Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light

The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago does an amazing Christmas tree display every year, featuring trees decorated in styles unique to many different countries around the world, from every continent save Antarctica. It’s been maybe…20 years?…since I last saw it, so I was really excited to see how it had changed. Now, my memories are pretty fuzzy, but I’m pretty sure the exhibit is much larger than it used to be, and it was a lot of fun to go through it, and see how different cultures celebrate Christmas and other winter holidays!

This doesn’t cover every tree in the display (I think maybe I have photos of about half of them), and also doesn’t cover the displays featuring holidays such as Kwanzaa and Hanukkah, because they were in glass cases that were very hard to photograph with all of the lights reflecting off of them. I did also include examples of some of the displays that were included beneath the trees, which was a very nice touch, as well as the signs that accompany them. With one exception, I included only one photo from each tree. It was impossible to keep track of which tree went with which country, so you can try to figure that out on your own!

The grand tree in the center of the exhibit was an unbelievable sight!

And a bonus picture of the Pioneer Zephyr, all decked out for the holidays!

I’m so happy I got a chance to see this display again, and even happier that I got to share it with the Fab Five…we all learned so many things about how Christmas is celebrated around the world!

Wordless Wednesday

Markel Family Christmas Getaway–Day Two

Day two of our Christmas Getaway was a BIG DAY. A day I’ve been planning and hoping for for years…the day where I would show the Fab Five Christmas in Chicago!

But first, a look at the view from our 11th floor room in the tower at Pheasant Run. We’ve never had a north facing view before, and while we missed being able to see the skyscrapers in Chicago that we’ve been accustomed to (with the way the weather was in Chicago last weekend, there’s no way we would have been able to see them anyway!), it was fun to see something different. It was also nice of Chicago to hang onto the snow until we had a chance to really see it, because it was pretty much gone by the end of the day!

We enjoyed a hearty breakfast at Pheasant Run’s Jambalaya restaurant, compliments of the resort. It was a great meal…I especially enjoyed my eggs Benedict, a rare treat for a person like me who doesn’t usually eat breakfast!

And then we headed out. Our first stop was the Museum of Science and Industry, using the reciprocity that comes with our St. Louis Science Center membership to get in for free! We were there to see only one thing…the “Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light” display, something I enjoyed as a child who grew up in the Chicago suburbs. It’s much bigger than I remember it being, and we were definitely not disappointed…I think it took us over an hour to see all of the trees and other displays!

After the museum, we stopped briefly to take a look a Lake Michigan, which was wild…way wilder than the children have ever seen it, and possibly more so than I ever have! We really enjoyed watching the waves crash against the shore! It was a grander display of wind and waves than we even saw the two times we’ve visited the ocean!

We then headed into the heart of downtown, a harrowing experience that involved a crowded parking garage with narrow spiral ramps that terrify me, and no spaces available until we hit the 10th floor. I can’t tell you how glad I was that Ryan was driving! Despite my terror, it was a good place to park, and fairly close to everything I hoped to see. It was only a short few blocks’ walk to Millennium Park, where we saw the city Christmas tree:

And the “Bean.” Since Ryan hasn’t had the opportunity to see it with us the last few years we’ve visited the city in May, I made sure to get a picture of him with the children in front of it:

Of course I had to show the children the Art Institute lions with their wreath manes:

The number one thing I wanted to share with the children was the Chicago Christkindlmarket. I have happy memories of going downtown with Ryan when we were in college and having lunch and shopping at the stalls, and I really wanted the Fab Five to have that experience, too. It was so rainy and windy when we were there, though, that we didn’t spend much time at the market. We had a snack (not a full meal), and didn’t get to do any browsing. I didn’t even get a picture of the children there, although I did get a few shots of the market:

We then went to Marshall Field’s of Blessed Memory, where I wanted the children to see the Christmas decorations, especially the tree in the Walnut Room. And that’s when the second disappointment of the day occurred, because I discovered that apparently, you can no longer go up to the eighth floor and view the Walnut Room and its tree from above. I was not happy about that, but we did still buy a tin of Frango mints, so it wasn’t a wasted trip. And by the time we had purchased our treat to take home, the rain had stopped, so we could admire the Christmas windows outside:

After we finally made it back to the car (the garage was right across from Macy’s, but I was over using my knee scooter, especially with all the standing water that had collected everywhere, so I wasn’t moving too fast), we drove over to the Adler Planetarium so the Fab Five could see the city at night. Due to the weather, they really only saw the lower third of the city, but at least they got an idea of what Chicago’s night skyline looks like:

We decided to take the long way back to the resort, so we got on North Avenue basically where it begins in the city, and drove…and drove…and drove some more. There was traffic and construction and too many potholes to count. But it was still kind of fun (other than the potholes), and we stopped for a favorite treat from our college days on the way…Italian ice from Johnnie’s. This was a first for the Fab Five, and they really enjoyed it.

When we got back to Pheasant Run, we headed back down to Bourbon Street to see the light show again…this time, we caught it in its entirety, and then saw it again!

When we got back to our room, we indulged in one of favorite hotel activities…watching the Food Network on cable TV. It was hard to believe our second night at the hotel was also our last, but we still had a day of fun to look forward to on Sunday!

Christmas in Chicago

The Fab Five and I have become pretty accustomed to exploring Chicago when we’re in the area in May for Combo Breaker. Once I knew we were going to be staying at Pheasant Run in December, I planned a special Christmas-themed trip into the city, because I really wanted to show the children all of my favorite things about Christmas in the city.

We started at the Museum of Science and Industry, to see the Christmas Around the World exhibit (free for us, using the reciprocity that comes with our St. Louis Science Center membership!). The grand tree was quite a sight!

Speaking of big trees, we also stopped by Millennium Park to see the City of Chicago tree, a 60-foot Norway spruce, and the ice skating rink:

We are used to walking “mile after magnificent mile” in May. When the weather is nice. And my ankle isn’t broken. Imagine if you will, the seven of us parading down the streets of downtown, with me on my knee scooter, and all of us in our winter jackets, dodging raindrops, and occasionally getting caught in sudden downpours. It was definitely a different experience! But we still managed to see one of our favorites…the Art Institute lions, this time bedecked for Christmas!

There was one good thing about the rain…even before it started to get dark, we were able to see all the bright lights of the city:

The biggest thing I wanted to show the children was Chicago’s Christkindlmarket. Unfortunately, that was also the part of our trip downtown that involved the most rain. We still explored a bit, and had a bite to eat, but it wasn’t quite the experience I was hoping for.

The good news was that Marshall Field’s of Blessed Memory (Macy’s, whatever), was just a few blocks away, so we headed there to warm up and dry off…and see the decorations (plus buy Frango mints). I was disappointed to learn that you apparently can no longer view the Walnut Room and its glorious Christmas tree from above on the eighth floor, but we still enjoyed seeing the Tiffany ceiling. Once the rain stopped, we walked around the building to explore the windows and see the iconic horns:

One last look at the lights of the city before it was time to head back to the hotel:

I love Chicago, and Christmas is an extra special time to visit. I’m so glad I finally got to share all of this with the Fab Five!

Museum Mosaics

When we went to the Museum of Science and Industry last month, I needed to see Lake Michigan. I wasn’t sure exactly how that would work out, so since we arrived at the museum early, I worked my way through the parking garage and up through the labyrinth that is the entrance, and when I got outside, pointed myself toward the lake. As I made my way to a good vantage point, I waked through a few tunnels, and was surprised to find that the walls were covered in museum-themed mosaics!

I love the details like these that are so easy to find in a big city…it just adds to the city’s personality!

Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle

There was so much we didn’t get to see, or even see well, at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. The last thing we really did take a close look at before we left, though, was Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle.

Colleen Moore was an American actress in both silent pictures, and in the then newly popular sound films. The dollhouse was built by her father in 1928, and has been on display in Chicago since 1949.

Far from being “just a dollhouse,” this creation is a true marvel. There are 11 individual rooms (as well as an unexplained treasure room), and an outdoor garden. The castle contains tapestries with impossibly tiny stitches, vases that are over 500 years old, statues that are over 4,000 years old, the smallest Bible in the world, and fine materials including alabaster, amber, gold, and crystal throughout. There are depictions, as you would expect, from many fairy tales, including Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, The Wizard of Oz, and King Arthur.

I’m not going to lie…it’s kind of a weird thing. When you consider the value of all of the miniatures and the castle itself, it’s mind-boggling. The original price tag in the 1930s was almost a half a million dollars! But even though it’s strange, it’s also breathtakingly stunning, and when you consider the craftsmanship and attention to detail that went into creating it, the mind boggles further. It’s truly something that shouldn’t be missed!

The Great Train Story

There is a lot of cool stuff to see at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, but something I was especially impressed with is The Great Train Story. This is a model railroad system that features over 20 trains (including freight, Amtrak, Metra, and the Chicago “L!”) depicting rail travel from Chicago to Seattle. In addition to the downtowns of both cities, there are suburban areas, farmlands (which I somehow managed to escape photographing), and mountains:

You can find this display in the heart of the Transportation Gallery, and it’s worth walking around not just once, but at least twice, to take in all the miniature details!

U-505 Tour

When we were planning our trip to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, the U-505 tour of the only German submarine in the United States wasn’t originally on my, um…sonar. The money we had saved for our visit was earmarked for the Lego exhibit. But then I discovered that they have a special school rate for tours and exhibits, which they kindly extend to homeschoolers. So we ended up getting tickets not only for Brick by Brick, but for the U-505 tour, as well, for a little less than I was planning on spending on the Lego exhibit alone!

The tour, which lasts about a half and hour, is very well narrated, and includes many sound effects and light changes, which really make you feel like you’re in the middle of a battle. It was really interesting to see and smell the history of the boat, and being on board really makes you understand just how cramped the quarters were.

For those who don’t have time for the tour, or don’t want to pay for the tickets, there is still plenty to learn about the U-505 in the surrounding exhibit:

I’m so glad we were able to find a way to go on this tour…we all learned a lot, and it really made us feel like we were experiencing the history of the boat and the time period!

Brick by Brick

One of the highlights of our trip to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago was touring the Lego exhibit, Brick by Brick, that is currently on display there. We weren’t supposed to get to see it…when I was originally looking for things we could do in Chicago, I was sad to discover that it was supposed to be gone long before we got there. Its stay was extended, however, and we were even able to get homeschool tickets at a discount rate!

The first thing that caught my eye upon entering was a huge model of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. It’s almost impossible to explain how massive it is!

We recognized many other modern landmarks as we walked through the exhibit:

And found a few ancient structures, as well:

The American Eagle coaster was a nice local touch:

The exhibit got even more local, with a replica of the building we were in!

While the local landmarks were cool, I enjoyed this out-of-this-world model even more!

And we even got a glimpse of home while we were there!

It was interesting to see what Lego bricks were used in the different models:

The exhibit included a Brick by Brick Design Challenge stage…guess who was chosen to go up and build a space ship? For those that didn’t get called on stage, there was also a free build area, where Turkey enjoyed building his own version of Chicago.

Out of everything we saw, I was surprised to find that I liked Cinderella’s Castle the best. I guess the magic of the location combined with Lego bricks really appealed to me!

There was even one piece in the entrance to the museum, which can by admired even without a ticket to the exhibit!

We really enjoyed seeing so many massive Lego builds. There was also a fun scavenger hunt along the way, which the children had fun with, and helped them learn a little bit about the designs and the designer. I’m so glad this was held over and we got a chance to see it!

The Museum of Science and Industry

When we were in Chicago last month, we visited the Museum of Science and Industry, which was always one of my favorite Chicago locations:

I had managed to forget how huge it is, however! We only had about five hours to spend there, which meant we went at breakneck speed to see and do a lot of things, even through we knew we’d never see everything. One of the first things we did was go through the mirror maze, which I found terrifying, because I was certain we were going to lose a child in there! It did look cool, though!

We slowed down long enough to watch the Tesla coil demonstration:

There was so much more to see. In addition to touring the special Lego exhibit, we also spent a good deal of time admiring Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle, and went on the U-505 tour.

All that was just the tip of the iceberg! We checked out some of the trains, (including a cool model train story depicting travel from Chicago to Seattle), saw the chicks (including one that had just hatched!), played with a plasma globe, took in as much space stuff as we could, watched how a robot assembly line works, and even visited Yesterday’s Main Street. There is seriously so much there!