Yesterday we decided to visit the Chicago Botanic Garden. I didn’t realize it had been three years since our last visit! Of course, the parking price went up from $12 to $15 which kinda stinks, but we got so many beautiful photos it was well worth the visit. The majority of the flowers had dew on them which was really pretty and made many of them shimmer in the sunlight.
We got there right around 7 am so it wasn’t very crowded for a good hour. Then my camera’s low-battery indicator came on, so we went back to the car to grab my little Powershot in case I needed it. Instead of following the normal progression we take through the gardens, we started where we normally end and made our way back to the beginning. This helped keep us away from the most crowded areas, which we had already seen anyway the first hour.
I got a few shots of a chipmunk which was exciting. They aren’t close-ups, however, since those guys are so skittish, but we never seen them anywhere but the Botanic Garden and Brookfield Zoo. I’m sure they exist elsewhere, but I’ve never seen one outside of those two areas.
I also “rescued” a Monarch butterfly. We were walking back toward the entrance when I stopped short of stepping on one in the walkway. I didn’t want to chance someone else squishing him, so I encouraged him to walk onto my hand and then he flew away.
We had a great time and the weather wasn’t terribly warm since we were there so early. The only problem I have with the gardens is they get super crowded quickly which makes taking photos, particularly landscapes, nearly impossible if you don’t want people in them (which I don’t). By the time we left at 10:30 am you could hardly walk through the visitor center it was so packed with people. It reminds me of Brookfield Zoo which is why we rarely go there anymore either.
After all that walking around we were hungry, so we decided to check out Longhorn Steakhouse for lunch. I had gotten a gift card through our Discover and we loved them when we dined in the Florida one on our honeymoon. We got there when they opened so we got a lot of personal attention from our waitress. Too bad she didn’t listen to us when we ordered. We didn’t realize until we got the check that she rang us up as having the sirloin instead of the filet we had both asked for. And I guess we’re dumb because we’re still not sure what was actually served to us. It wasn’t as tender as a filet, so I’m guessing we really did get the sirloin instead. What the hell? I clearly said “I will have the 7 oz Flo’s Filet” to which my husband said he’d have the same. So how the heck did she hear 8 oz Renegade? If it wasn’t for that, I’d have high praises for the place, but that really turned me off to going back there. I still miss Lonestar Steakhouse. All we have left by us is Outback and they suck.
All photos from the Botanic Garden are at Flickr.
