In early June I went to my sister's in Chicago for the birth of my third nephew. After staying there a few days, I decided to, somewhat spontaneously, spend about a week roaming around the Midwest.
Day 1
I spent the day walking around downtown Chicago. I'm usually in Chicago several times a year and have gotten bored with a lot of the more touristy areas, but a trip to Chicago really isn't complete without some downtown wandering.
And then I briefly went to Chinatown for dinner before heading back to my sister's
Day 2
Originally, I had planned to go to Aurora on this day. It was raining but I decided to drive out there anyway in hopes it would stop. Once I got to West Chicago I gave up and decided to find something indoors that I hadn't done before. I stumbled across the International Museum of Surgical Science, which is apparently the only museum of its kind in North America. I really don't have an interest in the medical field, but there were enough things there to hold my attention.
The museum is located in a 1917 mansion on Lake Shore Drive and houses a lot of macabre but interesting historical artifacts.
One of the more photogenic areas in the museum is the Hall of Immortals, which features large statues of the some of the most important historical figures in the medical field.
Ancient Mayan skulls showing holes from
trepanning
When I was done at the museum the rain had stopped temporarily, so I took walk around the area
Day 3
My nephew was born on this day so I didn't have too much time to poke around. I decided to go out to Whihala Beach in Whiting, Indiana, to take some photos of Chicago's skyline
And then I briefly walked around the downtown area
Due to Covid restrictions, I still wasn't able to go to the hospital when I had finished walking around Whiting. I hadn't been to Evanston in a few years so I went up there.
Day 4
This is when the spontaneity came into play. Originally I had planned to go home on day 5, but on the morning of day 4 I decided to go to St. Louis. I booked the hotel room and made the drive within a few hours of making the decision.
On the way there I stopped in Springfield, Illinois' capital. Abraham Lincoln lived here right before becoming president and he's also buried here, so, as expected, everything was pretty Lincoln-oriented. This was my first time here and I only briefly stopped, but I think Springfield is worth a longer future visit.
Springfield Union Station, currently part of Lincoln's museum and library complex
This was Illinois' state capitol from 1840-1876. Lincoln and Obama both announced their presidential candidacy here.
Current state capitol building
This building, built in 1841, housed Lincoln's law office from 1843 until about 1851
Lincoln lived here from 1844-1861, when he moved into the White House. Today his house, and several others on the street, are a historical museum. Of course the interiors were closed due to Covid during my visit, but I'm glad I got to walk around outside
I stopped by Lincoln Tomb, where Abraham, his wife Mary Todd and three of his four sons are buried. You needed a reservation to go in, so I took a few photos from the car instead
Then I headed to St. Louis
I stayed at the new Hotel Indigo Downtown, located in a 111 year old building. It seemed like the rooms all had bay windows, which was a cool feature
We'll go up here in a few days
To be continued...