Christmas Break in Chicago - Part Four

We started off on Thursday by walking to the Louis Pasteur monument a few blocks to our east in the heart of the medical district. There's a small flock of Canadian geese that seem to have made the park their home as well. 

Across the street was the most amazing Hyatt Place I've ever seen right next to the hospital. 

Then we headed off to the Art Institute for the afternoon. Just before we crossed the street we found this Route 66 begins here sign for Parker - Cars was his favorite movie as a kid and this is the second time we've brought him to Route 66 this year (out west for spring break was the first time). 

Inside the Art Institute we spent some significant time in the Asian art section for Davis and then wandered through almost every gallery. We had a list of the most significant works that we wanted to visit and we managed to check them all of our list. 

The Buddha Shakyamuni Seated in Meditation (India,  12th century)

Egyptian room 

Modern photography exhibit - this woman interviewed people born blind about their ideas of beauty. It was powerful reading through their descriptions. 

Chagall Window celebrating Chicago and the American Bicentennial, 1976

Replica of the Original Chicago Stock Exchange Trade Room 

Frank Lloyd Wright furniture and a Tiffany window 

Works by Georgia O'Keefe 

Jackson Pollack, Untitled

Edward Hopper, Nighthawks

Grant Wood, American Gothic 

Archibald Moxley Jr, Nightlife 

Works by Monet

Vincent Van Gogh, Self Portrait 

Rodin, Eve After the Fall 

Georges Seurat, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte 

The Armor Room 

This Tiffany window was installed in a church in Rhode Island until 2018 when it was donated to the Art Institute - disassembled and reassembled here. 

Richard Hunt, Hero Construction 

Alma Thomas, Starry Night and the Astronauts 

Works by Andy Warhol

Pablo Picasso, The Old Guitarist (from his blue period) 

Vasily Kandinsky, Painting with Green Center 

Salvador Dali, Invention of the Monsters 

After that we tried to get dinner at Giardino's by the park but it was packed. So Parker found us a place called Miller's Pub that was AMAZING! This place has been around and owned by the same family since 1935. I had the best corned beef and cabbage ever, and the rest of the guys ended up with a bacon cheeseburger (Daryl), triple decker turkey sandwich (Wesley), spicy chicken sandwich (Davis) and chicken parmigiana (Parker). 

Then we finished up the evening by going up to the Skydeck on the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears tower). On the way we passed a statue by Alexander Calder that we had seen in miniature in the art institute - Flamingo.

Once at the Skydeck we rode the express elevator and wandered around for a while. It was pretty foggy but you could still see so much of the city lit up. A few of the guys have a fear of heights but we all braved the Ledge - the glass boxes that stick out on the side of the tower 

And then there were a few cool green screen pics too, demonstrating the view in better weather! 

On the way back to the subway to head home, we passed by this Catholic church which caught our eye - St. Peter's. 

And our mileage count for the day? - 6.50 miles (total so far of 20.30)