From the beginning of Saturday, I knew it was going to be a long day since I had things planned from about 9 a.m. until midnight. Luckily there were some breaks between the different activities, both for the sake of warmth and to rest so the fun could continue.
Itinerary Recap
- Saturday
- Walking Tour – Winter Architecture Tour (Birth of the Skyscraper)
- Harry Potter At Play
- Taylor Tomlinson comedy show
Birth of the Skyscraper
With what is quickly becoming one of my favorite activities, I started Saturday with a walking tour. This one went through the evolution of the skyscraper, showing the change from load-bearing structures (where the base of the buildings were 6+ feet thick) to the modern steel frame skyscraper. It was fascinating to see the difference in the way they were built and that there are many load-bearing skyscrapers still standing in Chicago right across the street from steel frame ones. Of the several cool things shown on this tour, one of my favorites was seeing the exterior of the set for the toy store was in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, which is where the tour started. As the tour progressed we walked down several streets and saw the evolution of the skyscraper before our eyes.
As with all of the Free Tours by Foot, this tour cost nothing to sign up for and at the end I was able to give whatever I felt appropriate for directly to the tour guide. This tour was just under 2 hours long and for the $20 payment I gave, I think it was well worth the cost and the time.
Harry Potter at Play
The reason this trip happened is because on the previous trip I took to Chicago, I saw this advertised and knew I had to come back for it. Anyone who knows me, know that Harry Potter is part of my identity and I couldn’t turn down a multi-level Potter experience. This experience walked visitors through the world of Harry Potter, from the Dursley’s house through the Tri-Wizard Maze, with many interactive portions, photo-ops, and things to find and look at. It was amazing to walk into this world and see these places imagined in a different way than I have in the past at Universal or that were seen in the movies.
There were some things that could have been better. The story of Harry Potter stopped in the fourth book in the exhibit, leaving a lot out that could have been explored. While the exhibit required timed tickets for entry, there was little crowd control once inside making it difficult to see everything. The end of the exhibit had a gift shop with plenty to choose from, including some items that I had never seen before at Universal or online. There was also a small snack area offering treats from the world of Harry Potter, though they did leave a lot to be desired in terms of flavor and show.
Overall, I am happy that I went to the exhibit to see it and experience what was there, but I was disappointed in the semi-poor execution of it, as it was a licensed exhibit by Warner Brothers.
Taylor Tomlinson Comedy Show
While this trip was originally planned because of the Harry Potter At Play exhibit, the timing of it was for a Taylor Tomlinson show. I had only been to 1 or 2 comedy shows before this one and didn’t fully know what to expect. After having seen several “reels” on Facebook of her, I found this show in Chicago to go to. I found a great ticket (4th row, towards the side of the stage) for about $60.
If you have never gone to something like this on your own, it is definitely an experience. It may just be a “me” thing, but walking into most places on my own is a little intimidating (yes, even for someone who travels on their own a lot). Once I got over that, I made my way to get a drink and some snacks, because what is a show without snacks? A mere $30 later I head for my seat, between 2 couples that I do not know. If I thought I felt out of place in the lobby on my own, that didn’t come close to sitting down. Thankfully once the lights went down and the show started, it didn’t matter.
If you haven’t, I recommend looking up some of her bits, clips, reels, or whatever you want to call them. Taylor Tomlinson puts on a great show of prepared pieces and some audience work as well. The night was filled with laughter and relaxation and some small conversation with the couples on either side of me.
Thanks for joining me and be sure to come back in the following weeks for more adventures.
See you next time!
Sami
Peatrowsky Passport 
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