We took the kids to Chicago for a few days over spring break and had an awesome time. We were looking for someplace within driving distance that would offer fun things to do and see for both kids and adults. Brandon and I have visited Chicago on two other occasions and love the city's feel. We like that it offers the big city sites with a Midwest heart.
We planned our trip around sites including the Museum of Science and Industry, the Magnificent Mile, and Shedd Aquarium. Other highlights of our trip included staying at the Embassy Suites, where breakfast was made to order hot every morning and there was a nice manager's reception (this means free drinks for the adults and snacks for the kids) every evening.
We drove to Chicago due to the expensive nature of plane tickets (gulp). Even with gas prices being what they are, it saved us (literally) thousands to drive. Let me tell you folks, there is NOTHING between Kansas City and Chicago. Making this trek with a potty-training toddler was a bit of a headache (there was one time we had to drive 6 miles off interstate just to find a bathroom). The kids were troopers, though, despite a malfunctioning DVD player and a lack of scenery. Brandon and I are still in amazement that families ever took roadtrips prior to the technology that now occupies our young ones during these long journeys. Hats off to our parents.
We arrived in Chicago late in the evening and the next day, decided to venture down to the Magnificent Mile, which was within walking distance from our hotel. The kids quickly learned that in a big city, Mom and Dad don't have patience for dawdling, mostly because of their concern that a small child might actually get run over by an impatient motorist. After a stern "You have to stay with us because these people will run right over you" warning (always a nice introduction to the city), we managed to hold it together in the busy Chicago streets.
Our first stop was the much-anticipated American Girl doll store. For those of you who haven't been indoctrinated, the flagship store for this dynasty is located in Chicago. We ate lunch in the American Girl Cafe, where the girls' dolls joined us at the table in their own special seats (and with their own special dishes).
Kylee chose to bring her doll Kirsten along, who was actually my American Girl doll, given to me by my Grandma when I was about Kylee's age. It was special. I have dreamed for many years (Brandon mentioned that I was talking about it even before we had kids) of taking my daughters to this place. I felt so blessed to share in the experience with them.
The boys were very tolerant during the pink-infused luncheon. What good sports they are.
We then got to browse around the massive store. The girls each picked out something special to bring home and enjoyed the displays in the store.
Conveniently located right next to the American Girl doll store is a Lego store (marketing genius, I tell you!). We were thankful that the two were in such close proximity to each other. Connor had a great time creating Mini-Figures and admiring the Lego creations in the store.
No trip to Chicago is complete without a stop at Garrett's Popcorn, which makes the BEST caramel and cheesecorn you've ever tasted in your life. The smell wafts out the doors and there is often a line in the street as people wait to purchase some of this goodness.
The next day, we headed to the Museum of Science and Industry, where we enjoyed a special MythBusters exhibition and lots of neat hands-on activities.
One of the highlights of the museum was a chick hatchery. We didn't get to watch any eggs actually hatch, but the kids thought the baby chicks were so much fun! If they tapped on the glass, the chicks would all come waddle over, which they thought was pretty cool.
Our last day was spent at Shedd Aquarium, where we saw so many different kinds of fish and learned a lot about habitats.
They had a great Jellyfish exhibit:
The kids got to touch live starfish:
We also got to see a 4D movie. Here's the crew all decked out:
We ended the day at the dolphin show:
We also went and explored Navy Pier one evening. With it being slightly ahead of tourist season, many of the attractions on the Pier were closed, but the walk did afford us some incredible views of the skyline:
We felt so blessed to be able to enjoy this time together as a family.
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