Chicago

[Innkeeper]

My wife Susan and I took a 25th anniversary vacation to Chicago. Hit a couple of museums, had some fun and rolled back home about 4:30 local.

Two stand outs. I have wanted to see the U-505 for years. I knew it was in the Science & Technology Museum. I read Adm. Daniel Gallery's (ret) book on the capture and fate of the sub. What I did not expect was my reaction. I found it very sobering. This giant, magnificent machine, made to kill people. I patted the bow, and told it "Never again".

The second was an unexpected, near religious experience. They had the command module from the Apollo 8 mission to the Moon, the first, the one that gave us the Earth Rise picture, and the uplifting Christmas message, "To all of us on the good Earth." I was stunned, and a bit choked up. The Astronauts were the heroes of my youth and this was the very place the very ship some of that happened.

The other Museum was the Field Museum of Natural History. It would take two days to go though the place bit by bit. Seeing the Titanasaur in the dead bone was just wow. It can look you in the eye if you are on the balcony three stories up. Sue the T Rex is on display as well. I was bitten by Sue, no really Sue bit me. We had the dinosaurs of course the mammal and bird collections, the special exhibit of Mummies, China and Antarctic dinosaurs. And we ran out of day. About half the place unseen.