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

Author: Rachel (Page 5 of 8)

The Field Museum

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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Wrigley Field

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

Chicago Architecture Cruises

There are SO many things you can do in Chicago. SO many. But, this time around, we’re just focusing on a few that we particularly have enjoyed.

During our time in Chicago, we went on a couple different Architecture Cruises–one left from Navy Pier and sailed out into Lake Michigan while giving a great history of the skyline; the other was on the Chicago River and went up and back down the North and South branches and then out into the Lake for a final view of the city.

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If you’re interested in architecture I would highly recommend checking one of these tours out; these are just the two that we were able to do, but there are others out there as well. The tours we took were/are very different from each other, which is another thing to consider. When planning a trip, it helps to do your research to determine the best use of your time and money. Continue reading

History of Fort Worth

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.

Did you know I enjoy history? I do. Knowing and understanding the history of something helps me to appreciate art, people, buildings, cities, culture, and traditions all the more. Today I want to share with you a brief segment on the history of Fort Worth. I’ve muddled through a few different resources and have condensed the information to be able to share it with you today.

I should also note: I’m a timeline person. It probably has to do with being instructed to “make a timeline” with pictures when I was a child plus, I appreciate the linear format for easy reading/understanding. Here goes nothing! Continue reading

Gourmands Neighborhood Pub

Mother’s Day weekend, we took our little family on a road trip to San Antonio; yesterday you read Matt’s post about his tried and true favorite when we visit, Alamo Cafe. As we made our trek back north to DFW, we decided to try a completely new restaurant. Austin is known for its weird vibe, congested traffic, and many original restaurants; our drive through Austin  happened to coincide with lunch and we wanted to avoid some traffic headaches, so perfect! Let’s eat in Austin!

In a post about creating itineraries, I previously mentioned that I love to use Yelp to find new restaurants. Being in the mood for a sandwich (at the time), and still about a half hour away, I plugged in a couple keywords and conducted a search. Gourmands Neighborhood Pub came up second on the list. Whoa! 4.5 stars on Yelp with 307 reviews?! No way! After looking at the menu and preemptively deciding what to order, both Matt and I started to get excited about trying something new. Ultimately, we chose Gourmands over the number one option because of its location, just tucked in the east side of Austin on Webberville, and the menu, which even reading online made our taste buds water.

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