2 September 2023 - We surprised the kids by scheduling in a cushion of evening hours on our Sunday drive to pop into Chicago and do some exploring. Ever since our trip to the Windy City in 2022, Gregg and I have brainstormed ways we could get back there with the kids. The kids were so excited to finally see it! We unloaded the bikes and our stuff in our hotel in Hammond, IN, and then hopped right back in the car to drive into the city, about a half hour away. We had reserved parking under Millennium Park before, so that took the pressure off of trying to find a spot anywhere else. Unfortunately, it was a super busy Labor Day weekend and the city was PACKED with people! Waaaay different from the empty city (read: how Kim likes cities) we enjoyed last time. Also, it was hot. And smelly. Oh well. We made the best of it, but it was maybe not the best first impression for the kids.
Gregg dropped us off at Millennium Park, so we could go see the Bean (aka Cloud Gate sculpture) and the spitting faces fountain (aka Crown Fountain), while he went to park. Unfortunately, the Bean was behind construction fencing, with the whole plaza around it dug up! Womp, womp! But we peeked at it through the fencing and moved on to watch the people splashing in the spitting fountain.
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| It's spitting! Finally! |
Gregg met up with us and since we were hungry we moved out of Millennium Park to find some food. We tried Giordano's for deep dish and Italian beef, but unfortunately, the crowds were lined up out the door. I walked in the revolving door and right back out when I saw the packed lobby. On to plan B! Jimmy's Gyro's and Grill was a few blocks away, but it was empty when we walked in! YES! We ordered a polish for the kids, and a Chicago Dog and an Italian Beef for Gregg and me to share (and the kids to taste). Yum!
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| Empty shop! Perfect! |
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| Dinner is here! |
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| Perfect! |
We left in a bit of a rush since Cal really had to go to the bathroom. Unfortunately, nowhere in downtown Chicago has public restrooms available, so we had to walk a few more blocks till we got to a line of porta potties in Grand Park. That was a little out of the way from our initial route we had mapped out in our heads to explore the city, but we stayed flexible and headed for Maggie Daley Park to play on the epic playground that we spotted last year and had wanted the kids to play on ever since. Unfortunately, it was crowded. And hot. And Sam was just wiped out. He laid down next to me on a bench thing, while Cal played. But he eventually perked back up and had a great time running and climbing and jumping.
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| Cal and Sam and some other kids on the epic playground. |
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| Sick? Tired? Hot? Sam. |
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| We found other parts of the park that I hadn't even seen before - so many themed playgrounds. |
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| Sam's out of the slide! |
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| And here comes Cal. |
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| The trees just framed the skyline up so nicely, I couldn't help snapping this pic. |
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| She didn't get soaked, but it sure was hot enough to enjoy that mist. |
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| Do baleen whales eat humans? |
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| The lighting was amazing this evening! |
We walked from playgrounds to the River Walk so we could show the kids the river and the water taxis and the skyline from that angle. They were getting pretty tired of walking by now, but we pressed on and enjoyed the views.
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| We planned to walk back over this awesome pedestrian bridge from Maggie Daley Park back into Millennium Park, but unfortunately it was closed from this direction due to the jazz festival happening inside. |
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| The Chicago Tribune building is Gregg's fave. I thought the light looked extra cool on it this evening. |
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| The river was packed with boats! |
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| We love these corncob-looking buildings. So fun to see those cars backed up almost to the edge on the bottom levels. |
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| Goodnight, Chicago! |
After a few hours in a bustling big city, we were all ready for showers (and a swim) and sleep. Fortunately, that's exactly what we did!
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