Tuesday we had a breakfast of fresh apricots, coffee, and fresh Wisconsin cheese curds (from a gas station). Somehow, it managed to satisfy us until our late lunch, with a supplement of Junior Mints around 10am. We drove straight to The House on the Rock, a wild structure built by Alex Jordan to house collections of everything from dollhouses to suits of armor, giant organs to carousel horses, there was an enormous octopus attacking a whale in the Heritage of the Sea room, the world's largest carousel (which had all sorts of animals, but no horses, all the horses were on the walls). There was so much to see there, and the myriad collections were broken up by huge music machines - violins, pianos, cellos, bassoons, harps, drums... all played mechanically when you put tokens in the slot. Words and photos do not do this place justice, you absolutely must visit. Take all three tours, the $26 was worth it! make sure to buy lots of tokens to play the music machines.
We spent almost 4 hours in the House on the Rock, someone told us it was a 3.5 mile tour. We then drove to Taliesin, ate a late lunch at the cafe in the visitor's center, and spent a boatload on the tour there. This tour was two hours, led by John, who knew his stuff and was fun in a college professor kind of way. Taliesin was the home of Frank Lloyd Wright, and for all of his personal glory, this building was not holding up well. He used the cheapest materials he could find because he wasn't into planning for the future, especially when it came to his own home. It was a really spectacular looking place, the outside as complicated as within. the ceilings were incredibly low in a lot of places (~6ft) and some of the guys on our tour had to duck. Not me though. After Taliesin we drove to Madison, stopping at the Shoe Box (the midwest's largest shoe store) which we had to investigate. In Madison, we strolled State Street and ended up in State Street Brats - a crazy college bar that happens to serve food. we ate outside and wrote on all the postcards we had bought in the last few days. After dinner we went back to the campsite at Lake Kegonsa, hung out lakeside till the bugs chased us away, and went to bed after another short fire and Potter session.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Still trying to catch up...
Monday, Memorial Day, we woke up in Racine and I posted "Day4" while we ate our continental breakfast of toast and waffles. We drove out to the S.C. Johnson Wax building, most of which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was closed for the holiday and we couldn't really see over the high outer walls. We went over to Wingspread, another Wright creation, but the gates were locked and the building was hidden behind the trees. Oh well. We then drove leisurely north to Milwaukee, rather than getting back on the highway, enjoying glimpses of Lake Michigan. Once in Milwaukee, we headed straight for the Miller Brewery, only to find that it too was closed for Memorial Day. ugh. we peeked in the windows, frowned a lot, and got back into the car. Next we found the Pabst Mansion, where Captain Frederick Pabst (of Pabst brewery) once lived. We took the official tour through the house and saw a lot of fancy hardwood floor work, a huge elk antler chandelier, and a giant walk-in cigar humidor. Our tour guide loved to use the words "however" and "actually" often inappropriately placed throughout sentences. It was both entertaining and brutal to listen to. After the tour we asked him for recommendations for lunch and other Milwaukee sights. He was very eager to help, which we noticed of many Milwaukeeans. We did find the place he recommended: Miss Katie's Diner. It was around the corner from the mansion. It was a cute little diner with a claim to fame from Rachael Ray and Bill Clinton. The manager spotted our Lonely Planet book and took it upon himself to tell us everything there is to see in Milwaukee. He wanted to chat about the Steelers, too. We had a hearty breakfast(lunch) for about $15 and set off for the Domes. We had a little trouble finding them because, like our friend from the Pabst mansion, the diner manager gave awful directions. The 3 giant domes of the Mitchell Horticultural Conservatory contained tropical, arid, and seasonal flower arrangement (Miss Spider's Garden). After the Domes we drove down the road to Leon's, a drive-in frozen custard stand. We gorged on custard and regretted it all the way to Miller Park, which we also had trouble finding. Thanks Miss Katie's manager! We bought standing-room only tickets because the Brewer's were playing the Braves, who used to be the Milwaukee Braves before they moved to Atlanta. So it was a big game for the Milwaukeeans. We only stayed for a few innings to beat traffic out of town, but we made sure to stay for the best part of the game: the racing sausages. Just like the pierogies at PNC Park, Miller Park raced sausages of different origin (rather than fillings). The newest member of the sausage race team was the Chorizo, the Spanish sausage. But the Hot Dog won the race, while the Chorizo sadly finished dead last. After the game we drove west to Lake Kegonsa State Park where we set up camp, bought (native!) firewood, s'mores ingredients, and stopped for dinner at Culver's where we ate butterburgers for dinner. The kid behind the counter was pretty terrible at explaining what a butterburger was, and we were the first people who had ever asked. They thought we were crazy. and though we did eat them, we still dont really understand.
We went to bed early after a fireside Harry Potter readaloud and s'mores.
We went to bed early after a fireside Harry Potter readaloud and s'mores.
Backlogging
Hello from Madison! We've done so much in the last few days that I could only get in days 1 and 2 in the first post. Sunday we spent in Chicago again. First we went to the Shedd Aquarium. Our legs hurt from walking all over and from still being sore from Saturday. We loved the frogs and geckos, they had a komodo dragon special exhibit, too. He was biiiig, and laaaazy. He didnt move ooooonce. Then we had lunch at the Bongo Room, which was a breakfast-only joint, so we really just had a second breakfast. but it was sooooo good. The place was super-chic and the sweet breakfast items looked like decadent desserts. We had an amazing avocado-y breakfast burrito. Definitely a place you should try if you're in the area. on Roosevelt near museum campus.
Next we went to the Museum of Science and Industry. That place was so huge, we couldn't cover all of it. we probably only saw half of the exhibits. They had all the miniatures from this season of CSI on display there, it was really awesome to see things from one of my favorite shows in person. They also had a huge be-a-CSI exhibit, but we were stupid and didnt get tickets in time. We saw some other great things there. They had the U-505 German U-boat and the whole thing was inside! We saw an omnimax show Hurricane at the Bayou about Katrina and New Orleans wetlands. They had an enormous working model train display, Devin insists it was 3,500 sq ft. They closed the museum and kicked us out before we saw everything we were interested in. I'll have to make another trip. At least we got to eat astronaut ice cream. After that we went to find the Robie house, a Frank Lloyd Wright treasure, in Hyde Park. On the map it seems close to the museum, but we walked about 20 minutes before we even found the street it was on. We treated ourselves to a bus ride back.
We returned to Millenium Park via the red line and strolled across the BP Bridge, a big twisty metal pedestrian bridge. We walked to Buckingham fountain, it was big. Devin lost his camera case. No one was surprised. We backtracked all over but it was gone for good. We mourned. Then we rode the blue line back toward O'Hare, got in the car, and drove to Racine. We made it to our hotel around 10:30pm and crashed.
Next we went to the Museum of Science and Industry. That place was so huge, we couldn't cover all of it. we probably only saw half of the exhibits. They had all the miniatures from this season of CSI on display there, it was really awesome to see things from one of my favorite shows in person. They also had a huge be-a-CSI exhibit, but we were stupid and didnt get tickets in time. We saw some other great things there. They had the U-505 German U-boat and the whole thing was inside! We saw an omnimax show Hurricane at the Bayou about Katrina and New Orleans wetlands. They had an enormous working model train display, Devin insists it was 3,500 sq ft. They closed the museum and kicked us out before we saw everything we were interested in. I'll have to make another trip. At least we got to eat astronaut ice cream. After that we went to find the Robie house, a Frank Lloyd Wright treasure, in Hyde Park. On the map it seems close to the museum, but we walked about 20 minutes before we even found the street it was on. We treated ourselves to a bus ride back.
We returned to Millenium Park via the red line and strolled across the BP Bridge, a big twisty metal pedestrian bridge. We walked to Buckingham fountain, it was big. Devin lost his camera case. No one was surprised. We backtracked all over but it was gone for good. We mourned. Then we rode the blue line back toward O'Hare, got in the car, and drove to Racine. We made it to our hotel around 10:30pm and crashed.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Day 4: cheese country
Yay internet!
So we set off Friday from Pittsburgh and drove all the way to South Bend, IN where we spent some time wandering the Studebaker Museum. After we finally found it, that is. The address in our book was wrong, I guess they had moved to a different building and not called the Lonely Planet people. So after driving up and down the streets of South Bend (really cute town by the way) we called the museum and they directed us there. It was cool seeing the history of the corporation and the evolution of the vehicles. We then discovered the South Bend Chocolate Company which had finished tours for the day but we poked around the "chocolate museum" amd bought a few goodies to eat on the way to Chicago. Then we headed out for the last leg of the trip - to the Chicago/O'Hare Super8 motel. Our room was huge and we had to park my bike IN the room with us because parking was in a low-ceiling garage.
Saturday morning we woke up early and took the motel shuttle to the airport. From there we bought two-day metro passes and hopped on the train to downtown Chicago. The ride was almost an hour long! It felt like forever before we got into the heart of the city. Our first destination was the Field Museum. It was too big to see everything and still have time for other places in the city, so we saw animals, dinosaurs, and a special extra dino exhibit. Devin loves dinos and knew the scientific names of all of them before we got to the placards! We also headed downstairs to the underground exhibit where they "shrunk" us down to 1/100 of our size so we could go underground and see roots, ants, and worms. Next we wanted to go to the Shedd Aquarium but the line was soooo long we left it for Sunday. Instead we went to Millenium Park to see the cool ampitheater that looked somewhat like an exploded tin can. We played with our reflections in the cloudscape sculpture "The Bean" We hiked, starving, for a million blocks to the super McDonalds that was two stories, had a latte and gelato bar, and looked like a space station. But we didnt want to eat McDonalds so we kept walking and found the Weber Grill Restaurant. The burger I had was maybe the most delicious ever. After that we took a train and a walk to Astor Street in the Gold Coast to see some old houses designed by famous architects. After that we rested our aching feet at the Loew's theater and watched Pirates of the Caribbean 3. Finally we went to the John Hancock building at 10:30pm to see the whole city from 94 stories high. It was pretty to see the lights lining the streets and the darkness of Lake Michigan.
It's time for me to run, we're on the way to Milwaukee now. I'll post again soon with more and I'll try to get some photos on, too.
So we set off Friday from Pittsburgh and drove all the way to South Bend, IN where we spent some time wandering the Studebaker Museum. After we finally found it, that is. The address in our book was wrong, I guess they had moved to a different building and not called the Lonely Planet people. So after driving up and down the streets of South Bend (really cute town by the way) we called the museum and they directed us there. It was cool seeing the history of the corporation and the evolution of the vehicles. We then discovered the South Bend Chocolate Company which had finished tours for the day but we poked around the "chocolate museum" amd bought a few goodies to eat on the way to Chicago. Then we headed out for the last leg of the trip - to the Chicago/O'Hare Super8 motel. Our room was huge and we had to park my bike IN the room with us because parking was in a low-ceiling garage.
Saturday morning we woke up early and took the motel shuttle to the airport. From there we bought two-day metro passes and hopped on the train to downtown Chicago. The ride was almost an hour long! It felt like forever before we got into the heart of the city. Our first destination was the Field Museum. It was too big to see everything and still have time for other places in the city, so we saw animals, dinosaurs, and a special extra dino exhibit. Devin loves dinos and knew the scientific names of all of them before we got to the placards! We also headed downstairs to the underground exhibit where they "shrunk" us down to 1/100 of our size so we could go underground and see roots, ants, and worms. Next we wanted to go to the Shedd Aquarium but the line was soooo long we left it for Sunday. Instead we went to Millenium Park to see the cool ampitheater that looked somewhat like an exploded tin can. We played with our reflections in the cloudscape sculpture "The Bean" We hiked, starving, for a million blocks to the super McDonalds that was two stories, had a latte and gelato bar, and looked like a space station. But we didnt want to eat McDonalds so we kept walking and found the Weber Grill Restaurant. The burger I had was maybe the most delicious ever. After that we took a train and a walk to Astor Street in the Gold Coast to see some old houses designed by famous architects. After that we rested our aching feet at the Loew's theater and watched Pirates of the Caribbean 3. Finally we went to the John Hancock building at 10:30pm to see the whole city from 94 stories high. It was pretty to see the lights lining the streets and the darkness of Lake Michigan.
It's time for me to run, we're on the way to Milwaukee now. I'll post again soon with more and I'll try to get some photos on, too.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Heading Out
tomorrow is the big day, westward ho! i've got pretty much everything packed in some sort of container; box, bag, trash can... all the rest is just getting thrown in willy nilly. mostly because i like to say willy nilly. first stop is south bend, IN to see the studebaker museum and eat food, then we'll end the day in chicago, where we will spend the weekend.
i'm so excited for this adventure, and for spending the summer with julie. but as i am gathering up everything to carry downstairs and stuff into my car, i'm feeling a little emotional. this is the first time i'm leaving home with no real plans to return. going to college wasn't the same, i knew i'd be home for the summers and probably move back after graduation. but this is the real deal. i'm a little scared because of the uncertainty of what's ahead, but at the same time i think that a little uncertainty is fun.
as you may know, i'm moving to portland in september ultimately for grad school. but you may not have known that i haven't applied to school yet, so it's really just me moving to portland with some hopes and dreams and a carload of stuff.
i'm going to try to write here often during the trip and hopefully i'll figure out how to post photos as well. i'll check my email every time i'm online to post so keep in touch! i'm also keeping my same pittsburgh phone number probably for quite a while, so you can call too.
it's hot in my room. julie said it snowed yesterday in CB. wow.
i'm so excited for this adventure, and for spending the summer with julie. but as i am gathering up everything to carry downstairs and stuff into my car, i'm feeling a little emotional. this is the first time i'm leaving home with no real plans to return. going to college wasn't the same, i knew i'd be home for the summers and probably move back after graduation. but this is the real deal. i'm a little scared because of the uncertainty of what's ahead, but at the same time i think that a little uncertainty is fun.
as you may know, i'm moving to portland in september ultimately for grad school. but you may not have known that i haven't applied to school yet, so it's really just me moving to portland with some hopes and dreams and a carload of stuff.
i'm going to try to write here often during the trip and hopefully i'll figure out how to post photos as well. i'll check my email every time i'm online to post so keep in touch! i'm also keeping my same pittsburgh phone number probably for quite a while, so you can call too.
it's hot in my room. julie said it snowed yesterday in CB. wow.
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