Two weeks ago I battled my sickness and emerged from our house to a once-in-a-lifetime event in Chicago. We went to the Museum of Modern Ice at Millennium Park downtown. It’s hard to find the gumption in the winter to actually leave the house, especially at night in the cold, dark, frigid air. But we did it, and boy are we glad we did!

We bundled up and headed out in the cold night weather, parked at a very very expensive parking garage underneath the park, and headed out to see the sights.

This is the beautiful ice wall, by sculptor Gordon Halloran. It was quite awe inspiring to both of us, and quite chilly.

We saw the Bean. And that made us want to eat jelly beans. And yes, I know that’s not the official name of it, but I would much rather call it the Bean instead of Cloud Gate.

After seeing the sights, we headed to the nearby tent to see one of our very favorite musical groups, Plaid. They were incredible. Their music is electronic, and makes us both happy when we hear it. And there were free non-alcoholic drinks in the tent. And it was heated. And it had LED lighting. And it was sponsored by American Express and Canadian National Railroad. And there was an orchestra who kicked off the evening by playing some Plaid and other interesting music. And best of all, it was FREE! Free, to see Plaid! Free, except for $24 for stupid parking.

That’s Plaid sitting up there behind the computers in the cool blue light. That’s how they roll.

The Museum of Modern Ice is open for the month of February, and ends on Leap Year Day. Check it out, it’s totally worth $24 for parking.