From Texas to Beyond

Local, Near and Far: Our journey of exploring the world.

Month: June 2015 (Page 2 of 4)

Glazed and Infused: A Chicago Treat

June 18, 2015 / / 0 Comments

One of my favorite things in all of this world is the donut (or doughnut). It is one of the greatest creations to me;  I am a sucker for donuts; I love them. I feel I cannot get enough of them…until of course I indulge and then an hour later my stomach is about to explode and I am functioning at 20% normal productivity. The donut  can be overlooked as a nice treat. I mean think about it, practically on every street corner in a big city or even a few miles apart in smaller cities, there is a donut shop. Confession time: almost every donut shop looks great to a donut-holic like myself. The donut has a general stereotype as they are fairly easy to produce and you can practically buy them anywhere.

I fully admit there are many donuts out there produced by people that are giving donuts a bad name. They are not very good and after you eat them you are thinking “Why did I just waste 600 calories on a sub-par donut?” But let me tell you something, when I have a donut that is good, it is just a thing of beauty.

Why all this talk about donuts? Because Chicago, known for amazing baked goods and donuts, has an awesome donut shop that is making handcrafted specialty donuts that will blow your socks off. The place is known as Glazed and Infused. Everyone now is channeling their inner Matthew McConaughey and his “Alright, alright, alright,” from the cult classic Dazed and Confused.

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The Field Museum

June 17, 2015 / / 1 Comment

In the heart of Chicago’s Museum Campus, is The Field Museum. It boasts that “with 4.6 billion years under one roof, The Field Museum is your passport to travel around the world and back in time”. Regardless of what you think about their claim, it truly is a fun place to explore, learn about various parts of the world, and soak in some history.

The Field Museum was originally a product of the World’s Columbian Exposition that took place in Chicago in 1893.  The Field Museum’s current home was completed in 1921 and is a magnificent structure. Built in the architectural style of Grecian and Roman designs, the detail in the columns, walls, and arches, composed of fossilized limestone is beautiful. Although there have been additions and renovations made to the building to accommodate the pieces and exhibits acquired, you can’t help but appreciate the building itself.

The Field Museum hosts 17 permanent exhibitions and an additional 8-10 special and traveling exhibits. My personal favorites are SUE the T-Rex and Inside Ancient Egypt. I’ve visited a few times and while I can breeze through most sections, either because they aren’t of interest to me or they are geared toward a younger audience, I also have to stop by those two. SUE the T-Rex is just awesome; its incredible to think about a creature that big and powerful! Growing up, I loved ancient Egypt, visiting that section always rekindles my young (and mostly Indiana Jones-inspired) desire to be an archaeologist and dig up treasures from the past.

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Willis Tower – A Visitor’s Guide

June 15, 2015 / / 2 Comments

One of the iconic buildings of Chicago is the Willis Tower, formerly and more notably known as the Sears Tower. A trip to Chicago for any first time visitor is not complete without a visit to this architectural marvel. Like a visit to Rome is not complete until you have been to the Coliseum, the Willis Tower is one of the top tourist attractions in the city.willis tower

Facts: Located a block east of Union Station and along the river, stands the tallest building in the city and in the Western Hemisphere. The Willis Tower stands at 1,450 feet tall (1,730 feet if the twin antenna towers are included) and 110 stories tall. The tower goes 43 feet below street elevation and took three years to build. The tower features a revolutionary construction method at the time called the “bundled tube design.” It is essentially nine tubes, bound together. The docents told us to think of it like a pack of pencils with each tube rising higher than the rest. While the tower itself has more than a 100 different companies using it as an office building, visitors are only there for one maybe two reasons: mainly the Skydeck (observation deck) and possibly the restaurant.

The Skydeck is the highest public viewing area in the US and on a clear day (hope you are lucky), you can see four states (Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan). Back in 2009, the building added four observation pods which are affectionately known as “The Ledge.” They are these glass boxes that are made up of three layers of half-inch thick glass that has been laminated into one seamless unit.the ledge

 

Visiting: The Skydeck is open every day of the year to accommodate visitors. Always be sure to check the website for hours, but in general they are open from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM April through September, and 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM October through March. When planning your visit, the last entry is 30 minutes prior to close. The Skydeck does have several offerings prior to the “main event” of getting to the top. There are several different exhibits that talk about the tower and the city as well as a movie that tells the story of the building and surrounding architecture. All of this is well and good and gives you a greater appreciation for the building and all that went into making this massive structure and it will provide a fuller experience but is time consuming.
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Chasing Caravaggio: Caravaggios of the National Gallery, Part 2

June 12, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Every Friday we take a break from our regular blogging schedule to allow the authors an opportunity to feature a certain topic they are passionate about. In the past you’ve read about art, studying abroad, experiencing culture through food, and the great burger adventure. Through this and other future posts we hope you’ll enjoy reading, we hope to share with you our personalities, passions, and interests on a more personal level.

As part of our continuing desire to bring beauty into focus, From Texas to Beyond will periodically feature brilliant pieces of art that have influenced our lives.  We are excited to showcase these universal works of beauty with you.

Today, we conclude the two-part miniseries examining the Caravaggio painting from The National Gallery in London.  As I mentioned in my first post in the Chasing Caravaggio Series, I am on a quest to view all of Caravaggio’s masterpieces firsthand.  Thanks to a short layover at London Heathrow I found three more in The National Gallery.

Picking up where we left off during the previous Chasing Caravaggio, I was standing before three great works of art by Caravaggio in The Nation Gallery in London.  While the first two pieces, Boy bitten by a Lizard and Salome receives the Head of John the Baptist were delightful, my favorite of the three now had my full attention.

The Supper at Emmaus

Caravaggio's The Supper at Emmaus - Courtesy of Wikipedia

Caravaggio’s The Supper at Emmaus – Courtesy of Wikipedia

The final and greatest Caravaggio painting in The National Gallery, The Supper at Emmaus, was much large than I expected.  The scale of the painting accentuates the viewer’s ability to enter into the scene as Christ stretches his hand out of the painting’s surface, directly to us.

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Wrigley Field

June 11, 2015 / / 4 Comments

IMG_4910Even if you’re not a huge baseball fan, a visit to Wrigley Field is well worth your time. In the age of sponsorships, there is a sense of nostalgia in the untouched Wrigley Field. Like apple pie, or the National Anthem, going to a baseball game evokes feelings of Americana, and at the historic Wrigley Field, these senses are heightened. The second oldest ballpark (first is Fenway Park in Boston), Wrigley was built in 1914, and celebrating its 100th year of hosting Major League Baseball this season!

If you happen to be in town during baseball season, try to catch a game. It is worth it just to participate in the tradition. I myself am not a huge baseball fan, but I really enjoy getting to go to a game–the live action is what lures me in. Wrigley Field has tours available and based on game-day and events happening at the Field, you have the opportunity to check out the dugouts, press box, and field. Check their website for tour options, pricing, and to purchase online if you’re interested. My recommendation is to take public transportation to get to Wrigley; parking is a little tricky (and expensive!); the Cubs website has handy information for which trains/buses to take based on your start location which is very helpful! Continue reading

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