A while back, I posted about our
Chicago trip and the itinerary I was making for us. Believe it or not, but that trip is
next week! I promised I would update you all about what we plan to do, whether you care to know or not.
CHICAGOWednesday, September 8 - leave Columbia @ 5:40a, arrive in Chicago @ 0829a
- Stephen Daiter Gallery (vintage B&W)
FREE www.stephendaitergallery.com/
- Museum of Contemporary Photography
FREE http://mocp.org
- Millennium Park
- Cubs v. Astros $20 (?) *Robert purchased these tickets so I'm not sure of the cost
Thursday, September 9- Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
FREE http://www.chias.org/
- Eli's Cheesecake Factory $3 (Tour of a Cheesecake Factory)
- Lincoln Park Zoo FREE www.lpzoo.com
- Art Institute of Chicago
FREE http://www.artic.edu/
-
Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me $22 @ Chase Bank Auditorium
Friday, September 10- Shedd Aquarium $27 www.sheddaquarium.org
free admission on Tuesdays*we're choosing to go this day even though it's not free because (a) our friend Robert would like to go with us and cannot the following week, and (b) it'll probably be a lot less crowded, thus more enjoyable this day (thanks Vanessa!)
- John Hancock Observatory $15 www.hancockobservatory.com
optional: go to lounge instead, free entrance but drinks start @ $12Saturday, September 11- Indiana Dunes
FREE www.nps.gov/indu
West Beach -- Chicago/South Shore Train $6.80 one way
- Second City $27 www.secondcity.com
Sunday, September 12- Church with Amanda
- Wavves w/ Christmas Island @ Lincoln Hall $12
Monday, September 13- Chicago History Museum
FREE http://www.chicagohs.org/
- Field Museum
FREE- Adler Planetarium
FREE admission http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/
theatre show $7 -- Skywatchers of Africa (35-min) 1030/1230/1530
- Jenny/Johnny w/ Love as Laughter and Jaill @ Lincoln Hall $20
Tuesday, September 14- Museum of Contemporary Art
FREE www.mcachicago.org
- Museum of Surgical Science
FREE www.imss.org
- leave Chicago @ 1635p, arrive in Columbia @ 2120p
If you've been keeping track then you know that it's about $150 per person, so $300 for the both of us. To do all of the above events. Without proper planning, all of those activities listed could have cost us well over $300 each! There is an opportunity for us to save almost $60 more total, but it's worth it to us to be able to spend time with Robert. Besides, he's giving us a home for a week!
Breakfast and lunches will most-likely be made at home, so I'm thinking it might be quite easy to keep our food budget at around $300.
To recap, our major travel expenses (airfare, lodging) have been taken care of by David's wonderful Uncle Mike and our dear friend Robert...so, figure about $300 each for airfare and over $1050 for lodging (for equal value to where we'll be staying - R lives downtown!! -- otherwise we would most likely be staying out of the inner city areas for a cheaper hotel/hostel). That totals almost $2000 savings in itself!
Womp.
To note, if airfare and/or lodging hadn't been gifted to us like it has, we would most-likely dramatically reduce the amount of non-free things on the itinerary. But since we're able, we figure WHY NOT. Besides, Chicago is a center of arts in America, why not give the money to the community for its great productions and to the artists for their great talents?
A trip that would be costing us over $2300 will be about $600. And that makes me smile!
