I am not going to lie, this was the first trip without the kids and I was a bit of a wreck the few days leading up to our departure date. The night before I was crying imagining all of the horrible things that could happen while I was gone. Let's go ahead and call it a small anxiety attack. My mom gave me some words of wisdom and encouragement and I decided I was good to go. Thank you mom.
As soon as we were on the plane, I was feeling much better about things and the trip got better from there. We drive into the city and immediately I was plastered to the windows. This was such an awesome city! Where else do you have the combination of incredible architecture, more skyscrapers than one could imagine, a beach complete with volleyball courts and boardwalk, big beautiful parks, and of course, a river running through it? I have always loved New York, New York, but Chicago was so much cleaner with much less traffic crowding the streets. And again, the beach.
We quickly checked in to our hotel, The Allerton, and headed out onto Michigan Ave, a.k.a the Magnificent Mile. Our first stop was Millenium Park. We admired the odd and reflective Cloud Gate (and I almost got sick as we walked underneath), the Pritzker Pavilion, and the fountain that the show "Married With Children" made famous. It was an enormous park so we couldn't see everything, but were totally impressed with the greenery, floral arrangements and architectural pieces.
The next item on our agenda was our boat tour of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. This was the best way to see the city, from the comfort of a boat loaded with drinks and snacks. We learned lots about the city and some of the famous buildings. My dad had always talked about climbing the antenna on top of Sears Tower and now I can fully appreciate how insane that was. Funny story about being out on Lake Michigan. It was windy that day, surprise surprise, and so the water was quite choppy. Due to the plentiful drinks, I soon needed to use the restroom. Picture this, a bathroom the size of those on airplanes, a metal toilet about a foot off the ground, the boat violently swaying back and forth, and me, the pregnant girl trying to make this all work. I swore there was going to be a candid camera somewhere!
That night, we got all dressed up and headed to Joe's Stone Crab restaurant. Tucker was in heaven with enough butter-soaked lobster and crab to last him a lifetime. I have never been a seafood fan, but even I had to taste and enjoy. We were all so stuffed that it was hard to get up and I had to lower the zipper on my pants even further (I couldn't zip it up to begin with because of this pregnancy!).
The guys had the next morning off so we got to experience the most amazing aquarium I have ever seen. Folks, I lived in San Diego for almost 2 years, I have been to Monterey Aquarium-this one takes the cake! I was mesmerized! The shark tanks, the Carribean Reef tank, the trained dolphins and even the ridiculously cheesy show all contributed to a fantastic visit. I had finally decided to bring the camera so here are a few...
Me and my husband at the aquarium in front of Chicago's spectacular skyline':
Tucker's boss Paul and his wife Jill who had been to Chicago before so they were great tour guides and so much fun to be with!
Me and Tucker again in front of the aquarium:
As soon as the guys had to head to meetings, Jill and I were free to shop and shopped we did! Staying on the Magnificent Mile put us within a short walk from every store you could possibly want. Even window shopping was a treat! We first went to the American Girl store which was every girl's dream land. I had grown up with the Samantha doll and had always loved the detail that this company goes to on each doll and story. At the base of our hotel was the Disney store and we spent some time and money here as well. I got the kid's costumes and cannot wait for you all to see them! Here is Jill and I with our loot:
Tucker's boss Paul and his wife Jill who had been to Chicago before so they were great tour guides and so much fun to be with!Me and Tucker again in front of the aquarium:As soon as the guys had to head to meetings, Jill and I were free to shop and shopped we did! Staying on the Magnificent Mile put us within a short walk from every store you could possibly want. Even window shopping was a treat! We first went to the American Girl store which was every girl's dream land. I had grown up with the Samantha doll and had always loved the detail that this company goes to on each doll and story. At the base of our hotel was the Disney store and we spent some time and money here as well. I got the kid's costumes and cannot wait for you all to see them! Here is Jill and I with our loot:
We didn't leave without a trip to a local joint (with a 6 ft square hole where the window was supposed to be) for some serious Chicago pizza. We were looking for a Chicago chain restaurant, but ended up a bit lost near the law school and found this fab place that was delicious!
Such a great trip and I can't wait to go back someday. So sorry for the lack of pictures-I will try to post more once I get them from Jill!
1 comment:
Love Chicago! First of all...Ijust saw you and you don't look AT ALL swollen(previous post)...you look so cute! Thanks for coming on Thursday, it was good to see you guys!
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