We had, while not exactly a nice day at the aquarium, a nice day around the aquarium.
We got an early (for us) start, and had a gorgeous walk to the Museum Campus. We stopped at a bench with a view of the lake, and ate our lunches, surrounded by seagulls. It was in the 50s so we ditched the jackets - freedom!
The aquarium itself was crowded. We've been on weekdays before (though not on Tuesdays) and it has not been nearly so busy. It was crowded enough to be more of a constant frustration than anything else. We hit our favorite spots (the Carribean Reef, the jellyfish, the dolphins, the spotted leopard sharks), did a stint at a preschooler play area, and left.
After we left it was nice again. We ate snacks on the lawn, and played for nearly an hour on the grassy hills in front of the Field. Then we walked home by the lake. The weather was perfect. The scenery was fantastic. I took pictures, with a disposable camera. I don't know how I would scan them to show anyone, but I will think of something. When I have a Mac again.
Have I mentioned that I have come to love this city? Who would have thought?
I forgot to mention Ostara. We celebrate the Equinox rather than Easter. We did that over the weekend, coloring and hunting our eggs in the park across the street. We ate eggs for dinner, and fruit, and potatoes hiding in a salt crust, all symbolic of the Spring that is popping out all over the place.
The night before I had had a dream that I was standing in front of our apartment building, and I saw a playground I had never seen before. Well, when we went to hide our eggs, guess what we found? A playground. Across the street. That has (obviously) been here the whole time. I don't know how we missed it. I mean, we have walked by it several times. But hey! There's a playground across the street! With kids! Thank goodness!
Posted by Steph at March 23, 2004 10:35 PMActually, it's because of geography: the playground is off of the South side of the road (Randolph, for those who know Chicago), which road is elevated at that point. If you walk on the South side of the road, you see the park. If you walk on the North side (which we had before), the park is below the line of sight, blocked by the low wall bordering the road. From our apartment window, the line of sight is blocked by the Prudential building.
That said, that was a very interesting article you pointed to.
Your Ostara celebrations sound like a lot of fun! My guys are going a nutty anticipating Easter, what with all the advertising around. They'd have loved to do Ostara last weekend.
Instead, for the Equinox, we stood at the window and stared mournfully out at the snow.
On the plus side, however, it's been raining non-stop today, so most of the snow has washed away now. I can't wait for real spring to arrive!
RE: Scanning photos to post.
If you have your film developed at Wal-Mart, for an extra $1 they will digitize them.
Posted by: Daryl Cobranchi on March 27, 2004 11:25 AM