Chicago 2012

We flew to the metropolitan city Chicago, also known as Chi-Town and met my brother Aswin there who joined the trip with us.

Chicago 2012/08/17 - 2012/08/22

Our luggage on top of the trolley with the writing "welcome to Chicago"

Took a picture of Rania while we were waiting for my dad who was having a business meeting at 155 PFINGSTEN (*^･ｪ･)ﾉ ♪

My dad's acquaintance Om Edward Wanandi who is the brother of Sofjan Wanandi (a famous businessman here in Indonesia) brought us to a nice Japanese restaurant for lunch (^｡､^)ｼﾞ

Cylinder parking lot

Pepper Palace store for those who love spicy spices …((((￣*￣)ﾝﾝﾝﾝ……

Candyality & Life is sweet museum a candy store that displayed mannequins in dresses made of candy wraps and other art works made of candies …*(≧〇≦)*

If you are crazy about sugar, this place is just right for you o(=^○^=)o ♪

Lego-land, buildings made of legos Σ(￣ロ￣lll)

Water Tower Place which is an upscale large urban, mixed-use development comprising a 758,000 sq ft (70,400 m²) shopping mall and 74 story skyscraper in the city that Arthur (Om Edward's son) brought us to. The cylinders in the picture are made of falling water. Pretty cool huh?（⌒_⌒）

Our shadows while we were walking on the street ...( = =)

The evening view from inside of Aswin's car °ﾟ°｡｡ヾ( ~▽~)ﾂｰ♪

The evening view from outside of our hotel ｖ（≧∀≦）ｖ

I was wearing a black white striped shirt similar to Rania's dress on that very same day　(ノ?∩｡∩)ノ

On our bed. The room was pretty cramped as I remember (｡-_-｡)

Fogo de Chão - The fine dining churrascaria (Brazilian steakhouse) that Om Edward and his family brought us to for dinner ( =￣+∇￣=)v

Grilled meat displayed at the restaurant's window entrance（｀・ω・´）

The meal comes in two parts. The first starts at the gourmet salad bar, which offers cured meats, smoked salmon, imported cheeses, vegetables, and salads. The second part of the meal consists of fifteen different cuts of beef, pork, chicken and lamb, served tableside. ( @^-)_○~~

Hot side dishes brought out with the meat course were cheese bread (pao de queijo), caramelized bananas, seasoned mashed potatoes, and fried polenta. φ(￣_￣ヾ)

In front of the mirror the next morning, wearing my orange dress (*^_^*)

My cheeks have gone plumper due to the excessive amount of eating while in the U.S. ｏ(⌒0⌒)ｏ

We went to the Chinatown, we actually had dinner as we arrived a couple of days ago at Joy-Yee, a restaurant there that serves nice Asian Cuisine and famous for their bubbletea ( 'Θ')ﾉ

Giant bowls displayed on one of the restaurants' window b(￣ﾛ￣)d

Rania & a seal fluff toy in one of the stores (ﾉ*^▽)ﾉ

Strolling around Chinatown while waiting for my parents that were at the health clinic ~(=^‥^)ノ☆

A fun looking pagoda? (*ﾟｰﾟ)v

Aswin and I sitting on the bench, picture taken by Rania
｡*:★(´・ω・人・ω・`)｡:゜★｡

Chinese food for lunch (＾◇＾)＿畄

Me and the statues in front of the hotel we stayed at ♪(ﾟ▽^*)ﾉ⌒☆

Rania coming out from the hotel (*^-^)

Took a picture with Aswin's car in it ＾ω＾

The yachts at the Lake Shore Drive

The California Golden Bears supporters preparing for outdoor picnic (*￣(ｴ)￣*)

We went to visit the The Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum which was the first planetarium built in the Western Hemisphere and is the oldest in existence today. (*^ｰﾟ)v

the Clark Family Welcome Gallery ♪v('∇'*)⌒☆

the Clark Family Welcome Gallery

Inside of the Astronomy Museum
ヾ(*・ω・)ノ゜+.゜★☆゜+.゜ヾ(・ω・*)ノ

A hallway with changing colors lights v(≧∇≦v)三(v≧∇≦)v

The Universe: A Walk through Space and Time

The Universe: A walk through Space and Time where we were transported to the distant corners of the cosmos and witnessed how the Universe evolved over 13.7 billion years - from the Big Bang to modern day
ヽ(*⌒∇⌒*)ﾉ::･'ﾟ☆｡.::･'ﾟ★｡.::･'ﾟ☆｡

About aliens ｡:+.゜ヽ(*′ω`)ﾉﾞ｡:+.

Me posing the same v(´ 　・　　　ω　　　・　　`)v

After watching the immensely boring planetarium stars presentation that actually made me fall asleep in the theatre, felt like a lecture in a classroom, spotted nice decorative lights on the ground ☆(*^o^)乂(^-^*)☆

The city at noon ♪~♪ d(⌒o⌒)b ♪~♪

Picture taken by my dad at the Northerly Island in front of the Planetarium
ヽ(ﾟ▽ﾟ*)乂(*ﾟ▽ﾟ)ﾉ

The California Golden Bears supporters having outdoor picnic while the game was playing (￣(エ)￣”)

Took pictures of my parents with the yachts as the background while we were waiting for Aswin to pick us up (he went to the parking lot before us)

and Aswin didn't return. His cell-phone battery was dead so he couldn't be reached. ;´Д｀)

Took pictures of Rania when we were stupidly waiting in front of the parking lot for Aswin who was at the same time panicky looking for us in front of the planetarium. So Aswin went back to the hotel and charged his phone then called my dad's mobile-phone saying he couldn't go back cause of the heavy traffic, so we had to take a bus ride. 。：゜(；´∩｀；)゜：。My dad referred to such occurrence as the Murphy's law tragedy which is an adage or epigram that is typically stated as: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong".

We had a really nice Korean food for dinner, the restaurant was suggested by Arthur and then took the 2 hour fireworks cruise ヽ(＊⌒∇^)ﾉ

The Cruise headed directly out to the Lake Michigan

Rania was eating free nachos, and my mom cookies (o´ω`o)ﾉ◎

The dazzling city lights ■□■□■□■□■□

We alternately took pictures with Aswin as if he was a celebrity
(￣ー￣)X(^∇^)ゞ

The so-so chairs (*￣￣)

Mommy and Rania ♡(*´∀｀*)人(*´∀｀*)♡

Aswin and my dad wearing my mom's sweater from behind, it was pretty cold and windy that night on the cruise (〃￣▽￣)o

The calm was broken as the sky exploded in stars, wheels, and sparklers!
☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°☆

Rania on the cruise ＼(●~▽~●)У

The Titanic pose ヾ(●⌒∇⌒●)ﾉ

My outfit choice the next day ヽ(^◇^*)/

Me standing next to the Hotel Felix valet parking billboard, picture taken by Rania ||| ＼(￣▽￣;)／ |||

We went to the Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co. Restaurant for lunch, famous for their Pizza Pot Pie that has become a favorite of world-wide pizza connoisseurs who have graced the restaurant since its inception in 1972.

While we were waiting to be seated ( ^_^)

Daddy reading the menu (。_。)

The table seat was pretty small and cramped (ー＿ー)

Our appetizers the Mediterranean Bread, and the Chef's Salad, a moderate serving of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, green and black olives, pepperoncini, onions, artichoke hearts, and green peppers, served with sour cream garlic, sweet and sour poppyseed, and Italian dressings. ( ^-)_◎

The Pizza Pot Pies were "made from scratch" with triple-raised Sicilian bread-type dough; a homemade sauce consisting of olive oil, fresh garlic, onions, green peppers, whole plum tomatoes and a special blend of cheeses; sausage made from prime Boston butts; and doorknob-size, whole, fresh mushrooms. (o´ω`o)ﾉ◎　

The complimentary homemade chocolates (*'ｰ'*)_■

There was an air show going on that day (the event was extended from two days to three) which was a free event that showcases daredevil pilots, parachute teams, and jets flying in formation. Because of its proximity to city beaches and skyline, the demonstrations were visible from almost everywhere along the Chicago lakefront. ♪ヽ(*´∀｀)ﾉ

We went to the Lincoln Park Zoo which is a free 35-acre (14 ha) zoo in the city. A random white bird in the park taken by my dad Σ^)／

The jaguar in the cage o(=ёェё=)o

The Amur Tiger (and you can see on one of the pictures, my mom was waving her hand calling the tiger) σ(=^･ω･^=)

De Brazza's monkey which is notable for their distinctive white facial hair, which resembles a beard. The species has gray fur, with a white belly and orange crest on the forehead. o(▼▼||)o

The Bolivian gray titi monkey which is a small primate with thick, fluffy fur and tails ≡(◎)≡

The white-cheeked gibbon, which is a lesser, or small, ape m(･◎･)m

The gibbon was humping the glass window right in front of my dad ＼(-_＼)

The Allen's swamp monkey holding a cardboard O(-@-)O

A strong, stocky primate @(o･ｪ･o)@ﾉ

The pied tamarin which communicates audibly with whistles and chirps
(´ﾟωﾟ).:ﾟ

The western lowland gorilla which is the largest of the living primates.
◎(*（ｘ）*)◎メ

The species is diurnal (active during the day) and mainly terrestrial.
。。。。。。。((( ・Θ・) ♪☆♪

Captured Rania's picture together with a (I think) Banyan tree as the background ヽ（￣￣∇￣￣）ノ

More of our pics and the tree ヽ(∇⌒ヽ)(ノ⌒∇)ノ

At the Lincoln Park Zoo entrance (。⌒∇⌒)

Waiting for Aswin to pick us up, took pictures of Rania at the Lincoln Park Conservatory formal garden ヾ｜￣ー￣｜ﾉ ♪

In front of the Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller monument who was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. ━━（＊´∀｀＊ｂ）━━

Rania running and the Lincoln Park Conservatory (which offers year round displays of plants from many different climates around the world) as the background ≡≡≡ﾍ(*ﾟ∇ﾟ)ﾉ

My fairy face painting that I did back at the zoo (^-^*)/

Rania's flower face painting (*^･ｪ･)ﾉ ♪

Inside of the car heading towards the Sears Tower.

We saw quite a few sailors roaming around the city (ﾒ▼▼)人(▼▼ﾒ）

Our face painting taken with my iphone ♪((o(*^∇^)X(^∇^*)o))

A boat passes through at the lake

Me by the lake (*^ｰ^)

Our shadows (〃￣ ♀￣〃)人(〃￣ ⊥￣〃)

Buildings and empty street

The cityscape at noon from on top of the Willis Tower (formerly named, and still commonly referred to as, Sears Tower)

The Sears Tower is a 108-story, 1,451-foot (442 m) skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. At the time of its completion in 1973, it was the tallest building in the world, surpassing the World Trade Center towers in New York, and it held this rank for nearly 25 years. Aswin said the elevators at Sears Tower are powered with rocket force.

A spider at the outside window on top of the tower. I wonder how long did it take for it to climb that high σ(ﾟ･ﾟ*)ﾝｰ･･･

The wall exhibits a wide range of articles concerning the places around the tower in the city ＼(*´▽｀*)／

The Willis Tower is the tallest building in the United States and the seventh-tallest freestanding structure in the world. ヾ(●ω●)ノ

Me on the glass balcony at the skydeck. ヾ(*￣￣￣￣▽￣￣￣￣*)ノ

Walking back to the car ｰ (*^¬^)ノ

Took last pictures of my face painting before washing my face ▽・ｗ・▽

While daddy was on a business meeting and Aswin had gone back to Holland, Michigan; Mommy, Rania, and I took a cab and went to check out the Field Museum of Natural History (which is located just next to the Adler Planetarium we went to a couple of days ago).

These Totem poles of red cedar formerly stood in front of houses in Hiada Indian village along the west coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia. The pole on the right formed the actual doorway of such a house.
The figures carved on totem poles are usually crests belonging to the families of house owners. Depicted on these poles are a killer whale, a sea centipede, a grizzly bear devouring a boy, a raven, a thunderbird, and other figures representing being and incidents mentioned in old legends. The figures at the top of both poles are watches, sometimes purely ornamental, but also suggesting that a good watch was being kept over the village.
The totem pole on the right was presented to the Field Museum by Edward E. Ayer in 1902.
That on the left was received from the Department of Ethnology, Columbian Exposition in 1893.

Real dead African bush elephants Loxodonta africana were on display at the main hall. Look at how large the sizes of these beasts are ￣O￣)ノ

Mountain goats? ｢(ｰﾍー;)え

Things we saw inside of the museum (・x・ ).o0○

After watching Sue the T.rex. at the theatre v(￣∇￣)

The main hall from above (＿＿＿＿＿ー＿＿＿＿＿）

Our lunch was salad, sandwiches, chips and an m&m cookie
(o*｀・_・)o#Ω#Ω#

The world-famous fossil known as “Sue” is the largest, best-preserved, and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex ever found. Sue measures 42 feet long from snout to tail and 13 feet tall at the hip. She boasts 58 dagger-like teeth and cuts a fine figure as the Museum’s most popular backdrop for visitor photos. A replica skull crowns the skeleton in Stanley Field Hall, while Sue’s original skull, which weighs 600 pounds, rests within an exhibition on the Museum’s balcony, under a mural depicting this majestic creature in the flesh.（￣ｗ￣）Ψ

Me with sunglasses on, outside of the museum φ(*￣0￣)ﾉ

Jumping in front of the museum ^( ￣(●●)￣)^

We then took a walk to the Shedd Aquarium which is located just next to the Field museum. This is a picture of me at the Polar Play Zone.
(＾-ェ-＾)

Rania in the kid sized submarine (☆▽☆)

Me sitting in front of the empty aquarium (○ﾟε^○)

Cute braids (ﾟ∇^*)

The Aquatic Show which was just okay. （●´Ｉ｀●）

After watching the Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs 4D（★￣∀￣★）

Jellies with colorful lights (Q )) ><ヨヨ

Sky-scrappers and blue sky, in front of the Shedd Aquarium building ｂ（＠＾０＾＠）ｄ

Bought a chocolate chip ice cream cookie sandwich, the ice cream was rather hard and tasted more like schuimpjes σ(´~｀*)

Back at the hotel (￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣▽￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣)

Chicago view from the hotel window ( 'Θ')ﾉ

Arthur and Om Edward brought us to Bob Chinn's Crab House, a nice seafood restaurant ('-'*)

Rania and a barrel (*ﾟｰﾟ)v

The whole gang waiting to be seated (^_^)／

A letter from a satisfied customer ヾ( ' - '*)

Please do not stand in this area sign (*^O^*)ハ

Standing in front of the store φ(ﾟ▽ﾟ*)♪

The queuing line （´ヘ｀；）・・

The menu - a very long list of food choices (； T.T))

Our dinner table |||||/(_▽_)＼|||||

The garlic bread ( ･ω･)ﾉｼ○

The dishes ordered by Om Edward ☆⌒v⌒v⌒v⌒

My sudden narcissistic behaviour ♪(o￣∇￣)/

How Bob Chinn's Crab House became the highest-grossing restaurant in the U.S.

Trees with pretty purple lights decor (ﾟ▽ﾟ*)♪

The following day we went to the Millenium Park, Rania walking down the stairs (･_☆)･‥…

Millennium Park is a public park located in the Loop community area of Chicago and originally intended to celebrate the millennium. (o^-^o)

Cloud Gate, a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor, is the centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park.

Our reflection on the Cloud Gate ( ^ o ^ )ノ☆/;^-^)ノ

Daddy took this picture from behind ヽ(*^ｰ^)人(^ｰ^*)ノ

the sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" because of its bean-like shape

The structure is 33 by 66 by 42 feet (10 by 20 by 13 m), and weighs 110 short tons (100 t; 98 long tons). (*^□^*)｡･ﾟ+

On the underside is the "omphalos" (Greek for "navel"), a concave chamber that warps and multiplies reflections.ヽ(o･∀･)ﾉ

Daddy took our pictures again from behind.

We were taking pictures of ourselves using the cellphone
｡*:★(´・ω・人・ω・`)｡:゜★｡

From my cellphone（＞ω・）

Said to have been inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture's surface reflects and distorts the city's skyline.

The structure is made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams.（＾▽＾）／

The view from the park

Mommy was resting on the bench hiding from the sun under the tree d┤*｀･ェ･´ *├o

Mommy and daddy in front of The Bean ★'.･.LOVE~(^▽^(^▽^*)~LOVE.･.･:☆

Rania & mommy (★･ω･人-ω-★)

Daddy walking and behind him was the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, a bandshell designed by Frank Gehry. (○´3｀)ﾉ　

We had a really great lunch at Giordano's. Ordered the Harvest Salad which is a vehicle of spring greens, sliced fresh pear, dried fruit, candied walnuts and blue cheese tossed with balsamic vinaigrette dressing (^Q^)

and their famous stuffed pizza which has a top and bottom crust with cheese stuffed in between and the toppings in the middle which are pepperoni, Italian sausage, and spinach, while sauce and parmesan are added on top of the crust (@￣*￣@)