Day Trip to Chicago, IL
Back in June, we made it to Illinois, state #24! We stayed with a Boondockers Welcome Host in Zion, about 50 miles north of downtown Chicago. There is so much to see and do in the big city of Chicago! I had grand plans of walking all around downtown and seeing everything. Unfortunately, it was a hot day, and tons of walking in the heat did not sound like fun so we went with plan B. We decided to 1) Visit the Museum of Science and Industry, 2) Eat a Chicago Dog at Al’s #1 Italian Beef, and 3) Enjoy a Chicago Deep Dish Pizza at Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria.
The Museum of Science and Industry is one of the largest science museums in the world. There is a wide variety of exhibits, including the latest in scientific research to historical artifacts. My favorite exhibit was the Great Hall of Trains. This exhibit included a variety of model trains and railroads from different eras, with model trains ranging from steam engines to modern high-speed trains. The highlight of this exhibit was the replica of Chicago's famous "L" train system. There was even a miniature version of downtown and the city's iconic elevated train tracks. I was fascinated by and appreciated all the detail and craftsmanship it took to build these models. Penguin liked the actual Boeing 727 hanging from the ceiling that would go through a full landing cycle extending flaps, slats, and landing gears. Also, the Science Storms exhibit, where you got to play with the power of tornadoes and lightning. We interacted with the tornado simulator, and then we watched the 20-foot Tesla coil give us a high-voltage lightning show.
After working up an appetite at the museum, we headed to Al’s #1 Italian Beef so I could get my Chicago dog which did not disappoint. It had all the fixings just the way I like it, including mustard, relish, onion, sport peppers, tomato, and a kosher pickle spear. At first, I was a little shocked by the neon green relish, but apparently, that is authentic and it was delicious!
Now, it was Penguin’s turn to get his Chicago deep-dish pizza, so we headed to Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria. Penguin decided on the Deep Dish Malnati Chicago Classic pizza, which is the classic deep dish pizza, but with added sausage. We shared a large caesar salad and a craft of sangria. It was the perfect ending to a great day in Chicago before we took the train back home.
