The Planetarium

Last week, I was at a work related conference in downtown Chicago for most of the week. One afternoon, we were free from learning sessions and presentations. Many of my coworkers spent the afternoon at Goose Island, shopping on the Magnificent Mile, or various other activities. I took the opportunity to do something that I haven't done for a long time.

 

I took a walk from the Chicago Hilton and Towers where we were staying to the Adler Planetarium. As a child I always loved going to the planetarium. There was something special about sitting in the under the dome of the sky theater watching a presentation unfold above. It always had a way of transporting me somewhere else.

 

For a while, I was able to relive that little bit of magic from my childhood. It still felt fresh and exciting to pretend that I was actually under a pitch black sky looking at the stars.

 

They have done a lot of remodeling since I was last at the planetarium. When I was a child, the main entrance was this ugly, blocky structure in front of the building. You had to go down the stairs, under the driveway, and back up the stairs to get inside. It always bugged me that you could never walk right in the front doors. It seemed to detract from the appreciation of both the building and excitment of the event. This has been remedied in the remodel. It was a pleasure to climb those stairs, open the wood doors with panes of beveled glass, and voyage to the stars.