There are several locations in the states, including their latest in Boston (of which I have not partaken), as well as around the world. If you enjoy meat, cheese and bread, this is your Mecca, my friend.

We enjoyed walking about and looking at all the goods. Unfortunately, all the little restaurants and cafés weren’t quite open yet. They were only serving breakfasty things. Don’t they know that pizza is appropriate anytime of day? We got some egg sandwiches and iced cappuccino and hoped we could swing back in later for some vino and pasta.

We once again got a small break from the rain. We took a stroll to observe more of the stunning to architecture.

We made it to our intended destination, the Chicago Cultural Center. This building opened in 1897 as the city’s official reception center for dignitaries. It was converted into an arts and culture center in 1977. The architecture is classically stunning outside, and that’s just the beginning.

On the first floor, they have created some clean white spaces for local art. Let’s have a gander.

While the art exhibits were quite interesting (and free) it’s the building itself that is the star here. Every inch of the space is gilded, carved, or tiled to perfection. There were several surprises here.

This building houses the largest Tiffany Glass Dome in the world. We approached the hall not realizing that this was not the famed piece. This was the Healy and Millet stained glass dome. I was impressed enough, indeed.

This dome was housed in a hall dedicated to the Grand Army of the Republic. The room is a somber and richly decorated memorial to the soldiers of the Civil War. The marble walls bear the names of 30 Civil War battles including: Shilo, Antietam, Gettysburg, Cedar Creek, Ft. Sumter. The coffered ceilings are encrusted with dragons, fruit, stars, and other designs. Yes, I looked this all up after the fact.

We continued on, thinking that we already saw the prized dome, then we stumbled up on it.

This was just breathtaking.  At the top of the dome are the signs of the zodiac. At the base of the dome is a quotation from the British author Joseph Addison:  “Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind which are delivered down from generation to generation as presents to the posterity of those who are yet unborn.”   

While the previous room was stately and handsome, this one was rich and extravagant beyond what any picture can portray. The intricately tiled walls gleamed with opalescence. This room was dedicated to literature and religious philosophy. Inspiring quotes in a variety of languages embellished the walls.

The Cultural Center was not only a great take, but completely free. I would highly recommend making this a priority for those visiting Chicago. As we made our way out, the rain began again right on cue. We boogied across the street to a cafe to regroup.

We kicked around for just a bit, but we had an appointment to get to. We called a Lyft and waited in the shelter of a high rise lobby.

The boy requested that we do an Escape Room while here. Sounded good to me. We tried our hand at one in Boston a couple years back. Though we failed, we had a lot of fun. He picked this place, Fox in a Box, which is located in a former train station.

This escape room was highly themed and the hosts were much more involved than my last experience. If you’ve never done an escape room before, I highly recommend having an engineer on your team! Honestly, we worked really well together. It’s not just about solving puzzles, it’s about figuring what the puzzles even are. I’m proud to say we beat this one with just one minute and eight seconds to spare!

Mastering a diamond heist can make a thief pretty hungry. Now is the moment we have all been waiting for…Chicago Deep Dish Pizza!!! All research pointed towards this place as the best in the city. It was definitely off the beaten path. The drive over here was a bit sketchy.

Guys, lean in closer and take a good long look at the most glorious pizza pie you’ve ever seen. That gorgeous, lacy burnt cheese crust was as fab as it looks and more! The spicy pepperoni was piled high. It was just perfection.

Whoa! That was amazing. I ate the whole dang thing, for the record. We had just a few hours left to explore this great city. Did we take in another museum? See a show? Nope, we went back to the Beercade again. We’re all perpetual fourteen year olds.

Our flight home was at an insane 6:00 am, so we needed to behave ourselves and return to our hotel. We did swing into Eataly once again. We got there just in time to see them closing everything down. We were there for the cannoli so, nessun problemo!

Despite the weather not cooperating, we had a blast exploring the city and getting to spend some time with our son. Coincidentally, as of this dateline, he’s just hours from moving back to New England! Now we need another excuse to get back there. Strike that, the pizza is excuse enough.