It's Still The Sears Tower to Me

July 31st, 2012

The day did not start well, I had dumbly checked my twitter the night before and found out that Travis Snider had been traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates- the very team we had watched the previous night. I knew I was going to have to break it to Andrea that her favorite player had been moved overnight. She took the news about as well as expected, and basically said "why did you tell me that for?". But we moved on and started the day without further diversion.

With a lot of talk in the news lately about the conditions at Marineland (Niagara Falls), I will say that Shedd Aquarium has the opposite reputation as far as I can see. There is an active effort at preserving species, and many stories came up about the scientists saving fish and water mammals from certain death in the wild. Whether it be otters with a missing limbs or a stingray with a clipped fin, there was a feeling they were trying to do something good.

When we got to the Aquarium, there were swarms of screaming children with their parents in tow both in line and once we got into the aquarium. Having been there before, I was ready to skip the Rivers exhibit as its probably the least interesting exhibit but this was all new to Andrea, so took a 2nd look around. It was cool to see creatures from the Mekong since we spent two days riding up it in Laos a year ago (see: "The Slow Ride Up the Mekong").

The Caribbean and Wild Reef exhibits stand out above the rest. The 360 tank of the Caribbean reef and the expansive tanks in the Wild Reef immerse you in the ocean habitat without actually putting you in the water. There are numerous species in there including sea turtles, sharks, rays, eels, and an array of tropical fish. You can actually see the Aquarium growing real coral as well. Although a long lineup to get in, the new Jellies exhibit is pretty cool. Who knew there were  Jellyfish that looked like egg yolk? Other than a marine biologist I mean.

We had a couple of bonuses included in our City Pass admission. The Planet Earth 4D experience, which is basically a blu-ray compilation of Planet Earth highlights in 3D. It also added little tactile effects including mist, bubbles, and getting jabbed by your seat in the back when a shark attacks- seriously. Also included was the Aquatic show which is more 'educational' than anything. There are not a whole lot of amazing tricks showcased but is about teaching you how they get the sea creatures to take their medicine and do small tricks by making it into a game. If you're interested in checking the show out, try and bring something to sit on- the pebbled rock steps are hard and hurt your butt after a lot of sitting.

For lunch, we headed over to Potbelly's on Michigan Ave. I know this is a chain but I think they have some of the best sandwiches out there. Think Quizno's but tastier. I had the turkey and it was melt in your mouth good. We considered numerous times going back here for lunch but alas we did not. Please bring these to Toronto- Detroit and Cleveland is not close enough.

Full of sandwich glory, we headed on to the Sears Tower (aka the Willis Tower). I know it's name changed but like Wrigley Field, I don't think it should have ever changed- it's iconic Chicago. The City Pass and its line skipping powers helped us out a lot this time. As droves of people of waited in each line, we pass through in express fashion. The only line that we couldn't bypass was that to the sky ledge- which takes the glass floor from the CN Tower one step further putting you 4 feet off the end of the building into a glass box. It would have been pretty cool to how over my fear of heights I am but too many people had the same idea. The views are spectacular but for some reason I liked the John Hancock better- I guess because you could sit down and enjoy a drink near the top. The Sears Tower does have a restaurant, the Metropolitan club but it is on the 67th floor, not the 103rd.

After walking all over town, and dealing with crowds we opted to stay in River North for dinner. We settled on Sushi Samba Rio.  It is an interesting combination of Japanese, Brazilian, and Peruvian cuisines. Sounded liked a cool concept and the menu looked good but it was definitely pricey for what you got. We spent probably around $70 including one drink- the bar gave my beer for free because they didn't have the size of bottle I ordered. The meals were meant for sharing but neither of us were satiated afterwards. The food quality itself was excellent and the waitress was very accommodating and friendly. The decor was cool as well but the meal just did not satisfy us. Sushi Samba is definitely more suited to the executive crowd than the tourist on a moderate budget.

We ended up having to head over to Portillo's hot dogs to fill our stomachs. This place screams tourist because it tries to fill all the Chicago classics under one roof. It is East Side Mario's for Chicago, but with an array of food in one place. It was started as a hot dog stand in Chicago by a Chicagoan in the 60s but had evolved since then. They are definitely going for an old-thyme feel in the restaurant. The hot dog was good and did the job it needed to do- leave us not wanting more. Afterwards, we grabbed a few drinks, and settled back into our hotel room for the night.
 
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