Started today slower than planned…and honestly? I needed that. 😴 After nonstop moving around Chicago the last few days, sleeping in felt less like laziness and more like self-care at this point. Eventually made my way over to the Field Museum for a full museum day, and immediately understood why people hype it up so much.
First stop? SUE the T. rex. And yeah…SUE absolutely deserved the hype. Seeing that massive skeleton in person is wild. Definitely posting pics because the scale of it doesn’t fully hit until you’re standing underneath it looking tiny. 😂. The dinosaur exhibits overall were easily my favorite part of the museum. As somebody working in microbiology, science and natural history stuff is always gonna pull me in. Fossils, prehistoric creatures, evolution exhibits…I was fully locked in.
One exhibit that really surprised me though was the Cyrus Tang Hall of China. I ended up loving it way more than I expected. It had this calmer energy compared to the louder tourist-heavy parts of the museum, and visually it was beautiful. The Zen garden especially stood out to me — definitely one of those moments where I had to stop and take pictures before leaving.
Somewhere in the middle of all this I stopped for lunch and yes…had Dino Nuggets and fries inside a dinosaur museum because apparently I enjoy committing to themes now. 😂
Now as for the Egypt exhibit…usually I LOVE Egypt exhibits. Ancient Egypt stuff is normally one of my favorite museum sections anywhere. But honestly? I’ve seen better. It wasn’t bad at all — I think my expectations were just really high. Meanwhile the dinosaur exhibits completely stole the show for me today.
After the Egyptian exhibit, I left the Field museum to check out the view of the lake in the back. It was another beautiful day and great views.
By the time I finished the museum, I already knew the rest of the evening was getting canceled. And honestly? That’s one thing I’ve loved about this solo trip. Nobody trying to drag me to “one more place” after my social battery dies. No negotiating exhaustion. No guilt trips about going back to the hotel “too early.” If I decide I’m done for the day? Then I’m DONE. 😂
So I headed back toward the hotel, grabbed ramen from Kyuramen x TBaar – Downtown Chicago, relaxed for the night, and honestly crashed not too long after. Quiet ending. Good food. Solid day.
Chicago really has been feeding both my inner science nerd and my need for peaceful solo moments this entire trip.
📍Today’s Stops:
• Field Museum
• SUE the T. rex Experience
• Cyrus Tang Hall of China
• Kyuramen x TBaar – Downtown Chicago
Nellybell's Place 