Family Vacation to Chicago --- Shortarmguy.com Update for March 28, 2010

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Family Vacation to Chicago

Shortarmguy.com Diary Update for March 28, 2010

The Shortarmguy Family went on vacation this week to the Windy City of Chicago, Illinois!

On our first night in town we went to eat some chili and milkshakes at Ed Debevic's.

Ed Debevic's is a well known locale where the wait staff goofs around with each other and are rude and insulting to the clients. Our waiter was a rough and tumble guy named Bubba who butted heads with both Luke and Avery. I think he might have also spit in our food, but I figured that was a good thing. When in Rome...

On Thursday, we started out the day by seeing all sorts of aquatic creatures at one of the oldest salt water aquariums in the country, Shedd Aquarium.

Probably the highlight of the visit was seeing the show, Fantasea. It was a magical event featuring Beluga Whales, Dolphins, a California Sea Lion, Penguins, and a Red Tailed Hawk. I told Miss Sheri that I had a completely different idea about what a show called Fantasea was going to be all about, but this turned out to be really nice as well.

My favorite tank was filled with these mini eels who have the awesome ability to dig holes in the sand and hang out in them while trying to catch plankton and other things swimming by. If a predator comes along, they can quickly shrink back down into the ground until they can no longer be seen. I have a similar ability when I swim in really cold water!

After the Aquarium, we went downtown to visit the largest building in the city, The Willis Tower. Of course, everyone still thinks of it as The Sears Tower, but it did change it's name recently. When I first about this, all I could think of repeatedly was "Whatchoo Talkin' About, Willis?"

We took a brief tour that discussed the history of the building and then we got on an elevator that took us up to the 103rd floor where we had the chance to hang out on these glass balconies.

Avery was the bravest one in the family. He climbed out in the box from the moment we arrived and never felt the need to get back on the solid floor. I tried to go out there with the same confidence that he had, but my brain kept telling me I wasn't in a safe place. Human beings just aren't meant to hover 103 floors in the sky!

Luke and I pretty much had the same philosophy. We felt they allowed way too many people to stand in these glass boxes at once! The guy that worked there told me that the floors were engineered to be able to carry up to 10,000 pounds, but that still didn't make me feel safe. Some of the people on there with us were pretty fat! We got lucky while we were there, but my gut feeling is that some day one of these things is gonna drop! And I sure wouldn't want to be on there when it happens!

Before we left, we saw this TV crew who apparently were filming a segment for the Oprah Show. This young lady had a fear of heights, so they brought her up here to dangle her from the top floor to help her get over it. Miss Sheri thought she'd do just fine since she had four cute guys there to help her confront her fears. Then a lightbulb appeared over her head and my wife began saying loudly "Ooooohhhh, it's so scary up here!" But they didn't do anything. Apparently Oprah can only help one person at a time.

On Friday, we went to one of coolest Museums in the World, The Museum of Science and Industry.

We saw all sorts of cool exhibits from an actual German Sub captured during World War II, a 40 foot tall tornado generator, an assembly line of toy making robots, and actual human cadavers that exposed all of the organs including the inside of the male penis. I actually could have done without seeing that last one.

I had actually been to this same museum about 30 years ago when I was a little boy. The only thing I remembered was this exhibit featuring a trip down into a "Real" Coal Mine. For some reason, it seemed a lot more real when I was 8 years old.

On our final night in town, we ate at the Rainforest Cafe. The food was pretty good, but I did have a bit of trouble swallowing all that tree bark!

Quote of the Week

“I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.”

– Martha Washington, wife of George Washington

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