And just like that, my trip was already more than half over. I wasn't ready to leave such an incredible city, and knew that there were so many more things I wanted to do in the next two days. I had yet to go to the famous Field Museum and former Sears Tower (now Willis Tower). I knew the Field Museum had to be a full day, so I decided to spend my half day at the Adler Planetarium.
The Adler Planetarium is also on Museum Campus, but at the very tip of the campus, along the water. That prime location gave it a stunning view of downtown, this time from the east. The clear blue sky and calm waters gave a beautiful reflection of the skyscrapers, almost like a mirror. Instead of checking out the planetarium immediately, I took a stroll along the boardwalk on the edge of the campus, and stopped near the museum, to just sit, sip my coffee, and appreciate the view.
The Adler Planetarium is also on Museum Campus, but at the very tip of the campus, along the water. That prime location gave it a stunning view of downtown, this time from the east. The clear blue sky and calm waters gave a beautiful reflection of the skyscrapers, almost like a mirror. Instead of checking out the planetarium immediately, I took a stroll along the boardwalk on the edge of the campus, and stopped near the museum, to just sit, sip my coffee, and appreciate the view.
The Adler Planetarium was a perfect half day excursion. Several different planetarium shows played throughout the day on the upper level, while the lower level was filled with various historic and interactive exhibits. Telescopes, astrolabes, and armillary spheres dating back to centuries BC show incredibly skilled craftmanship and care. In the center of the planetarium is the historic Atwood Sphere, the oldest planetarium in Chicago, which is still giving short tours of the constellations and night sky.
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I joined another friend currently attending SAIC to check out the Skydeck at the top of Willis Tower. The tower is on the other end of the Magnificent Mile from John Hancock Observatory, to the south, relatively close to Millenium Park. The Skydeck also has several glass ledges on the west face, where we could walk out onto the glass and look down onto the Chicago River. The majority of skyscrapers are to the northeast of the tower, with Museum Campus to the south. Being completely honest, though, I personally enjoyed the view from John Hancock a lot more than Skydeck, mostly due to the position of the towers. Despite that, the lines for the glass ledges were relatively short, and the ledges were fun to walk out on and examine the buildings underneath our feet.
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