"It's myyyyyyy kind of towwwwwwwwwn!"

One town that won't let you down, indeed. Chicago is where we met, as most of you know. Beyond the nostalgia trip, it was a blast.

I can't say enough (though Sarah and the boys insist I have said too much) about the early Americans exhibit at the Field Museum of Natural History. It's a newer wing and covers one of my favorite questions: How and when did people first come to the Americas? (Click here for the latest news on this. The boys enjoyed playing the edutaining video games in this area, also.

A famous depiction of what smallpox did. Never have I seen a museum display it, and hugely too.

There was a huge reproduction of the Aztec stone of the sun, and other cool stuff from the Incas and tons of pottery.

To help make the point that not all Indians died, recently they added a room to the end of the (somewhat outdated) native peoples exhibit. The whole room focused on a (younger than me!) Pawnee artist named Bunky Echo Hawk. Check him out. Here is "If Yoda Was an Indian":

Now, that's just cool

We saw the largest and most complete T-Rex. We have become a bit jaded re: fossils, but Sue impressed nonetheless.

Blurriness helps you feel the fear of being hunted
(P.S. I realize dinosaurs and humans did not live at the same time)

Senegal was the featured nation in the Africa wing. Here's a shout-out to the G!

Emmett got friendly with some "locals":

And the boys (much like many of the museums we have hit) cannot get enough of ancient Egypt. What explains this obsession, anyway? What is so crucial about Egypt that every kid has to study it? You would think we'd all be irrigation and mummification experts by now. Oh, wait, those skills are obsolete!

GO CATS!

There is also a stuffed gorilla named Bushman. Which I thought was racist as hell, but it was the 1930s, so that makes it OK. Right?

He WAS big, though, even with a racist name

AND THIS WAS JUST ONE DAY!

In the interest of me getting to bed by midnight, here is our next day, in pictures only. Sears Tower and Millennium Park. Enjoy! Thanks again to the wonderful Keel family for taking us in and showing us around.

We rode the train downtown

It's really tall. I laid down to shoot this

"Like"

High on Love

(no caption needed, right?)

Exit Thru the Gift Shop. Yes, it appears Desi really bit that. (Still didn't buy it!) 

Cheesy fries at Max's Take-Out (on Adams, near Wabash)

Dog had no chance

Messing around at The Bean

Give yourself a hand. Or 2

So much beauty!

Parkour action shot. CALL PULITZER, BAYBAY!

Several attempts---> one good photo. Kids slept like babies that night, I tell ya.

This one blurred but still reminds me of this album cover:

Don't worry--merely an ILLUSION

Get it? His name is Emmett. And the restaurant is named Emmett's. And those are the same