forest park sights

this is my first official month of semi retirement!

i've already completed several things on my honey do list.

one of the was to go to the science center to see the imax movie

Journey to Mecca. about the 18 month 5000 mile journey to Mecca undertaken by

Ibn Battula in the 14th century. Battula was a 14th century Moroccan law student on his first pilgrimage from Tangier to Mecca to the most sacred sanctuary of Islam, the Grand Mosque.

The film is breathtaking especially the aerial view of the Hajj from a helicopter showing all the pilgrims walking the 7 times around the Kaaba in the center.

Since i didn't have any time constraints i decided to visit a few of the buildings in the park. It's much less crowded during the day

jewel box, the fountains in front have been drained for winter. the jewel box is on the national historic register because of its example of outstanding green house design built in the art deco fashion. it open in 1936 and is used for flower shows, weddings, and meetings

this is the planetarium also in forest park. you can reach the science center from here to visit the Imax theater. i love the shape of this building front entrance. The planetarium was constructed in 1963 by Gyo Obata. The roof design is called a hyperboloid (huh????) structure. It features a planetarium and different type of space and aviation exhibits and during the holiday season, features a big red bow tied around the middle Forest Park is a wonderful place to visit anytime of the year and most of the exhibits are free so anyone can visit.