Springfield: The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is one of the best presidential museums that I’ve ever seen! The quality of the exhibits, the use of modern technology and the flow of exhibits are terrific.
If you want to get lunch nearby the museum, walk a few blocks and have lunch at the Long Nine Junction – great food and great service!
Chicago: One can never see all there is in Chicago. However, one of the best tips that we received from a friend was to take an architectural boat tour. We took the Chicago Architectural Foundation River Cruise, a 2 ½ hour cruise with non-stop commentary. It provided a unique view along the Chicago River and a relaxing way to see it.
There are lots of great museums in Chicago and our visit to the Art Institute did not disappoint. While in line to get tickets, the young woman in front of us told us that she particularly liked the miniature rooms. What another wonderful tip! My husband even enjoyed the Thorne Miniature Rooms collection!
We also went to the Museum of Science and Industry. This is a fun, interactive museum that has all types of different exhibitions and movies. Check out the Coal Mine and Science Storms exhibits!
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| How a tornado forms |
And, of course, we had to have Chicago style, deep-dish pizza!
And we found a sculpture park! The Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park has some wonderful contemporary sculpture. The Village of Skokie and some private citizens collaborated with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Chicago to create this lovely park of landscaped walking and bicycle paths and benches to sit and view the sculpture. Here are a few of our favorites:
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| "Coming Home" by Ron Gard |
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| "Trunnion II" by Dale Graham |
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| "Groundbreaker" by Ted Gall |
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| "Where is Cheryl?" |
We couldn’t leave Chicago without having a Chicago-style hot
dog, so we stopped at Poochie’s before leaving Skokie.
