#3- Brookfield Zoo

      My number three spot goes to the Brookfield Zoo. The Brookfield Zoo is located at 3300 Golf Road in Brookfield, IL. This zoo is also open 365 days a year. This zoo is not free, the admission for adults are $13.50 and for children and seniors $9.50. You also have to pay for parking as well which is around $9.00 plus tax. To do some of the activities in the zoo you must purchase some tickets. The have dolphin shows, a children zoo, wild encounters where you go behind the scenes to see animals and they also have a motor safari where you get on a trolley and ride around the zoo. This zoo has different areas that you can explore, such as the Australia house, the fragile desert, feathers and scales, great bear wilderness, the pachyderm house, seven seas, the swamp and many more. Brookfield Zoo has a lot of animals. They have about 450 species of animals. The zoo covers 216 acres of land. This is the largest zoo out of the two zoos that are in Chicago. They have an events coming up at the zoo called Holiday Magic, Breakfast with Santa, Holiday Brunch and also on New Year’s Eve they have an event called Zoo Year’s Eve where they have a big celebration. With the Brookfield Zoo, the animals are all active and interacting with the people that work at the Zoo. I have been to this zoo plenty of times and this is my favorite zoo.  So I hope you can go visit and enjoy it as well.

#4- Lincoln Park Zoo

         My number four spot goes to the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. This is a place people love to go during the summer time. As you walk in you can smell certain animals. If you have a weak stomach, this is something you probably can’t do. The smell is not that bad though. Lincoln Park Zoo is located at 2200 North Cannon Drive in Lincoln, IL. The admission at this zoo is free, that is the best part about this zoo. This zoo is the oldest out of the zoos and is open 365 days a year. There are a lot of things coming up at this zoo. They are having an event called ZooLights. This is an event you don’t want to miss because you get to visit Santa, see some animals that come from all around the world, watch people do some ice carving and much more. Now about the animals, they have all kinds of animals from birds, mammals, reptiles, to amphibians. They always have new arrivals at the zoo. They offer a lot of exhibits that you can go to, to see different animals. You always learn something that you already didn’t know at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Some of the exhibits that they have are called Helen Brach Primate House. Regenstein Birds of Prey Exhibit, Kolver Sea Lion Pool, Nature Boardwalk, and many more. I believe that when you take your children to the zoo it could be a fun and educational trip. They have safari tours, where you walk around the entire zoo with one of the staff members. This could be a real interesting thing because this is where you can find out the things you don’t know. So I hope that you enjoy your trip at Lincoln Park Zoo.

#5- Museums in Chicago

My number 5 spot goes to the museums in Chicago. Chicago has a lot of museums. Most of the museums in Chicago are located downtown. The museums have a lot of activities going on while you’re there. Within the year, the have a lot of days that you can get in the museums for free. But usually on these days it’s really crowded. The lines are long and sometimes it’s really hot outside. The top ten museums of Chicago are: The Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, The Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art, National Museum of Mexican Art, Alder Planetarium, The Chicago History Museum, DuSable Museum of African American History, The Field Museum of Natural History, and The Notebaert Nature Museum. My favorite museum out of all of these museums is the Shedd Aquarium. I like the Shedd because of the Oceanarium, the Wild Reef exhibit, and Amazon River exhibit. My favorite thing to do is to go to see the dolphins. I really enjoy the dolphin show because of all of the tricks and stunts they do.  Another museum that I like is the Alder Planetarium.  I like this place because it has a lot of info about the plants and space. When you go to these museums you learn so much stuff that you didn’t already know. Both of these museums are right next to each other and the Field Museum and Museum of Science and Industry is also next to both of those. When you visit Chicago, I hope that you go and check out some of the museums that we offer.

#6- The Magnificient Mile Lights Festival Parade 2011

         My number 6 spot goes to the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Parade 2011. This is something that happens every year in Chicago. It always happens the Saturday before Thanksgiving. So this year it’s happening on November 19, 2011 and it opens at 11am till 7pm but the parade starts at 5:30pm. This event is free. If you plan on driving to this event you would have to leave early because the streets are closed off an hour before the parade starts. When I go, my friends and I take public transportation so that we won’t have to worry about the traffic. This is a fun event that the whole family can enjoy together. The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival officially kicks off the Christmas season in Chicago. With many activities and the highlight is the Mickey Mouse parade illuminating over one million lights along Michigan Avenue. This event is so beautiful to me. I love going every year. When you walk down Michigan Avenue, most of the stores you’re going to past will have their holiday displays up already. The activities they have are performances, ice sculpting demonstrations, and live entertainment all throughout the parade. Mickey Mouse leads the parade; he heads south from Oak Street and goes to Michigan Avenue.  This parade is for all ages. You can enjoy the company of your friends and family all day. Right after the parade they have a big firework show at Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River. This is a fun event and I hope that if you and your family ever go, you have as much fun as I do.

#7- WHITE SOX STADIUM

My number 7 spot goes to the WHITE SOX STADIUM. The stadium is also called the U.S Cellular Field. The stadium is located in Chicago on 35^th street. This is where the sox play all of their home games at. That place is huge once you get inside of it. The surround sound is to die for. When you actually get inside the stadium there are a lot of things to do. There are also different concession stands all around the stadium. Each of the concession stands sells something different. The best time to go to me is a night. I say that because the lights are so beautiful at night time. The last sox game I went to was when it was freezing outside. Even though it’s cold, you can still have a good time. Throughout the game they have different kinds of contest going on, where you get to go to the field and walk around. They pass out many different free things such as shirts, cups, and baseballs. If you’re sitting close enough, you can actually catch a ball if I come your way. They have ways to get the audience involved. Such as they have these different songs they play at different sections of the games that you can sing. They have the wave and that’s where everyone in a specific order gets up and waves their arms. This is definitely a thing I recommend to do with your whole family when you come to visit Chicago.

#8- The Water Tower

                My number 8 spot goes to…..The Water Tower. The Water Tower is a place where you shop at downtown. It is like a big mall. The Water Tower has 7 floors in it. They have this elevator that look so scary because it’s all glass and you can see everything as you get higher and higher.  It has every store you can think of. This is my favorite place to shop at sometimes. I say sometimes because when I go in there I end up spending a lot of money. So I tell this to everyone, put yourself on a budget before you go in there because u will be broke once you come out. Some of the stores that I shop at are C.O. Bigelow, Victoria Secret, Wet Seal, and Aeropostale. I love C.O. Bigelow because they have my favorite lip gloss in there. There are always sales going on in every store. They also have places to eat in there. It’s this one place called Food life that is located in the Mezzanine. This place has all different kinds of food. They have different stations that’s you can go to. When you go to Chicago, this is the place to be. You will always see somebody you know, or meet new people. The water tower is a very friendly environment. There are always people there to help you when you really need it. If you don’t see what you want in the water tower there are always stores surrounding it.

#9- Navy Pier

 My number 9 spot goes to Navy Pier. There are so many things to do at Navy Pier. Navy Pier is located downtown on Grand Ave. To get there is easy because a lot of trains and buses go down by there. Navy Pier has a lot of rides that you can get on. The ride that everybody mostly get on is the Ferris wheel. I have rode the Ferris wheel plenty of times. The two things that I love doing when I go to Navy Pier is the funhouse maze and going to the IMAX Theater. The funhouse maze is basically a maze with a lot of mirrors that you try to get through. I think that if you have been in the maze a few times already, you know the trick of how to get out quickly. The IMAX Theater is a theater that has the biggest movie screen and the sound in there is amazing. The food they have there is delicious. They have this restaurant called The Bubba Gump. The Bubba Gump is a shrimp restaurant. Garrett’s Popcorn is another place people love. Garrett’s has the best popcorn in Chicago. The popcorn is so flavorful and mouth- watering that if you ate it, it would be hard for you to make yourself stop. Navy Pier also provides boat rides and cruises. They have boat rides that take you around Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. Another attraction that they have is fireworks. They have fireworks every Saturday at 9pm till October 29, 2011. So make sure that Navy Pier is a place you go to when you visit Chicago.

#10- Restaurant

            As I taste all the particular spices, my body starts to shake. All of the spices make my mouth watery. It makes my body feel good and want more. As I eat more, I’m starting to get full by the minute. The food in Chicago is so delicious and mouthwatering.  Chicago has some of the best restaurants I know. I have been a lot of places around the world but Chicago’s food is something that people never forget when they come visit. If you don’t at least go to one restaurant in Chicago, you visit is not complete. It’s hard to pick one favorite restaurant in that city. I read that Chicago has over 6000 restaurants. There are at least 20 of each one. All of the restaurants are nice especially the ones downtown. No matter where you go downtown, you will always find a nice and expensive restaurant. I can say that not all of the restaurants are expensive but a majority of them are.  But if I had to pick one restaurant I would pick this place called Hamada of Japan. I chose that because this is a nice and classy restaurant. This restaurant cooks the food right in front of you from beginning to the end. Some people say that it is expensive but I feel that you get your money’s worth.  If you like Chinese food or Japanese food, this is the place for you to go eat. This is my number 10 place to visit when you go to Chicago.

All about me......

           My name is Ashley Henry and I am from Chicago. I have been living in Chicago for all my life.  It is one of the largest cities in the U.S. When you go to Chicago there is so much to do and you can also have so much fun. But for a person like me everything gets old at a point. I mean you have a lot of options and still can have fun but some of the things get repetitive. If you don’t already live in there you will have fun every day. There are a lot of things to do like go out to eat, go to different places of entertainment, and it’s a lot of places you can go site seeing. While I’m at home, my friends and I go out almost every night. We find something different to do every time we go out. Chicago is the city that never sleeps in my opinion. I say that because something is always open and it’s always people awake outside still having fun no matter what time it is. Chicago is whatever you make it, meaning if you make it boring it’s going to be boring. But if you know somebody like me that has been there their whole life, you would never be bored. I wanted to do this blog because I wanted people to know what to go when they go visit Chicago. So my blogs are going to be about the top 10 things and places to visit while you’re in Chicago.

All about me!!!!

            My name is Ashley Henry and I am from a big city called Chicago.  I have lived in Chicago my whole life.  I am now currently staying in Peoria for school. This is my second year attending Illinois Central College. Peoria is so different than Chicago because Peoria is a smaller city than Chicago is. Chicago has more restaurants, malls, theme parks, and etc.  Peoria has some of the things Chicago does but the thing is that Chicago has more of it.  Some of the differences between Chicago and Peoria are that Chicago has more people than Peoria. It might be easier to get to know everybody in Peoria than it is in Chicago. Peoria is way easier to get around than Chicago because Peoria is a smaller, but that’s only if you have never been in Chicago. Since I been here I have noticed that people in Peoria say things differently than people that live in Chicago. For example, people here say soda instead of pop. That is something that would stay with me because it’s something that you hardly hear in Chicago.  I love being a big city girl in a small town because it helps me see and learn different things about a city that’s smaller than mine. I don’t see myself living here very long but I am going to try to enjoy it while I’m here. To me Chicago is a little bit more diverse than Peoria. But I can definitely learn things here that I haven’t learned in Chicago and by being a big city girl in a small town can also help me in my career.