So Many Moogles ...

The challenge of the day was finding something relatively affordable that could take up a few hours before the evening event.

First thing I thought of was the Shedd Aquarium, just to say I'd been there, but after seeing how much it was to get in, I decided I didn't want it that bad. I think it was around $30 a piece, if I remember correctly. I settled for a free picture of one of the banners.

We knew ahead of time that there was no way to see everything, but we figured we could tackle a wing of the Museum of Science and Industry, dubbed as the OMSI for grownups. - Actually, it was geared for everybody. And, you know, OMSI really is, too. So never mind. But it was pretty sweet. It's already on my list to revisit if I get back out that way.

We grabbed dinner at Ricobene's Pizzeria to have a traditional Chicago-style sandwich with the greasiest fries ever. I think it might be the grease that make fries so good, because those were awesome. I think each one was about 1000 calories, but i just told myself they weren't empty calories. There's potato in there somewhere.

Yen dropped us off at the train to head up to the concert. I had no idea what to expect, but I went in with an open mind.
So a little history: I had played some of the Final Fantasy games in the past, and I remember really liking the music to them. Well, apparently these songs have been fully orchestrated, and that's what we were going to see. I braced myself for some of the folks who would be, oh, you know, a little hard core. You know, the folks that also show up for the Star Wars/Star Trek/Lord of the Rings movies all dressed up. Great movies accompanied with people who really got into them. Same deal here: people were dressed up as all sorts of characters from the games. Managing to keep my eyebrow(s) from raising, I took a deep breath and went in with an open mind. It was a lot of fun! The music was great, the crowd was energetic, and I have another unique experience that I can say I've done! Good call, Steve! It was a great way to finish off the trip. We got back at some unholy hour and, for some reason, played a few games before going to bed. Or was that the night before? Or both nights? Probably both nights. Heck, we felt we needed to get the most out of our time together, anyway. Sleep's for those who are, uh, not us.