Chicago History Museum

A couple of weeks ago I was able to (finally) check out the Chicago History Museum. It's been on my list of museums to explore since moving here. I went with my friend Samantha, who I met from Legal Council. The museum had many engaging exhibitions about the history of the city, but some particular displays were extra interesting. I really loved seeing Vivian Maier's Chicago photos. Maier was known for her snapshot sidewalk photos that were discovered in an auction years after her death. Her photos of Chicago capture so much urban personality from the 60's and 70's and make me feel more connected to my midwestern home. I also liked the fashion exhibition about the life and designs of Mainboucher; the exhibit included a digital mannequin that people could alter and design.

The museum also had exhibits that addressed the civil rights movement, the Great Chicago Fire, the Haymarket Massacre, and, of course, Abraham Lincoln. There wasn't as much of Abe as I would've expected, but I figured the museum must've covered him extensively in the past and being so close to Springfield there's a whole city devoted to him.

I'm glad to have gotten to more familiar with Chitown and I can't wait to explore another new museum in the future.

Ida B. Wells! (Kinda scary.)

Fragments from the Great Chicago Fire.

Abe's death bed.

Mail bomb? Not the best idea for an interactive display...

Are you an anti-Federalist?

Bathroom Renovation: After

Ta-da!Today's the day I show off our wonderful new bathroom! It makes a huge difference from what it was before. The dark wall color, old linoleum, and the low-grade vanity didn't make the bathroom inviting at all. Now the bright new wall color (green!) looks great. The color turned out brighter than we expected, but we're growing to like it a lot. The new title with the dark grout looks bold and very graphic. The contractors added a nice border of shoe molding around the floor, which gives the space a nice finishing touch. We're really pleased with how the bathroom turned out, especially Gabby (see below).

Bathroom Renovation: During

Continuing with my blog posts about our bathroom renovation -- John and I were very lucky to work with contractors who understood the importance that we only had one bathroom. They were nice enough to plan out their work for our convenience. The renovation only took a week, which was much faster than we expected.

In addition to retiling the floor, adding a new vanity and sink, and painting the walls, we wanted to add a GFCI outlet by our sink. We wished we could've salvaged the original floor tile, but we discovered that parts of the floor were cracked and chipped. We choose a new tile that loosely referenced the hexagonal tile that was original to the bathroom. 

Stayed tuned until next week when I should the final results!

 
Bonus! Photos from our trip to IKEA! A sneak preview of the final product: