Day 1
This next trip almost didn’t happen. The hubs and I had tickets to see Pearl Jam in Chicago (flying out on a Saturday). However, the previous Saturday I wasn’t feeling great. Had bad stomach pains all day with other symptoms. When I looked them up, it seemed I was suffering from Appendicitis. Went to the ER just to make sure, and yep, I had to get that sucker removed. However, everything went as planned (and done laparoscopically), and the doc cleared me for traveling (I just couldn’t lift any of my luggage). So BAM! I found myself on a plane less than a week after an appendectomy.
Day 2
If you know me, then you know I like to go-go-go when on vacation. But one week post appendectomy and I’m definitely moving a bit slower. I also hadn’t pre-planned anything (other than hotel room and Pearl Jam tickets), so we were making plans on the fly.
First off it was a slow morning. After getting out of the shower, we had 30 min to get downstairs for our included breakfast. And I still needed to get out of the towel I was wearing. 
We did make it with about 2 minutes to spare. While we were at breakfast, we both were looking for things to do today. Then I got lucky and found a twofer: Midevil Torture Museum and a Lincoln Park Ghost Tour! Worked out great because we could walk the museum during the day and come back to the hotel for me to rest before the night walking tour.
Hopefully the images from the museum are recognized as wax figures and my post doesn’t get removed for graphic images 
I really appreciate that societies have become more civilized (for the most part) in that public displays of torture are no longer performed. Because folks were downright cruel back in the day! Some of these devices made my skin crawl!!
We then walked over to Memorial Park to listen to some free jazz at the Chicago Jazz Festival. Sadly the Bean was blocked off for some work, so we had to get a selfie from outside the construction fence. Bill and Will were just in Chicago (in July visiting colleges) and Bill knew of a nice shaded bench in the garden area where we could sit and still hear the music. After a couple of songs, it must’ve been a band change as it got quiet for a while. That was our indicator to get moving because 90 degrees with stifling humidity was not what we are used to.
However, we decided to walk back to the hotel. Got to see the plaza art/area that was in the Blues Brothers movie. Although in the movie, the sculpture doesn’t appear to be bright red 
After spending adequate time evaporating the sweat from our bodies in our air conditioned hotel room, we meandered downstairs to grab an early dinner in the hotel restaurant. Then it was off to Lincoln Park to get spooked!
We started off with a history lesson on the Chicago City Cemetery. As Chicago was forming, the city chose a marshy plot of land near Lake Michigan that was outside the city (at that time) for the cemetery. I think mid 1800s. This marsh would flood and bodies would rise and float out into the lake. This lake was also the drinking water for the city, so there would be outbreaks of cholera killing large portions of the population. So officials decided they needed to find new land further from the lake and move all those that were buried.
During this relocation project, there was the big fire of 1871. This halted work, but also made the city divert the relocation funds to rebuilding the city. Therefore, tens of thousands of people remain buried in the grounds of Lincoln Park. Thus making it highly susceptible to paranormal activity.
Because all records of things were destroyed in the great fire, no one really knows why the only remaining indicator of the cemetery is the Couch family vault. But it is.
On the tour we also learned about Suicide Bridge (which no longer exists), and stories about hauntings in the Lincoln Park Zoo. Particularly the women’s bathroom in the Lions House. It was closed, so we couldn’t go in there. “They” say the area around Suicide Bridge is quite active from all the suicidal souls there. I didn’t see anything
The tour ended with the location of the Northside Gangs garage where the Saint Valentines Day Massacre took place in 1929. While the case is still unsolved to this day, speculation has it that Al Capone ordered the kill from his winter home in Miami.
The Northside Gang was having a big planning meeting in the garage. Their boss, Bugs Moran, was supposed to be there, but he overslept. He saw a cop car out front so went to a nearby diner instead to wait it out. It’s rumored 4 of Capone’s men (2 dressed as cops and 2 in plainclothes) drove up in a cop car. The 2 “cops” went in the front and the 2 plainclothes went around back. After the shooting, the two “cops” were seen leading the two other men out with guns pointed on them and put in the car and taken away. So it made it seem like the cops caught the shooters to anyone looking out their windows. I guess we’ll never really know what happened
Day 3
Today was definitely a chillaxin’ day. While I got up still in the AM time zone, Bill slept until 1:30pm. We rallied and went out to find grub. Today was Labor Day, so the pickins were slim. We ultimately settled on Chipotle.
We went back to the hotel room and decided we would go to a Dine-In AMC for dinner and a movie. Ended up seeing Equalizer III with Denzel. Decent movie. Takes place in Italy, so it definitely made me pine going back. I’ll get Bill there one day. I loved it 
It was a mild night, so we walked home from the theater. And that was the extent of the day. Lazy on tha forilla!!
Day 4
Today was definitely more eventful. Started out with hotel breakfast (which was very *meh*). Then Bill had a Zoom call at 11.
After his call we headed out to the WNDR Museum. Think of it as a mini/step sister to Meow Wolf. It’s the intersection of art and technology. Definitely an interesting way to spend a couple of hours.
Then it was back to the hotel to rest up and then get ready for Pearl Jam!! 
Decided to hit up the food hall in the Willis Tower (3rd tallest in western hemisphere I believe). Sadly their food hall is only partially filled, so the pickin’s were slim. But we got some grub none the less.
Then it was time to snag a Lyft to the show. When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised at the setup they have for rideshare rides. Gave us hope that the mass exodus would be relatively smooth.
With Chicago being Eddie Vedder’s hometown (yes, he also called San Diego and Seattle home), this is where he started. He told a story how he had been to his aunt’s memorial service the day before up north a bit. And when driving back into the city, had his buddy stop by his grandmother’s old home where he had many fond childhood memories. There were some guys hanging out on a front stoop of the building and they recognized him and called down the family that was now living in his grandmother’s old apartment. Eddie ended up inviting them all to the show and they were right there in the front! Heartwarming story for sure.
Upon the mass exodus, what at first appeared a great way to corral rideshare rides ended up being a hot mess (in my opinion). Not from the standpoint per se of the setup, but of actually getting a freaking ride. We ended up both trying to get rides as I kept being kicked out of the system with no drivers available. Bill got lucky with his jacked up premium rate he paid 
So we got back with an $80 ride that cost us $17 to get there. 
But overall worth it. For the show that is. 
Got back to the hotel, did a little packing, then hit the pillow about 1am with an 8am alarm set.
Until next time….
Dianna