Just another Manic Monday

Things we’ve learned today (Monday):

We learned that rather than spend a chunk of change on breakfast in the hotel, we can walk around the corner for a cheap breakfast at McDonalds.

We learned that although we can save on breakfast, we will have to buy two umbrellas to walk back to the hotel in the sudden downpour.

We learned that it is hard to say no to a homeless guy asking for breakfast.

We also learned that it would have been cheaper to just give him a few bucks instead of actually letting him order breakfast. He was hungry! His breakfast cost as much as the two of ours combined.

We learned the short way to the riverboat cruise after taking the long way to get there.

On our 90 minute cruise, we learned a lot about the architecture in Chicago, and a lot about the history of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. Our guide informed us, the city of Chicago has more boat slips on Lake Michigan than the city of San Diego has on the Pacific Ocean. Of course you can only use the boat for about 4-months.

We learned that Ringo Starr is getting old, but we’re still excited to see him in person! (Can you pick out his wife, Barbara Bach in the picture).

We learned that the Cultural Center use to be the Chicago Public Library built in the late 19th century, and that it was saved from destruction by the wife of the first mayor, Eleanor “Sis” Daley. In 2007 its roof went green. It is filled with Illinois plants and beehives. It also has a magnificent stained-glass dome. The dome is an actual Tiffany designed and built piece of art.

We learned that we could have spent a lot more time in the Art Institute of Chicago. It’s huge! This is one of the many, many, many paintings and pieces of art work in the museum. This painting titled The Asssumption of the Virgin painted in 1577 - 1579 by Domenikos Theotokopoulos. He became known as El Greco and is called one of the greatest masters of mannerism.

We learned that although the map from the concierge in the hotel says the walk to the Navy Pier is only about a ten minute walk, it is actually about a thirty minute walk.

We learned that the Navy Pier is a long way to WALK for dinner, especially after a long day of WALKING!

We also learned that there is a free shuttle bus that runs all day from near our hotel to the Pier.

We learned that it has been a while since we’ve seen the movie Forrest Gump, and that we don’t remember some of the dumb trivia from the movie to answer questions from our waiter at Bubba Gumps:

What was Forrest’s girlfriend’s name? (Jenny)
What color were the shoes she wore at their wedding? (She didn’t wear shoes, she was a hippie!)
When Forrest went to Vietnam, where was he shot? (In the buttocks!)
Why did Forrest say it was good to be shot in the buttocks? (Because you got to eat all the ice cream you want.)

(Just hand over the food mister…we’ve just walked fifty miles to eat here!)

We learned that the guys who sit on the streets with cups asking for money actually stay there ALL DAY LONG!

We also learned that the guy who tricks you into having your shoes shined wants to be paid for his annoying interruption of your desperate walk back to the hotel for some relief from the shoes you have on your feet. They’re dirty walking shoes…I really don’t care – LEAVE ME ALONE! Besides, what in the heck is it that he’s squirting all over my shoes anyway!

We’ve also learned that although I’ve walked approximately 300 miles in these dirty shoes, my thighs don’t seem to have shrunk one bit! It’s probably that evil popcorn!

We opened the bag as soon as we left Garrett’s and ate it as we walked back to the hotel. Yummmm!