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College-ing In Chicago Part II
March 9th, 2010
Between campus visits, my Mom and I had enough time to visit Willis Tower (better known as the former Sears Tower, the tallest building in the Western hemisphere) and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Seeing Willis Tower was actually really awesome. I was sort of expecting an Empire State building experience: you wait a really long time, go up, oooohhh, aaaaahhh, and come back down. While waiting in line for the Skydeck (the part of the Willis Tower you’re able to tour), however, there were loads of statistics about the building on the walls as well as touchscreen quizzes you could play around with. The line was pretty short and security was fast, but I have one complaint to throw in: they made you stop and take a picture in front of a green screen in case you wanted to buy a picture of you and your mother in front of a fake Chicago panorama. But whatever points the tower lost in my mind for the photo were regained during the elevator ride. As we went up, a plasma screen told us exactly how high we were and what famous structure we just surpassed in height… oh look, we just passed the Taj Mahal! Hey, there goes the Eiffel Tower!
At the top, the view was extraordinary. My favorite part of the whole experience, however, was standing in one of the four glass boxes that jut out the side of the building. They are perfectly transparent, so when you walk out into one, you look down and see… well, 1,450 feet of Chicago beneath your feet. It was SO crazy and so worth it!
The Art Institute of Chicago was also really worth it (in fact, much more than worth it– we got in for free)! We first went to look at the Impressionist wing (my Mom and I both love love love the impressionists) and saw a bunch of famous, beautiful paintings including Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Caillebotte’s Paris Street, and Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles. Being so close to such masterpieces was even better than seeing the Mona Lisa because they’re aren’t behind a thick glass barrier.
Before I tell you the other exhibit we visited, I want you to carefully study this picture:
No, that isn’t some historical house or even a room in the museum… technically. It’s a miniature room, scaled down to 1/12 of its original size, but constructed completely with authentic materials. The rooms range from an ancient cathedral to an 18th-century Colonial kitchen to a modern Japanese living room. There are 68 in total, and all of them are fascinating down to the tiniest details. The key to enjoying the miniature rooms is paying close attention to that detail– you’ll find yourself pretty amazed.
Walking around the Central Loop of Chicago and down Michigan Ave. (known as the “Magnificent Mile”) was just so enjoyable. I loved the array of bookstores and art supply stores. There were enough cute tea salons and cafés to make each street block original but there wer also all the usual chains to satisfy my inner consumer.
Stay tuned for one final installment in which I actually talk about the colleges I visited– now there’s an idea!
Jerash, Jordan: Where East Meets West
March 9th, 2010
Check out the video over here!
Day two in Jordan began with a trip to Jerash, known in antiquity as Gerasa. Reaching the height of its power in the late first century, Jerash was a place of power and prosperity. Today visitors can see the many influences of the West, especially the ancient Romans.
Three of the most notable features of this ancient city were the columns, Hadrian’s Arch, and the Roman forum.
- The columns are the most recognizable feature of Jerash and were in surprisingly good condition! Though, our guide, Khaled, showed us one that wobbled ominously above us. You can’t see it move, but when you put your hand at the bottom, you can feel it sway. We were also surprised by another incredibly long set of columns that formed a colonnade for charioteers. Grooves in the stone from years of use were easily visible. The road went straight into…a hill. This is evidence of the nature’s wear and tear on the city and that there is still something to be excavated!
- While it was Emperor Trajan who is responsible for opening up trade routes, it was Emperor Hadrian who had a triumphal arch erected in his honor at Jerash.
- The Roman forum is a third example of the Western influence in Jordan. While most forums were synonymous with a town square, this forum was built in an unusual oval. It was interesting to see the differences in masonry. The inner oval was constructed with rounder, less exact stones of varying color whereas the outer oval was cut more precisely and evenly, indicating a development in architecture and pleasing the art historian in me (AP Art History in action)!
Paris: Let Them Eat…CREPES!
March 8th, 2010
Hi you guys,
I know I recently talked to you guys about how amazing Singer Island is, but I am now here to tell you how perfect Paris, France is. This summer I went to Paris for five weeks. It was one of the most spectacular experiences of my life.
Now, I am the kind of girl who loves food! I don’t eat half my plate and say I’m done. If it is good I won’t stop until it is completely done! This means that Paris is perfect for me. Not only is it one of the most romantic cities in the world, but it also has the greatest food in the world.
I studied this summer at the Sorbonne, which is right next to the Notre Dame. In between classes my friends Alex, Taylor, and I would go and get crepes. There are so many great creperies, but we liked our crepes in a certain way. We liked them well done, also know in French as “bien cuit”.
I highly recommend trying French cepes while in the beautiful city of Paris. 
Singer Island
March 7th, 2010
Hi you guys. I am Liz and I am a new blog member. I am from New York, but my favorite place to relax in is Singer Island, Florida. There is everything a girl needs in a 5 mile radius.
Singer Island is a 2 mile long island with a beach everywhere you turn. The best hotel to stay in is the Singer Island Resort. You can feel refreshed and relaxed when you spend time on the beach. Another way to unwind in Florida is by going to my favorite nail spa called the Venetian Nails, which is a couple miles from Singer Island. You’ll need to get both a manicure and a pedicure since they do an amazing job! You can spend up to 3 hours there and it feels like only minutes.
Last, but certainly not least, the best place to go for dinner while staying in Singer Island is a restaurant called Spoto’s Oyster Bar. It is right outside Singer Island, but it is very close. If you love seafood (like I do) then this is the best restaurant to go to . They are fun and friendly with the most amazing food.
Choir Tour Part I!
March 6th, 2010
I just returned from a week-long trip with my church choir. Every year we put on a performance and during February Break we take it to a different part of the U.S. or occasionally, out of the country. This year we did Fiddler on the Roof and traveled on a bus to Carlisle, PA, Gibsonia, PA, Chicago, IL, Anderson, IN and finally Pittsburgh, PA. About fifty-five of us, students and the adult advisors, traveled from town to town performing in a total of five churches. Luckily between all that work and driving we had some time for a little sightseeing! Our main destination was Chicago. We stayed two nights right in the city and visited the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), the Museum of Science and Industry, volunteered with Chicago City Year and went to a show at Second City, a comedy club where many comedians from SNL got their start.
The Museum of Science and Industry was amazing. I wasn’t expecting much but it turned out to be similar to the Newseum in Washington DC that I wrote about a few blogs ago. It is the largest museum in the Western Hemisphere with more than 35,000 artifacts and over 14 acres of exhibits. We also had tickets to the Omnimax Theater to see “Mysteries of the Great Lakes” which was really interesting and quite an experience. My favorite part had to be Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle. Colleen Moore was an actress who created the dollhouse of her dreams by the suggestion of her father. It is a beautiful piece of art. Everything inside symbolizes something and some miniature statues are close to 2,000 years old. It also contains the tiniest bible ever written. It cost about $500,000.00 to create! Some other exhibits we visited were the U-505 submarine and a coal mine. There was so much to see, I’ll definitely go back if I ever find myself in Chicago again! Visit www.msichicago.org if you’re going to be in the area!
Next time: Willis Tower and Second City
