Road trip to Chi Town!

The kids were gone for almost 2 weeks up in MN and faced with the long 4th of July weekend, we gave in to a bit of wanderlust and planned a road trip to Chicago! We were on the fence about where to go and what to do with the long weekend...we missed the kids...and since our "big" vacation was in February we were feeling a bit antsy. One night Chris and I watched "The best thing I ever ate - Road trip Food" on the Food Network. One of the food network stars featured told about the Pizza Pot Pie he gets every time he visits Chicago. After watching that we were sold...Chicago here we come! We left Thursday after work and drove until about 11pm. Stopped for a quick sleep about 2 hours out of the city. We arrived at our hotel late Friday morning.

After getting checked in we wandered a bit outside and decide to have the iconic downtown Chicago lunch....delish!

Our hotel was right in the heart of downtown near the river. We set out exploring and were surprised to stumble upon this iconic sign right away.

According to the forecast, Friday was supposed to be in the high 90's and we had planned to just hit the beach that day. The forecast was wrong, and it was cool and windy. We decided to head to the Shedd Aquarium instead. We took the train as far as we could, but had to walk the rest of the way.

This FREAKY wind storm came out of nowhere just as we were crossing the bridge to the Shedd Aquarium. I am not exaggerating when I say it was so windy we could barely walk across the bridge. Kids were a bit freaked out and the sky was bizarre to say the least.

This was the view from right outside the aquarium. It never did really rain that we know of. We got inside as fast as we could.

We enjoyed a long afternoon inside and really liked the Jelly Fish exhibit that was there.

Livie really liked the teeny-tiny baby ones of course.

We also had fun at the dolphin show.

The aquarium has been around since the 30's. Very cool art-deco feel when you are inside mixed with the modern addition at the back.

Afterwards we wandered around some more and took in beautiful Lake Michigan.

Buckingham Fountain.

Chris found us a really neat boutique hotel called "The Amalfi Hotel". It's Italian and they offered a nice breakfast each morning on your floor. It was great to just walk 20 feet in your pj's to get breakfast. Tony couldn't believe how great it was to have a sprinkle donut and juice in a "fancy glass" each day. They also had a free reception each night with a full bar and Italian hors doeuvres. It was great for traveling with kids as we could get a hearty "snack" after a long day and before we headed back out into the city each night.

I've resigned myself to the fact that I never sleep well at hotels...not so here. I thought about these beds all day and slept like a rock each night. The kids were delighted to find Liv's "bush baby" on the bed one day when we returned to our room. She must have left it in between the sheets.

We declared Saturday beach day! Here they wait for the valet to get our car. This is the only time we drove. The rest of the weekend we walked and took the train wherever we had to go.

The kids were a bit skeptical when we told them being at Lake Michigan was like being at the ocean.

The water was COLD but very refreshing on a really hot day.

As usual they kept themselves busy for hours playing in the water and sand.

After the beach we cleaned up and headed back downtown. I just couldn't get enough of the architecture all around us. Chicago has more of a "Small town" feel than NYC and the mix of old and new is striking everywhere you look. In the picture above you see the Trump Tower peaking out from behind the amazing Wrigley Building...as in the gum.

Our destination was Navy Pier and we got a kick out of the Chicago Tribune building where they had placed pieces of rock from all over the world around the outside. Everything from the Great Wall of China to the Pyramids to Chimney Rock in Nebraska.

Navy Pier was within walking distance of our hotel. Our plan was to hang out there until the fireworks later that night. Holy people... that place was NUTS! One of those things you're glad you visited, but won't return too.

However, one little gem I read about was a stained glass museum that is on the Pier. It had many works of Louis Comfort Tiffany. Amazingly beautiful. These were all taken from private homes and old buildings. I have recently read a book about Tiffany Glass and the women that worked for him so it was very cool to see the real thing.

The Pier was beautiful at night. There was a big yacht used for excursions that had a wedding on it when we were there. The wedding party and all the guests headed out onto the lake at sunset and stayed out until after the fireworks...how cool and memorable!

Chicago skyline at night.

Sunday we took the train north to the Lincoln Park area. The Lincoln Park Zoo is up there as well as the restaurant I mentioned at the beginning of this post.

It was great to see another part of Chicago. We all loved the tree-lined streets and old brownstones.

We found a little opening in a fence and stepped into this cool oasis.

We followed the shady path right into the zoo! The zoo is open 365 days a year and is completely free.

I always love the juxtaposition of a lush park next to a big city.

We are a bit jaded having such a great zoo here in Omaha, but we really enjoyed the day and were very impressed with the beautiful grounds and exhibits.

The conservatory was our favorite. It was full of amazing plants, trees and flowers from all over the world.

Tony couldn't believe his luck when we found the "Fern Room." Ferns are yet another one of Tony's favorite things. Too bad we have no shade here in Nebraska to grow any for him.

You are NEVER too old for cotton candy!

Chris said he must have "sold" a ton of it for them that day. You couldn't bring food inside so being that he hates cotton candy, he was the obvious choice for being the holder as we went inside. Kids from all around exclaimed they wanted some as they walked by.

Funny boy.

Beautiful view of the skyline from inside the zoo.

Christmas card photo....check!

So finally....we found the Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder. Above is a picture of the menu. If you are so inclined you can read the story. Very cool history....involves the MOB!!!!

A very happy man....

...a little plate of total deliciousness. Basically, they line a bowl with mozzarella cheese slices, add in the sauce and meat, top it with the dough and bake. Then the come to your table and flip it out onto your plate. Is your mouth watering yet????.....

...need I say more? FAN-TAS-TIC.

Sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind and go on an adventure.

On the way back to the train station we found this amazing house.

Waiting for the red-line. Don't tell Tony Chris' foot was touching the blue. He is the family safety-guy and declared the blue area off limits. Safety first!

We made it back downtown just in time to catch one of the last architectural boat tours on the river. A friend had recommended it to me and we were glad we listened to her. It was awesome!

Trump Tower - built in 2009.

Cool view of the Hancock Building.

This was Olivia's favorite. It was designed by a woman who at age 47 owned her own architectural firm. I guess it's unheard of in the industry. Those wavy lines are balconies!

One more pose before we wrap up our trip.

Tony takes in the view from our hotel room one last time before we pack up and head home. Now that the kids are older, Tony usually ends up sleeping on the floor. The great thing is, he is happy as can be in his little nest and loved having the "front row" seat by the window all weekend. He reminds me a lot of our dear departed Grandma Pat who took such delight in the little things. What a great trait to have.

We can never seem to take the straight route from point A to point B can we? On the way home we meandered through Oak Park Illinois and stopped by the home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright. We were there too early to take a tour, much to my disappointment, but were able to walk around a bit. I read a great book on him - he was quite an interesting fellow. Chris and I love his "prairie style" of architecture and it was cool to introduce him to the kids. Tony has decided he wants to be an architect when he grows up...who knows?

So that's it. Another road trip, another chance to introduce the kids to a new place and make great memories!