The first post about the museums I visited with my 8 month old while I was in Chicago covered the ones right around the Magnificent Mile. In this one I'll handle the big one, the ART INSTITUTE!
Art Institute of Chicago
I've been to the Art Institute a few times before and ate at Terzo Piano last time we were in Chicago (so yum!!). But, I wasn't up to the challenge of dining with a baby on this trip. I visited the Art Institute twice during our stay in Chicago and while the collection and exhibits are amazing, it's not the most baby and stroller-friendly museum I've visited.
I didn't follow my own advice from the first post and consequently, didn't realize there was a family bathroom in the modern wing of the museum. I was able to change C. in the women's room find, but it was pretty difficult getting the stroller through the doors. I used the family bathroom my second time around. Spacious, clean, broken door lock - two out of three is pretty good.
My biggest problem with the Art Institute was how difficult it was to get around with the stroller. There are a number of areas with stairs and even though there aren't many in total, you still need to find a ramp or an elevator each time you encounter them. I was surprised at how slowly the elevators came.
It's such a great collection that I was disappointed getting around made it a bit difficult and I couldn't get to everything I hoped to. I found myself rushing through galleries with a fussy baby and then waiting for elevators that took forever to get out. It was an unfortunate damper on our visits. We'll have to try again when C. is a walker!
**I never found a great place to nurse in the museum, it's pretty busy everywhere and I ended up nursing in the middle of a bustling byway right behind the grand staircase. But outside, there are a few benches set in the walls of the Lurie Garden outside, on the north side of the building. I never got the chance but it looked like a great possibility if you could find an empty spot. Also a great spot to play before heading in, fewer people and big kids running around than in the rest of Millennium Park**
Museum of Science and Industry
I don't have too much to say about this one because it wasn't a great museum for babies. Well, some of it is...a bit, but by and large, this is a museum for the bigger kids. I was there with my husband and brother- and sister-in-law and we were happy to find the Idea Factory with a cute area for infants and toddlers with foam blocks and a wooden peg board but everything else was really for the older kids. It looked like A LOT of fun but C. just wasn't old enough yet.
The rest of the museum was loud and busy with things blasting and making noise, movies playing, and train whistles going off so when C. started getting cranky and tired, there was no where to go but home. We fit in a stop at Finnegan's Ice Cream Parlor, yummy but we had to skedaddle quickly. I think in a few years this will be perfect, but we're just not there yet.
Field Museum
I am lucky that I had a friend who was excited to meet at the Field Museum and check it out with a baby in tow. I was even more happy that she was a member and very knowledgeable about the museum so I didn't have to do much planning before-hand.
After walking through the south edge of Grant Park and ducking through the underpass, we headed to the far side of the building, the East Entrance, where groups and strollers go in. A quick zip through security and then we took the elevator up to the main floor. This is also not a museum for babies really, the Mammoths and Mastodons and the Cyrus Tang Hall of China were both very interesting exhibits, but noisy. C. slept through the former but was up less than halfway through Ancient Americas. The Hall of China at least had some great benches that C. loved cruising down and pounding on. I really would like to go back and re-explore this exhibit, it looked very well done and had some fascinating artifacts.
Where having a friend came in extra handy was the visit to the cafe. The lines were a bit tight for a stroller, especially since by that time C. was out of her stroller and refusing to go back in.
According to the map, there are large family friendly bathrooms on the lower level but they weren't near where we came in and since 1) I didn't check where they were beforehand and 2) the elevators were very, very slow, we just used the restroom on the upper level and it was find. Small, but pretty and stocked with a changing table.
Definitely a place to head back to when C. is older.
I never got to the International Center for Photography down in this area and will have to save the galleries for next time. Are there any galleries that might be good for toddlers?
I've got one more post on visiting Chicago museums coming...up to Lincoln Park!
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Visiting Museums with Babies: Chicago Edition - Part I
We got the opportunity to live in Chicago for a little over a month this summer and while I was glad to get back home and in my own bed I enjoyed checking out some great Chicago museums with little C. and loved spending my days with her.
It took me a bit of time to get over the terror of visiting a museum by myself with a baby who might scream and cry or spit up on something priceless (gulp) so I thought I would share a few of my experiences to help anyone else who might want to venture out for some art with a little one.
First, some tips for visiting any museum with a baby. Many of these apply to just leaving the house with a baby but I thought I would list them here as they have helped me a lot:
- Know your kid!
Know when they are prone to completely melt-down or need to be fed and plan your visit around that. If they can't sit still right after lunch, take them to the park first and let them run around before you head in. Know what they want and when and....
- Pack accordingly
Beyond diapers, wipes, pacifier if your baby uses one, change of clothes, and so on, pack what helps YOUR kid. C. loves her K'Tan so I always pack it when we head out museum-ing. I can get an extra 15 minutes to finish going through an exhibit with her in it.
- Research before you go
If they have a map online, use it. Check where the bathrooms are, if they have a family bathroom or not, where elevators are located if you're using a stroller. Also, look into what you want to see. If you're heading to a large museum, you might get halfway through when someone decides they must. eat. now. So make sure you go straight to what you went to see.
- Case the joint
If they didn't have a map online or you couldn't check before hand, make note of where places like cafes, bathrooms, and elevators are when you get there. I look for comfortable and out of the way benches for nursing as soon as I walk through the door. Like these great couches at the MCA
- Accept and ask for help
This was the hardest thing for me to do. I love being independent and completely put together but nothing shatters that facade faster than getting your stroller stuck halfway in a door. In the beginning I thought people were staring at me because they didn't like seeing a baby at the museum. I realize now most people either have kids themselves and are getting ready to chat "parent" with me or they think my daughter is cute.
Now, the museums. I'll cover the three I visited near the Magnificent Mile here and move on to others in later posts.
Museum of Contemporary Art
I had been to the MCA years ago for their H.C. Westerman show so I was excited to get back there and see what they had in store for me. I checked their website and saw they had stroller tours once a month. Although I was going to miss the upcoming one I confidently strapped C. into her stroller and walked over. But when I got there I found out the entrance to the museum is up a huge flight of stairs. You can go in through the Shop or the Education Center on the ground floor and then take the elevator up. Having done it both ways, go through the Education Center. The elevator is hard to find and through a door in the shop and no one there seemed eager to help me find it when I wandered in looking lost.
After making my way upstairs and quickly through ticketing I headed to see the Calder exhibit on the third floor. Half of the museum was being re-installed but this was actually great. I saw four smaller exhibits in just over an hour and finished just as C. got ready for a snack. Lucky for her the MCA has these great red, high-backed, afformentioned couches that are perfect for a semi-private nursing session and the small tables seem made for cruisers! There were some by the entrance on the second floor and the pictured ones by the bathrooms. There's a built-in changing table in the women's room, it's a little cramped but well-equipped and clean (I used it both times we went)!
Newberry Library
There is an exhibit space in the Newberry Library. I thought I could quickly swing through it after taking C. for a walk in the park right across the street. The front entrance has stairs (ahh stairs!!!) and I didn't see any signs for the accessible entrance so I just started walking around the building. If you go counter-clockwise around, you'll find a break in the fence to the parking lot and the back doors take you to a slow, but serviceable elevator.
The exhibit we saw was on something interesting but not great in my opinion and unfortunately, there wasn't much I could point at to keep C.'s attention (no bright colors or fun shapes) so we didn't stay long. There wasn't a changing table in the bathroom but a long counter by the sink did the trick and a quiet, out of the way bench by the back door was a great spot for a quick feed!
Loyola University Museum of Art
Tucked right near the MCA, the Loyola University Museum is a great place to stop. Convenient to both of these museums is the Seneca Playlot park, an older but still great playground perfect for running out a little energy before we hit the museum. Once you get into the building for LUMA, take the elevator to the second floor and the main exhibit space is to the left. We visited on a Tuesday when admission is free so we headed straight in. We finished seeing the artwork in this space in about 30 minutes. Because C. was getting fussy, I headed to the upstairs, permanent collection gallery without visiting the gift shop but it looked like it would have been fun to browse.
You have to get someone to give you access to the upper floors via the elevator but the staff was eager to help with I was there. We had a great time poking around the collection, it's varied (and all religious in case that wasn't evident) but interesting. The bathrooms are on this upper floor. No changing table or great nursing spot to be found here unfortunately but an interesting exhibit and accommodating staff!
I really wanted to go to the Driehaus Museum, a restored Gilded Age mansion in that area, but never got a chance. I DID go by one day on our way somewhere else and saw that the accessible entrance is to the right of the main entrance, through a small entrance shared with their neighbors.
Do you have any tips for visiting museums with a baby? I'd love to hear them!
It took me a bit of time to get over the terror of visiting a museum by myself with a baby who might scream and cry or spit up on something priceless (gulp) so I thought I would share a few of my experiences to help anyone else who might want to venture out for some art with a little one.
First, some tips for visiting any museum with a baby. Many of these apply to just leaving the house with a baby but I thought I would list them here as they have helped me a lot:
- Know your kid!
Know when they are prone to completely melt-down or need to be fed and plan your visit around that. If they can't sit still right after lunch, take them to the park first and let them run around before you head in. Know what they want and when and....
- Pack accordingly
Beyond diapers, wipes, pacifier if your baby uses one, change of clothes, and so on, pack what helps YOUR kid. C. loves her K'Tan so I always pack it when we head out museum-ing. I can get an extra 15 minutes to finish going through an exhibit with her in it.
- Research before you go
If they have a map online, use it. Check where the bathrooms are, if they have a family bathroom or not, where elevators are located if you're using a stroller. Also, look into what you want to see. If you're heading to a large museum, you might get halfway through when someone decides they must. eat. now. So make sure you go straight to what you went to see.
- Case the joint
If they didn't have a map online or you couldn't check before hand, make note of where places like cafes, bathrooms, and elevators are when you get there. I look for comfortable and out of the way benches for nursing as soon as I walk through the door. Like these great couches at the MCA
- Accept and ask for help
This was the hardest thing for me to do. I love being independent and completely put together but nothing shatters that facade faster than getting your stroller stuck halfway in a door. In the beginning I thought people were staring at me because they didn't like seeing a baby at the museum. I realize now most people either have kids themselves and are getting ready to chat "parent" with me or they think my daughter is cute.
Now, the museums. I'll cover the three I visited near the Magnificent Mile here and move on to others in later posts.
Museum of Contemporary Art
I had been to the MCA years ago for their H.C. Westerman show so I was excited to get back there and see what they had in store for me. I checked their website and saw they had stroller tours once a month. Although I was going to miss the upcoming one I confidently strapped C. into her stroller and walked over. But when I got there I found out the entrance to the museum is up a huge flight of stairs. You can go in through the Shop or the Education Center on the ground floor and then take the elevator up. Having done it both ways, go through the Education Center. The elevator is hard to find and through a door in the shop and no one there seemed eager to help me find it when I wandered in looking lost.
 |
| "Look C. it's a cat, CAT, C-A-T, cat" |
Newberry Library
There is an exhibit space in the Newberry Library. I thought I could quickly swing through it after taking C. for a walk in the park right across the street. The front entrance has stairs (ahh stairs!!!) and I didn't see any signs for the accessible entrance so I just started walking around the building. If you go counter-clockwise around, you'll find a break in the fence to the parking lot and the back doors take you to a slow, but serviceable elevator.
The exhibit we saw was on something interesting but not great in my opinion and unfortunately, there wasn't much I could point at to keep C.'s attention (no bright colors or fun shapes) so we didn't stay long. There wasn't a changing table in the bathroom but a long counter by the sink did the trick and a quiet, out of the way bench by the back door was a great spot for a quick feed!
Loyola University Museum of Art
Tucked right near the MCA, the Loyola University Museum is a great place to stop. Convenient to both of these museums is the Seneca Playlot park, an older but still great playground perfect for running out a little energy before we hit the museum. Once you get into the building for LUMA, take the elevator to the second floor and the main exhibit space is to the left. We visited on a Tuesday when admission is free so we headed straight in. We finished seeing the artwork in this space in about 30 minutes. Because C. was getting fussy, I headed to the upstairs, permanent collection gallery without visiting the gift shop but it looked like it would have been fun to browse.
You have to get someone to give you access to the upper floors via the elevator but the staff was eager to help with I was there. We had a great time poking around the collection, it's varied (and all religious in case that wasn't evident) but interesting. The bathrooms are on this upper floor. No changing table or great nursing spot to be found here unfortunately but an interesting exhibit and accommodating staff!
I really wanted to go to the Driehaus Museum, a restored Gilded Age mansion in that area, but never got a chance. I DID go by one day on our way somewhere else and saw that the accessible entrance is to the right of the main entrance, through a small entrance shared with their neighbors.
Do you have any tips for visiting museums with a baby? I'd love to hear them!
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Alphabet Soup!
Hello! Hello! I'm back! It's been quite a while and what a ride it's been. I am a happy mother to an amazing, healthy 9 month old daughter, went back to work, and am just enjoying the ride.
This blog started as a way to share my love of travel, food, art, and all that comes with my life around those. Now, with my new role, my life has changed a bit. I still love traveling, seeing new sights, eating good food, visiting every museum and seeing every site I can cram into a day but now I do all that while trying to instill a love of beauty and art in my daughter's life as well. The blog may change a bit to fit the new me, have some different foci, you might see some different types of museums, visits, posts, or I don't know what else, it's going to be new to me as well.
I'm thinking of a series called Alphabet Soup, named as such because I wanted to do an alphabet series, as in "A is for abracadabra" "B is for bazinga," but I know there is no way I could get them in order so I'm just going to tackle them as they come. Look for those posts soon! I thought in honor of my new role as "Mom" I'd also tackle some posts maybe on numbers and colors and get a little creative myself instead of just posting about other people's output.
Welcome back and here's to change! Come along for the ride!
This blog started as a way to share my love of travel, food, art, and all that comes with my life around those. Now, with my new role, my life has changed a bit. I still love traveling, seeing new sights, eating good food, visiting every museum and seeing every site I can cram into a day but now I do all that while trying to instill a love of beauty and art in my daughter's life as well. The blog may change a bit to fit the new me, have some different foci, you might see some different types of museums, visits, posts, or I don't know what else, it's going to be new to me as well.
I'm thinking of a series called Alphabet Soup, named as such because I wanted to do an alphabet series, as in "A is for abracadabra" "B is for bazinga," but I know there is no way I could get them in order so I'm just going to tackle them as they come. Look for those posts soon! I thought in honor of my new role as "Mom" I'd also tackle some posts maybe on numbers and colors and get a little creative myself instead of just posting about other people's output.
Welcome back and here's to change! Come along for the ride!
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