Day 29: Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo and South Bend, IN

Miles driven to-date: 8,377
States visited to-date: 26

With only a couple of more hours left to explore Chicago, we had to prioritize and decided to go to the Lincoln Park Zoo because 1) it had been recommended to us, and 2) it was free. We thought it was really nice ~ well laid-out with interesting exhibits. Our favorite animals were probably the gorillas, since the 1-year old was adorable and so entertaining to watch. The silverback male came right up to the glass and glared at all of us which was a little intimidating.

As always, Steve enjoyed seeing his fellow long-necked creatures in the giraffe area.

Steve with his people!

We got back on the road and headed out of Chicago, making our way east into Indiana. We were both looking forward to seeing the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend and quickly realized that several members of our families would have enjoyed the experience very much!

Just above the ticket counter in the lobby hang the helmets of the Top 25 teams from last season (Penn State represented proudly . . . third in line!).

We saw a great video presentation about college football and were excited when the first clip showed an athletic trainer taping up a player’s ankle. We were even more thrilled to realize that the trainer was Emmo, the head Harvard trainer during the time that I was in school and the trainer Steve worked under while at Harvard.

We were very impressed with the Hall of Fame and actually thought it was much nicer than the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. I know my Dad would have especially loved it given the plethora of JoePa paraphernalia.

The best part of the whole day was when we found a kiosk that allowed visitors to search for a past or present NCAA football player. Check out who’s in the College Football Hall of Fame!

On our way out of South Bend, we stopped to walk around Notre Dame’s campus. Growing up in Ann Arbor, I have always loathed this school and was determined to find numerous flaws with the buildings and aesthetics. Even I had to admit, though, that it was beautiful and clearly very well maintained. I hate to say it but I liked the Golden Dome and “Touchdown Jesus.”

The rest of the day was uneventful as we drove a few hours to Cleveland where we’ll visit the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame tomorrow. Then it’s on to Erie for a few days at the cottage with my family – we can’t wait! Thanks for checking in. :)