29 July 2009
01 July 2009
Daycation, All I Ever Wanted...
Amidst a hectic class schedule and proposal preparation, my friend Anne and I decided we needed a daycation this weekend. We jumped in the car and headed for Chicago, Illinois, partially to celebrate Anne's birthday with a walk through of the Harry Potter exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry.
No road trip is complete without a dose of caffeine. We got on the road early and resorted to McDonald's, being unable to locate a Dunkin' Donuts on our route. Caffeinated = smiling.
We made a stop in Gary, Indiana at Michael Jackson's home. It's a small house in a town that rivals Detroit in terms of rust belt devastation, but it was fascinating how it was constructed into a shrine for someone who was able to move up and out of his situation. Sadly, those gathered were there to mourn Jackson's passing, leaving stuffed animals, writing messages on boards, and leaving poetry.
I love the aesthetics of the font here. Yeah, I'm one of those people.
The front of the Museum of Science and Industry. Note the large Hedwig banner - it was all Harry Potter, all the time. Interestingly enough, the exhibit was housed in a tent external to the building. It was a lovely day, albeit windy (hence, the Windy City), so the tent swayed to and fro, adding to the experience of walking through Harry's wizard world. Also of note: no matter how big of an HP geek I am, there will always be someone who eclipses me. This makes me happy.
Our tickets for the exhibit were timed, so we wandered through the exhibits for a bit. There were these huge Lego sculptures of famous buildings throughout the museum, totally feeding into my childhood love for the building blocks. I was tempted to purchase a Lego kit to build the Sears Tower in the gift shop, but resisted. The Lego Architecture series is pretty sweet, though.
Anne shows off her Nebraskan roots with her ease around the cows. We learned more than we could ever have hoped about the dairy industry in Illinois, including the way to milk a cow. Thankfully, there are no pictures of this.
Since this was our daycation, there were specific words we could not say: dissertation, research, pedagogy, framework, literature review, etc. Another one of those words? Foucault.
No photography is allowed in the HP exhibit itself, but the 1962 Ford Anglia used in Chamber of Secrets was on display in the main concourse. We took it as a definite photo opportunity.
After the museum, we drove into downtown to meet Colleen, AD, and their adorable twins. Did I mention the perfect weather?
Once parking was secured, we headed out to Taste of Chicago. I'd never been, but it was both tasty and fun. the ticket system was a little strange, but when in Chicago, do as the Chicagoans do. 
James, one of Colleen's little ones, eyes me as we walk back to our cars after a long day. A great daycation, exactly what was needed to push through the last two days of class (check) and this final paper (currently working on). So close to a small amount of summer freedom!
No road trip is complete without a dose of caffeine. We got on the road early and resorted to McDonald's, being unable to locate a Dunkin' Donuts on our route. Caffeinated = smiling.
We made a stop in Gary, Indiana at Michael Jackson's home. It's a small house in a town that rivals Detroit in terms of rust belt devastation, but it was fascinating how it was constructed into a shrine for someone who was able to move up and out of his situation. Sadly, those gathered were there to mourn Jackson's passing, leaving stuffed animals, writing messages on boards, and leaving poetry.
I love the aesthetics of the font here. Yeah, I'm one of those people.
The front of the Museum of Science and Industry. Note the large Hedwig banner - it was all Harry Potter, all the time. Interestingly enough, the exhibit was housed in a tent external to the building. It was a lovely day, albeit windy (hence, the Windy City), so the tent swayed to and fro, adding to the experience of walking through Harry's wizard world. Also of note: no matter how big of an HP geek I am, there will always be someone who eclipses me. This makes me happy.
Our tickets for the exhibit were timed, so we wandered through the exhibits for a bit. There were these huge Lego sculptures of famous buildings throughout the museum, totally feeding into my childhood love for the building blocks. I was tempted to purchase a Lego kit to build the Sears Tower in the gift shop, but resisted. The Lego Architecture series is pretty sweet, though.
Anne shows off her Nebraskan roots with her ease around the cows. We learned more than we could ever have hoped about the dairy industry in Illinois, including the way to milk a cow. Thankfully, there are no pictures of this.
Since this was our daycation, there were specific words we could not say: dissertation, research, pedagogy, framework, literature review, etc. Another one of those words? Foucault.
No photography is allowed in the HP exhibit itself, but the 1962 Ford Anglia used in Chamber of Secrets was on display in the main concourse. We took it as a definite photo opportunity.
After the museum, we drove into downtown to meet Colleen, AD, and their adorable twins. Did I mention the perfect weather?
Once parking was secured, we headed out to Taste of Chicago. I'd never been, but it was both tasty and fun. the ticket system was a little strange, but when in Chicago, do as the Chicagoans do. 
James, one of Colleen's little ones, eyes me as we walk back to our cars after a long day. A great daycation, exactly what was needed to push through the last two days of class (check) and this final paper (currently working on). So close to a small amount of summer freedom!
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