A Day in the Windy City
Class Picture at MSI
February 13, 2023
As part of English IV, this past Tuesday I was able to travel to Chicago for the day to mark the end of the most recent novel we read in class, The Devil in the White City. The novel follows the 1893 Columbian Exposition, which is more commonly known now as the Worlds’ Fair. It goes back and forth between telling the story of Daniel Burnham, who was an architect of the fair, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer in the city at the same time.
Starting the day off, we were up at the high school bright and early at 3:15 am to be able to catch the 5:00 train at Effingham. While all of us were tired, we were almost hysterical and unable to sleep the whole way to the train station. Mrs. Hyde had the privilege (err..more like had to endure) a Zach Bryan concert on the way to the station as well. After the 4 hour train ride, it was time to explore the city!
Our first stop was to Starbucks, and then we took off down Adams Street. We passed The Rookery, which was famously designed by Daniel Burnham and John Root. Here, Burnham and others drafted plans for the Exposition. Once we reached the Art Institute, we headed north towards the Bean. For those who don’t know, the Bean is actually called, “Cloud Gate.” Kaden was arguably the most excited to see the Bean.
City trains are the main form of transportation throughout Chicago. We took the train from the Bean to the Museum of Science and Industry, and then up to the Field Museum. The MSI is the last remaining structure of the 1893 Columbian Exposition. While it is no longer covered in stucco like the original, it still has the original framework. The museum features a WWII submarine, as well as exhibits over weather, airplanes, and the space programs. My favorite was the submarine, though I also enjoyed the one over weather. Once we got to the Field Museum, we all knew exactly what we wanted to see. The Field Museum hosts SUE, which is the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil to be found. She lived up to all our expectations, and more.
On our way back to the train station, we finally started to experience a bit of the wind that Chicago is known for. Throughout the day, we seemed to get lucky with both wait lines and weather. While it was a lot to experience all in one day, it really was a great day in the city. We got Culvers in Effingham on the way home, and Mrs. Hyde got another concert experience. I had a wonderful time on the English IV trip, and hope others do in the future.
