chicago history museum

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about two weeks ago, i was in chicago for the kick-off training of my new job.  i ended up skipping the intro to excel training (smart move -- it was optional!) and headed up to lincoln park to the chicago history museum.  i had been once when i was in middle school with my mother and sister.  my wonderful friend, kelly, also had her wedding reception there last august, but unfortunately, i was unable to attend.

i got there a little after 3:00.  the entrance is pretty easy to find although my cabbie wanted an actual street address.

i really enjoyed the museum.  i first tackled the first floor including the dioramas and the very old "mystery" american flag.  the dioramas are some of the oldest part of the museum.  the story with the flag is that they really do not know the story of the flag!  it is not standard print or size, so they are trying to figure out where it is from and why it was created. 

i then headed upstairs to where the main action is.  i spent the most time in the exhibit with the history of chicago.  it took the viewer step by step through the progression of chicago from a small town on lake michigan to the "crossroads" of america.  one of my favorite signs in the museum was this one:
i found this image particularly amusing since i had just been in milwaukee and experienced their abundance of beer!  i also stumbled into the exhibit which discussed all of the contributions chicago had made to the retail and invention space including the awesome game of mouse trap. 

overall, time flew by in the museum.  i wish i had just an extra half hour to spend.  most museums seem to close at 5:00, so i thought i had the time, but unfortunately this one closed at 4:30. 

time in museum: 1.5 hrs
times visited: 1 (in recent memory)
overall: B+
Location: Chicago History Museum, Chicago, IL 60614, USA

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