(AKA a photo dump of the adventures of #Rhiay--thanks, Whitney--in Chicago)
Hey there, friends! I hope you're having a wonderful day, wherever you may be. I'm currently sitting at my desk with a cup of rose tea (in my "Radical Feminist Witch" mug, thank you very much) and a sugar cookie candle lit beside me. It's all rather cozy as I type this.
So, in case you didn't see on social media, Jay and I were in Chicago the weekend of the 30th, going into the city to see the Hamilton Exhibition and Six, a new pop/rock musical about Henry VIII's wives. My love was a sweetheart and planned it all out, hitting on everything I love, and everything we enjoy together. It was a spectacular weekend. :) I put a few photos up on Facebook and Instagram, but wanted a more fully fleshed out post to document it.
Disclaimer: I suck at remembering to take photos, because I get too caught up in the moment. I'm a terrible documentarian. Sawwy.
Regardless, it'll be a short, fun one today. Enjoy! :)
The Shedd Aquarium (#BelugaFest)
The only photos I took in here were poor quality snapshots of belugas. I was thrilled, okay? :) I transformed into an overexcited child once I discovered they had beluga whales in an exhibit; Jay can attest to this. We probably spent about fifteen or twenty minutes by the beluga tank, watching and listening as I talked (okay, more like quietly shrieked, probably) about how much I love those cordial whales. My favorite, favorite aquatic animal. Yes. <3
We did see some incredible other creatures, though, in the short time we were there. Our most memorable ones came from walking through the Amazonian exhibit: a fish the size of its freaking tank, a giant anaconda curled in waiting underwater, some prehistoric looking thing that lurked in the deepest part of its tank, and piranhas. Yikes, man. The Amazon gets a no thanks from us for vacation destination. The African fish were so, so cool, too, as they all looked like dinosaurs, one having its ribs literally protruding from its sides. Should I have taken photos? Yes. Were we too wrapped up in gaping at the simultaneously creepy and fascinating fish? Also yes.
10/10. Highly recommend. We loved it. :)
The Hamilton Exhibition (#OhMyGodLookAtThoseVisuals)
Once again, another that I didn't think to take photos of until about halfway through. Jay and I both remembered, at the same time, that oh, yeah, we both have our phones and should likely be documenting so we can show friends. Whoops. Because of that, all I have are a few pictures, some blurry and blocked by people, as our group was quite full.
Regardless, the Exhibition was incredible. Though I knew all of the history (the curse of a history geek), the visual design and mechanics were stunning. It's a beautifully informative celebration of pivotal individuals in America's history, showing both how inspirational and how problematic each of them was. They hold nothing back. And I mean, come on, they had a working representation of a cyclone, some circus aspects, and moving statuettes at points. What's not amazing about that?
Once again, highly recommend. The Exhibition is touring around the country soon: I don't know where all of the stops are off the top of my head, but if it's near you, please go. It's a phenomenal experience. Jay was geeking out about the tech behind it; I loved the living history aspect; and we both talked for ages on certain historical points within it. GO, if you can. Agh, so worth it.
(Side note: we both got oh-so-soft shirts from here, and Jay surprised/tricked me with buying me a gorgeous journal, emblazoned with a quill and "Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story?" I'm a true journal lover, and, believe me, this one shall be treasured, both for its beauty and for the wonderful person its from. I haven't even taken it out of the plastic wrap yet, I'm so scared of hurting it.)
Six (#BadassQueens)
Why, hello, Snapchat filter. Only one photo here, as you can't take all that many in a theatre. Not my fault this time. ;)
(You could film the finale, actually, but neither of us got to our phones on time. Us good theatre kids, silencing and fully putting away our phones!)
Six is a show I've been obsessing over since it opened in the West End. I freaked out when I saw it was coming to the US, and being able to see it was incredible. It did not disappoint in any way.
For those of you who aren't familiar, quick summary: the show is structured like a concert, the wives of Henry VIII competing to see who had to "put up with the most BS" during their time alive and married. Each Queen is modeled after two famous singers--Catherine of Aragon is Beyonce and Shakira; Anne Boleyn is Lily Allen and Avril Lavigne; Jane Seymour is Adele and Sia; Anna of Cleves is Nicki Minaj and Rihanna; Katherine Howard is Ariana Grande and Britney Spears; Catherine Parr is Alicia Keys and Emeli Sande--and their songs reflect that style. It's a 90-minute bop, essentially. The women finally come to the conclusion at the end that they shouldn't compete, because their stories should not be told through the patriarchal lens of their marriage to a terrible man.
The musical is a reclamation of history, in a sense, showing how badass these ladies were/are and how we've forgotten what they did. We just see them as the six wives, not as individuals. It's a badass feminist anthem of a show, full of witty humor, incredible music, powerful choreography, poignant statements, and hilarious facial expressions. Jay's and my personal favorites were Anna of Cleves (that girl can ACT, lemme tell you!) and Catherine Parr, but they were all spectacular. The jam session was real, and the timeliness of the show hits hard, surprisingly so. This musical couldn't have come at a better time, and I'm so grateful to have seen it. Thank you, Jay. <3
(Side note: also got a shirt here. Looks like a concert tee. Lists all the queens on the back as if a girl band. Hell yeah.)
Besides those three events, we wandered the South Loop and Navy Pier, enjoying the beautiful day by the lake and watching passersby. It was such a good day.
And a shoutout to Jay's cousin Kelly for letting us stay with her at her family's lovely home! It was so fun to hang out with her and her girls, the sweetest spitfires I've ever met. We'll see you again soon! :)
Thank you for reading, as always! Have a wonderful day!
Oh, and enjoy the photos of Rhiay being true dorkuses below- I had to include some, didn't I? ;)
~Rhiannon~
P.S. In our downtime in the evening, we played Nancy Drew on my laptop. God, that brought back childhood nostalgia. Anyone else play those PC games? So. Good. (When I was in middle school, I played Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon until I wore out the disc. Who's with me?) :)