Big breakfast at Residence Inn to start the day. Also a little change in plans for first thing in the morning, prompted by watching the morning news. We decided it prudent to head for the zoo Tuesday instead of Wednesday, because of a trickier weather day and thundershowers forecasted for our planned time walking through the zoo.

So, after the morning vittles, we commuted to Lincoln Park Zoo, located in the north of the city along the lakeshore. It was a bit of a hike up to the zoo but well worth the visit. We got our bearings fairly quickly after a 15 min walk to the zoo from the subway train. The zoo is laid out quite nicely in a series of loops which make moving about quite easy. Once again, like the aquarium, the early visit found the inhabitants on the move and ready to take visitors.

Of note, the African exhibit and especially the gorilla (great ape house) allowed us to be very "close" to the animals. We got up and personal with the ol' silver back as he made his rounds in the indoor / outdoor enclosure. The area was specifically designed, with a glass "V" into the pen. His movements were so human like. A museum guide spoke with us about the Gorillas, their habits, and how the habitat is handled at the zoo. Very interesting.

The sea lion area was also cool (literally) as we had a below tank level, air conditioned and glassed in viewing area. Good find by the
kids. Although warm throughout the zoo, most animals were up and at it save the wart hog and rhinos. The bird house was colorful, and vultures are really ugly!

We bussed back to the Brown Line and headed into town, to check out the Magnificent Mile. Upon arrival we stopped for a refresher and some grub at Water Tower Place. Great mug up! Busy part of town and shops galore. I bet I could have set the girls loose there and not have seen them until Friday! We window shopped to our destination waaay-up (as the Friendly Giant would say).

Next stop was the Hancock Observatory for a trip to the top (94 floors). Good ol' Dad doesn't like these trips but pushes himself to at least try! The voice on the elevator guessed our ascent at 20 miles an hour. The gang very much enjoyed the views as well as the audio tour with David Schwimmer. Great vista on a fairly clear day. Janie took some keen shots (an excellent pic of the Navy Pier Area) from aloft and of the kids "window washing". I picked through the displays and caught up on some of the city's history, the great fire and the era of skyscraper building.

The kids, from aloft, finally caught sight of the Ferris Wheel. Thus we relented to the requests and prowled down to Navy Pier... and a bit of amusement park fun. We spent a few pesos on the Ferris wheel (a replica of the world's first ferriswheel, built for Chicago Expo in 1893) and spinning swings... and while Dad rested and took in the fun the rest enjoyed the rides. Quite a set-up, with everything built on a pier that juts out into Lake Michigan. Seemed especially popular with young families.

When the tickets were gone... we headed to "Potbellies" for some supper and then a few groceries for the room. The night ended with a big swim and snacks, along with a solid rest for Wednesday.