Dogs, Dinos, and Dolphins

I started this morning with a trip to the gym. I really think Ratner is a fantastic athletic facility and I'm trying to utilize it as much as possible. Today I did a workout on the treadmill, and then headed to the pool. Even though I'm not very good at it, swimming puts me in a great mood; it is the perfect combination  of relaxing and rejuvenating. 

After a brief breakfast, I spent the rest of the morning working on my paper. At 11:30, I headed down from the dorms to meet Alana for our cohort excursion. Only Jae-An and I were attending the trip today, but Alana's sister Claire was accompanying us as well.

We took the Metra train to Museum Campus, a form of tranportation similar to Amtrak. I think it's pretty neat how many different forms of public transit I've been exposed to on this trip. Upon our arrival to the Museum Campus station, we had to walk a short way to get to the actual Museum Campus. I really liked the area, as it is basically a giant green park space with plenty of views of the lake. It was around lunch time, so we stopped at a cafe in the middle of the museum buildings. I decided it was time to try a Chicago style hotdog! I am usually very averse to hotdogs, but wanted to try one as it is a notable Chicago item. I enjoyed the hot dog well enough, and definitely think I prefer the Chicago style of topping the hot dog with onions, tomatoes, sport peppers, and pickles to the typical hot dog and bun. I am definitely not a convert to loving hot dogs, but I don't regret my decision to try one.

This is probably the first hot dog I've eaten in the last few years

Museum Campus includes the Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, and Adler Planetarium. Jae-An and I decided to start at the Field Museum, which features many exhibits on cultural and natural history, as well as being home to Sue, the largest assembled Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil. Our view of Sue was the  highlight of the trip, but I also enjoyed all the other exhibits we explored. Taxidermy was prominent in many, and taxidermy both fascinates me and really creeps me out.

Sue says Hi!

After the Field Museum, Jae-An and I decided to try and check out the aquarium. Unfortunately our visit wasn't very long, but we managed to see most of the animals I was hoping to. The beluga whales were my favorite, but the new dolphin calf and his mom were serious competition.

I had a marvelous time on our excursion to Museum Campus. I thought it was a beautiful area, and the weather today was good for walking through the park and along the lake. The Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium were both worthy sites to investigate, and while I probably could have spent all day at either, I feel like I saw all the things I was hoping to see.

Gorgeous view from outside the aquarium

In the evening, Sunil, who is one of the RAs, took a group of us to go play pick up soccer. We got to play with adults too, not just high schoolers in the program, so that was a lot of fun. Plus, Sunil has a pump so now I can finally use my soccer ball properly! After soccer, I had a quick dinner and a relaxing evening. For study break this Sunday, Katie made some yummy scones. The other RAs also provided treats, and I was happy to have some apple cobbler as I have been in the mood for fruit desserts. Overall, my weekend was a good mixture of involved and relaxing, and I'm ready to face the upcoming week!