Touristic times in the land of Lincoln

I arrived in Chicago (well, Evanston really) yesterday morning and have mainly been hanging out with Jenn. But, she's in the middle of studying for finals so today I ventured into the city and met up with Aay (a friend of mine from middle/high school) who showed me around to some parts of the city which were new to me.

First stop: Aay's studio in Pilsen, which he shares with seven other artists. While there, I got to model a hat/mask from a recent installation of Aay's.



Next stop, the Field Museum, which, I must say, I enjoyed much more than its NYC equivalent, the Museum of Natural History. While there...

we took a trip to Africa:


saw an amazing exhibit on shoes (these were my favorite):


and Aay introduced me to the most amazing machine EVER:


Insert two dollars and it makes a plastic dinosaur (they have four different ones to choose from) for you, on the spot. It is dispensed from the machine still hot!

Aay and I (and our newly molded friends) finished off our day with a trip to Chinatown where we enjoyed an early dinner and patronized a local bakery:

The best part of Chinatown, this sign:


When we parted ways today, Aay promised me another fun day of adventures on Saturday. Stay tuned.