Well, it's warm for one thing, sunny, and quite humid. We've walked a long way, rode the El, and arrived, with our sun hat and backpack, to see some flowers.
There was a special exhibit at Garfield Park where an artist had created a ton of colorful sculptures, of all sizes, that were interspersed in the gardens, indoors and out. My favorite piece was probably this snake and its setting:
There was also a good sized pond with many nice aquatic plants...
And I enjoyed looking up close at random elements in the conservatory, including some roots...
and a brick...
Another day, while Julia was spending the day at her conference, I took an excursion to the Chicago Botanic Garden. I walked a bit, took the El, walked a bit, took a Metra train to the Glencoe station, and walked several more bits (and then a few more), to the gardens. It was a pleasant walk along a nice street with well-kept homes.
My first move was to take a tram ride through the gardens, partially to acquaint myself with the layout of the gardens, which are huge, and partially to sit down for a while! I learned some interesting things from the driver who gave background information on the sites we passed. At the far end of the tram ride, there is a restored prairie, where I requested to be let out. I love prairies and also wanted to get some photos for my friend Aunita who is a prairie diva/enthusiast. They had different kinds of prairie habitat such as sand, gravel hill, wet, and fen prairies.
The grounds were just gorgeous, with different kinds of gardens tucked here and there among walking paths.
There were also conservatories, of course, as well as paintings and photos on display.
The next day, a Saturday, Julia and I went to Oak Park on a walking tour of Frank Lloyd Wright houses in town...
..and non-FLW houses - I just love how the garden colors and design mesh with the house colors and design...
... and an official tour of his studio. He was truly an architectural genius, but, it seems, somewhat of an ass as a person.
Later that afternoon, we went on a boat tour that focused on historic buildings. While waiting in line, I took this photo of flowers in the city...
The tour was both relaxing and exciting--a whole different perspective on the city from the water. Much more tranquil.
We also went to some nice restaurants and to Buckingham Fountain, but we just missed the water (it's turned off at 10:00 p.m.) Walking back through Millennium Park, we did see some fireworks near the lake.
It was a fun trip, despite megabus being delayed four hours on the way back due to a series of unfortunate events. I did chat with a nice lady who lives on Grosse Ile, however.
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