2016 Wesley Visits Chicago

Wesley Visits Chicago

A memory book made especially for Wesley Manning Hanes on the occasion of his first trip by himself to visit his grandmother, Susan Hanes, and Grandpa George Leonard, in Chicago, Illinois from June 18-22, 2016. For Wesley with love, Moonie

Wesley Visits Chicago June 18-22, 2016

It was an exciting time for everyone involved when Wesley Hanes made his first trip by himself, flying from Raleigh/Durham to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport for a four-day visit with his Grandmother Susan (aka Moonie) and Grandpa George. Frontier Airlines 1307 was delayed an hour, finally landing just before 10:00 pm. Moonie was waiting at the gate to welcome him.

As Wesley and Moonie walked through the airport to catch the train into the city, she pointed out the flags that lined the concourse, beginning with the American flag and a sign that said, “Welcome to Chicago.” The other flags represent Chicago’s 28 International Sister Cities.

The Blue Line “L� train ride into the city took 45 minutes. They got off at the Clark/Lake station, located in the State of Illinois Center, now called the Thompson Center. That stop is the busiest in the CTA system. George was waiting outside and drove them back along busy Michigan Avenue to the apartment on State Parkway where George and Moonie live.

After giving Wesley a snack and showing him his room, George went to bed. Moonie and Wesley stayed up much too late, but they were happy talking together and looking at things in the apartment. Finally, they went to bed too, in order to get some rest before a busy day.

Sunday, June 19 While George went across the street to get the car from the parking garage, Moonie introduced Wesley to Rick Roach, the Head Doorman of the 1320 State Apartments where she and George live. Rick has seven children, six girls and one boy, and his whistle is loud enough to call a taxi from a block away.

For their first outing, George and Moonie decided to take Wesley to the Musem of Science and Industry, said to be the largest science museum in the western hemisphere. The museum is housed in the Palace of Fine Arts from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, located near the University of Chicago. As George drove south along Lake Michigan to the musuem, he pointed out places of interest, including Grant Park and Buckingham Fountain, one of the largest fountains in the world.

The museum has over 2,000 exhibits, displayed in 75 major halls. The “Take Flight" hall features a Boeing 727 jet plane donated by United Airlines, as well as a number of other planes that illustrate the history of aviation. Wesley had a great time taking photos of the planes and a large Lego City of Chicago that was set up below.

Wesley encouraged Moonie to take a ride in the interactive flight simulator. He controlled the action, piloting his F-16 as he launched a sortie, climbing and rolling 360-degrees. Moonie bravely hung on and managed to shoot down five enemy targets.

The �Science Storms" exhibit features a 40-foot water vapor tornado, tsunami tank, Tesla coil, heliostat system, and a Wimshurst machine built by James Wimshurst in the late 19th century.

Lightening balls and the Tesla Coil demonstrate the way of electrical storms.

Since 1933, the Museum’s Coal Mine has taken visitors down into a dark and cramped “working” mine to see mining methods and machinery from the 1930s to the 1960s. Wesley could see that, although coal mines provided jobs, working in them was a hard and dangerous life. The guide was full of silly jokes, such as, “Step up to the bar. Don’t worry: we don’t serve miners.”

Probably the most exciting exhibit was the U-505 Experience.

Wesley, Moonie, and George boarded an actual German submarine that once stalked the waters of the Atlantic before it was blown to the surface and captured on June 4, 1944. For weeks, a U.S. Navy Task Group had tracked the shadowy Uboat. Despite a crack team and the latest technology, the Task Group was unable to pinpoint their elusive prey. Low on fuel, the frustrated captain had just called off the search when … there was something on the sonar!

Finding and destroying the sub would save Allied lives and supplies; capturing it could help win the war by revealing its secrets, but only if the Germans thought the sub had sunk.

Securing the U-505 and keeping the capture secret was the key.

But how do you hide something the length of a city block and weighing three times more than the Statue of Liberty?

As a dynamic guide led the group thorough the sub’s cramped quarters, he told the story of the fateful day of the sub’s capture and the way it was successfully hidden from the Germans.

U-505 Submarine

Here are some of the other exhibits Wesley explored before the museum closed.

He could have stayed a lot longer!

George took Moonie and Wesley to Lyfe Kitchen for dinner.

Wesley was quite pleased with the menu options.

Monday, June 20 After breakfast at home, George dropped Wesely and Moonie off at the Rock ’N Roll McDonalds on Clark Street, one of the most famous McDonalds in the world and once the busiest in the United States. But they were not going there to eat; instead that was the meeting place for the Untouchables Gangster Tour. After a few minutes, the big black Untouchables bus drove up and “Slippery Sloop” and “Shoulders” loaded everyone up. Wesley and Moonie got seats right up front, where they could see the action. For an hour and a half, these two gangster guides drove through the north, south, and west sides of Chicago, telling the inside stories of Chicago's windiest politicians and most notorious vice lords, including “Bugs” Moran, John Dillinger, and of course, Al Capone.

After the tour, Wesley and Moonie walked back to Lyfe Kitchen for lunch, getting there just as it was starting to rain. On the way, they stopped at Holy Name Cathedral, site of the execution in 1926 of Earl “Hymie� Weiss, then leader of the North Side Gang. Gunmen in an apartment across the street opened fire on Weiss and his men, but he was killed by a wild shot fired by his own bodyguard. You can still see marks on the cornerstone from bullets fired in the shooting.

George picked up Wesley and Moonie and dropped them off at the Adler Planetarium, founded in 1930 by Chicago business leader Max Adler. It is located on the northeast tip of Northerly Island on the shore of Lake Michigan, and offers a beautiful view of Chicago’s magnificent skyline. The Adler is America's first planetarium and part of Chicago's Museum Campus, which includes the Shedd Aquarium and The Field Museum. The Adler's mission is to inspire exploration and understanding of the Universe.

Wesley and Moonie saw three shows and wandered around the exhibits, including a moon rock and a metorite that they were allowed to touch.

Just as they were starting to walk towards Millennium Park, Wesley spotted a water taxi. He and Moonie had just enough time to buy a cool drink from a nearby vendor before hopping on board for the ride across Lake Michigan to Navy Pier.

Moonie was amazed that there was no line to ride the brand new Centennial Wheel, opened less than a month ago, so she urged Wesley to climb aboard this newest Chicago landmark. The new wheel offers a higher and longer but also higherspeed ride than the one provided by its 148-foot predecessor. They shared the eight-seat cabin with a woman and her daugher, whom Moonie learned was from Iran. Before Wesley knew it, Moonie was telling the lady about International Women Associates.

Leaving Navy Pier, the two tourists started walking along the Lakefront Trail towards Millennium Park. They walked and walked ‌ and walked some more. Moonie suddenly realized that they had been heading in the wrong direction! So their walking tour turned out to be a lot longer than she had planned. However, as they made their way east along Chicago Avenue to Michigan Avenue, she pointed out the Musuem of Contemporary Art.

Finally, they reached an oasis of sorts: Dylan’s Candy Bar. This stop would surely give the weary travelers enough energy to get to the day’s final destination, Millennium Park.

It took some hunting to find the right candy on Wesley’s list, but he was patient and determined, and eventually, they emerged from Dylan’s with a bag full of goodies.

Crossing the Chicago River ‌

‌ Moonie and Wesley paused to look at the scene from the Michigan Avenue Bridge, with the Trump Tower gleaming in the center. Whether or not he becomes our next President, Mr. Trump has put his name on a beautiful building.

At last, Moonie and Wesley reached the park. They stopped to take a picture of their reflection in Cloud Gate, Chicago’s beloved sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor. The sculpture was constructed between 2004 and 2006, and is nicknamed The Bean because of its shape. It is made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, and its highly polished exterior has no visible seams. Not only is it beloved by Chicagoans, it is a very popular tourist stop as well.

By the time Moonie and Wesley reached the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park, the evening’s concert was well underway.

Moonie and Wesley stopped to listen as DJ Spooky presented his multimedia project, Rebirth of a Nation. The haunting music and film presentation has been touring for several years and has drawn acclaim from around the world.

After a long day— and 7 miles of walking— Moonie and Wesley had just enough energy to hail a taxi back to the apartment, where George was waiting. He went out to pick up GF pizza and they all watched TV and relaxed together.

Jay Pritzker Pavilion

Tuesday, June 21 The morning was clear and bright: a perfect day for Moonie and Wesley to visit the Sky Deck of the Willis Tower (once known as the Sears Tower). George dropped them off in the Loop, the popular name for the Chicago business district located south of the main stem of the Chicago River. The name comes from the fact that in 1897, cable cars turned around in a loop in the center of the city.

Today, those cable cars have been replaced with an elevated train system known as the “L�.

The Willis Tower has 108 floors and is 1,451 feet high. When it was completed in 1973, it was the tallest building in the world, a title it held for nearly 25 years. Now it is the second tallest building in the United States and the 14th tallest in the world. More than one million people visit its observation deck each year, making it one of Chicago's most popular tourist destinations. Wesley and Moonie were two of them. Again, they were fortunate to find no line, and in just a few minutes they were rushing up the elevator that carried them 103 floors in about a minute.

Chicago from the Sky Deck showing the Hancock Building and Trump Tower

After zipping back down to street level, Moonie wanted to give Wesley his own Architecture Tour of the Loop. George had prepared a special map for them to follow. However, they decided to have lunch at the nearby Native Foods Cafe before they started. Wesley was a little unsure of the location of the restaurant when they started down a narrow street full of garbage dumpsters. However, the restaurant was right there at the end of the block. After a healthy lunch, they started out.

Completed in 1888, The Rookery is a magical building inside and out. The ornamental exterior is composed of various materials, including brick, stone, and iron. The lobby is everyone’s favorite, with a grand staircase and glass skylight over the two-story atrium. The building’s open center and white terra cotta walls allow natural light into the building’s offices while illuminating the glass skylight. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright created this beautiful lobby in 1907.

The Chicago Board of Trade sits majestically at the head of LaSalle Street, the heart of Chicago’s financial district. The canyon of skyscrapers which forms south LaSalle Street was the first of its kind in the world, and includes numerous banks, financial institutions and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The 45-story, 609-foot Chicago Board of Trade is home to the largest financial and agricultural futures and options trading exchange in the world.

Designed by John Root and completed in 1891, The Monadnock is a 16-story, 200-foot tall building made entirely of dark brown brick, and is named after a mountain in New England. To support the structure, the load bearing walls are six feet thick at its base! You can see how thick the walls are by seeing how far in the windows are recessed. The Monadnock is the largest commercial building using this load bearing technology.

Moonie and Wesley walked up to see Alexander Calder's bright red and curved Flamingo sculpture located on the Federal Center plaza.

The Chase Tower, with its gracefully upward sloping walls, is another Chicago icon. Completed in 1969, it stands 850 feet and is the tallest building within the Loop's elevelated “L� tracks. As Moonie and Wesley walked by, they noticed a huge line that wrapped around two sides of the nearby block. When they asked what was going on, a lady said it was the line for tickets to Hamilton, due to come to Chicago in the fall, after its amazing run on Broadway in New York.

Completed in 1902 as a retail store, this highly ornamental building was designed by architect Louis Sullivan. It is now called the Sullivan Center in his honor. The first two floors are now a Target. The intricate exterior ornamentation is an example of the love and care that went into the many beautiful buildings that have made Chicago famous.

In the plaza of the Daley Center stands a 50-foot tall sculpture designed by Pablo Picasso. Chicagoans have debated for years exactly what this sculpture represents.

Wesley immediatey decided that it was a baboon, but the longer one looks at it, the more things it looks like.

However, the people of Chicago love it, whatever it is.

After their tour, Moonie and Wesley stopped at Shake Shack for some well-earned refreshment.

Wesley and Moonie continued their walk up Michigan Avenue to take care of some important business. No Chicago tourist worth his salt gets away from this city without doing two things: tasting Garrett’s Chicago Mix popcorn and getting a genuine Cubs baseball cap. It was great news when Wesley learned that the entire Garrett’s establishment was Gluten Free. He tried the traditional mix—cheese and caramel—but decided to create a mix of his own with caramel and buttery flavored popcorn.

Next stop was Lids, conveniently located next door. With some expert guidance from Levy, Wesley picked out a totally legit cap. The other guys helped him choose a font for his name on the back, and 20 minutes later, he was good to go.

Rather than taking a taxi home, Moonie thought it would be fun for Wesley to see what it was like to ride the bus.

However, she had not considered the fact that it was rush hour and traffic was at a crawl the whole way. In addition, the bus was packed like a can of sardines. It had been a long day, and Moonie and Wesley were looking forward to getting home and visiting with George over cocktails in the living room. With that in mind, they got off the bus near the corner CVS where Wesley picked out 7-Up, A&W Root Beer, a bottle of Arnold Palmer, and Haagan Dazs vanilla ice cream for his own cocktail creation. Once they were home and he perfected his recipe, he and Moonie took their drinks into the front room. Wesley enjoyed chatting with George while they sat on the “bum warmer� by the fireplace (although it was too warm for a fire). There was lots to talk about and lots to share (or not?)

Wednesday, June 22 Wednesday seemed to come fast, and suddenly it was the day that Wesley was to fly home to North Carolina. After breakfast and packing and organizing things, he was ready to go. At noon, George drove him and Moonie to the Thompson Center, where they took the Blue Line back to O’Hare. This time, Wesley was able to see the sights from the train, since it had been dark when he arrived. Although the train was below ground when they got on and underground when they got off, there was a long period when the train traveled both at street level and at an elevated level.

It did not take long to check in and get Wesley’s boarding pass and Moonie’s gate pass, and before they knew it, they had passed through security (in a special short line) and were at the gate. But there was a delay! The plane was going to be an hour late. Moonie was concerned because there was a big storm heading towards Chicago and she wanted Wesley to be on his way before the storm arrived.

But it all turned out fine. They had time for a snack before the plane arrived, and Wesley was well on his way ahead of any bad weather. On the way home on the train, Moonie felt sad. She had such a wonderful time with Wesley. She felt that he was not only her grandson, but her special friend as well. She hoped that he felt the same and would come back to Chicago for another visit soon.

A memory book made especially for Wesley Manning Hanes on the occasion of his first trip by himself to visit his grandmother, Susan Hanes, and Grandpa George Leonard, in Chicago, Illinois from June 18-22, 2016. For Wesley with love, Moonie