Today was a wandering day. We started off shopping near our hotel. We went into Bloomingdales to admire the building and a helpful (probably bored) sales associate told us all about its history as a Shriners theater. More poking around at the Water Tower mall, nothing too special. Ben got himself a new watch, hopefully a good replacement for his beloved Pebble smartwatch that went off the market years ago. It’s the successor model, with the same dev team but now under the Fitbit brand. A nice birthday present to himself!

We had lunch at the John Hancock Signature restaurant with a table overlooking Lake Michigan. The service was terrible but the views spectacular. I made sure to check out the women’s restroom for their famous panoramic view as well.

Neither of us had walked down Navy Pier before, so we gave it a go. It was funny how all the kids and families congregated there. It was touristy, as we had been warned, but pleasant and clean. it was eerie how still and scentless the lake was, my brain expected waves and salt air when I gazed on it.

Next stop was the Chicago Cultural Center. It’s attached to the public library and houses some public art galleries. The art was disappointing, currently an exhibit of kids artwork. But we were really there for the breathtaking mosaics and mosaics by Tiffany Glass.

Next we walked through Millennial park for kicks. Gotta admire the bean up close. Here’s a picture to show the kids why I bought this weird Christmas tree ornament.

Having not eaten in over an hour (outrageous!) I suggested the Nutella cafe. You can’t really go wrong with Nutella, though I smiled smugly when Ben confirmed that my liege waffles taste better.

We still had a few hours before the show, we hunted down the entrance to the pedway, an underground tunnel for walkers. Basically subways tunnels without a subway. If I lived here I totally utilize the pedway instead of the cold streets above. Even on a balmy day like today, where it got up to the 40s.

We killed time in the Block 37 mall and Latinicity food court until showtime. We felt like we’d done pretty everything on our list for the trip, except the final show.

And what a show! I expected a newer theater, but this one had that historic, decorative, and tightly packed style that you find in NYC. Our seats were outstanding. The talent incredible. I really loved our Hamilton, he was very short, hot-headed, and scrappy, with a lovely deep voice. Our Lafayette couldn’t do a French accent, but killed it as Jefferson. Mulligan/Madison was also great. Eliza sounded just like the OBC album. King George played it more silly than I’d seen before. I think I prefer a restrained humor, but Ben loves him. What I love most about the show is the choreography. It’s a shame that you can only experience that in the live show. Same for the lights and energy and powerful music rumbles and punches your body. An amazing way to end the trip.

Oh, after we got Portuguese custard tarts. Had to go back to Nando’s to try them, since GBBO raves about them. Delish. Not as good as a thin slice after a show a la New York, but pretty good.