Day 5: My Kind of Town

Start: Chicago, IL
End: Madison, WI
Miles Driven: 141.9 (1438.5 Total)

We headed out into cold and blustery Chicago this morning to take in a day of sightseeing. We began with the Thompson Center, a huge shopping and business center that houses the Illinois State Arts Gallery. Here we saw pieces by artists from across the state--some very interesting, and some upon which Patrick felt he could make serious improvements.

Back on the streets, we happened upon Christkindlmarket: a festival of German food, toys and chocolate treats. Katrina had to resist many temptations there as we moved on to explore the city. Our next stop was Millennium Park with its impressive amphitheater and Cloud Gate sculpture, which reflects the Chicago skyline from every curvaceous angle.

Further exploration of downtown led us to the Chicago Cultural Center. Despite an unassuming appearance from the street, the Center is a beautiful building with marble staircases and mosaic tile ceilings, and is full of fantastic cultural events! There was a free art exhibit, a Moroccan pottery, jewelry and tapestry exhibition, and a local jazz quartet performing. Our final stop in Chicago was the Harold Washington Public Library where we took refuge from the cold weather, checked out a Blues exhibit, and completed the Chicago Tribune crossword.

Our day concluded with traveling to Madison, WI (taking us through Rockford, IL, the hometown of Katie List). Madison turned out to be a hidden treasure with its beautiful State House and the delectable dinner we had at the nearby Cafe Continental. With the flash of our Choice Privileges card at the local Clarion Suites we were able to score a sweet 1 bedroom suite not to mention the guest laundry and the indoor pool. Our kind of town, Madison is......