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

Category: Family-friendly (Page 8 of 14)

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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Chasing Caravaggio: Caravaggios of the National Gallery, Part 2

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

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

Sudie’s Catfish House

A couple of weeks ago, David and I went to Pasadena and Deer Park, TX.  We traveled there to be able to honor a beloved teacher in a retirement celebration.  I have never been able to share that area of Texas with David, so it was a special time for me in many ways.  We drove by my old schools and the house I grew up in, and forgotten memories flooded my mind and heart.  I am sure I did not stop talking for hours…But David is used to this by now…

5 Piece Fried Catfish Dinner

5 Piece Fried Catfish Dinner

One of the places I knew I had to take David was Sudie’s Catfish House.  I tell you there is no better place to eat catfish in the world, or at least that I know of, than Sudie’s.  I remember as a little girl, my family saw the structure built and wondered what it was going to be.  We all had theories, but alas, the sign was installed, a catfish house!

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