Chicago

We did it! We made a trip to Chicago for Spring Break.

The kids weathered the 13 hour trip to go see their Uncle Aaron and the Windy City.

You can only play with trailers and horses for so long before the drive wears on you.

Addie was content with the bottle though.

Aaron came to our house for Thanksgiving and we thought we'd return the favor and invite ourselves to visit him. I had never even contemplated visiting Chicago so I went on this trip with no expectations. Fortunately for us, Aaron was able to surpass my minimal expectations and show us the sights. I don't know why we didn't take pictures of his campus (we were probably too absorbed in pretending we were at Hogwarts) but we did snap a few photos: You may have heard of the Cloud Gate in Millennial Park, but NO photo can do it justice. Its basically a giant bean-looking sculpture that reflects the Chicago Skyline. Its just too cool to try and explain its amazing-ness. (You can see us in the reflection, just above Andrew's head and below the trees) Our next adventure led us to the Field Museum. I will say, it surpassed expectation (remember I had none). Going there was like walking into a great big 3-D picture book of animals of the world. We're kicking ourselves now because the only picture we took, of all the exotic animals, was a rodent. I will hate myself for years because of the lapse of photo-taking judgement. The Museum was so thoughtful and also created a place for children to play. So the kids had their own kind of fun.
Then we went to the Shedd Aquarium. The entire trip Andy said he wanted to see the fishies. So, after swallowing the $22 dollar parking fee and getting a free pass (thank you Chicago Public Library). We went to the aquarium. Again, expectation was surpassed. My favorite was the shark tank, sting-rays, and piranhas. My job, as you can't see in the first two pictures, was to take pictures and push the stroller while Addie slept. Boy was she surprised when she saw all the fun she was missing. Its difficult to tell what Andy's favorite part was. He just kept running from tank to tank yelling "fishies". Often he would squeeze his way to the front of the glass and we'd have to retrieve him. Of course we needed to ride the turtle as well... I'm afraid of going to another aquarium because my new expectations won't be met.

This next picture tells you all you need to know about what it was like at all the parks we went to.

As we left Chicago, I think we were all just overwhelmed by the fun we all had.

Then reality reminded us that where the city really makes its money is on the toll roads and bridges. Then the long journey back set in. We drove from 6pm Saturday to 7am Sunday to complete the trip back, just stopping for gas. (Its not a coincidence that I'm writing this post as 3 tired Jaynes' sleep) In case you're thinking of doing the same thing, remember this: 11pm to 5am is the time road crews close down entire highways to work on them. We had a 40 mile detour through Summerset, Pennsylvania and another in D.C. It was a long night...

Just a few side notes: Yes, I got to see where the book "Gang Leader for a Day" took place. Yes, we drove through the poorer part of town and no I would not have stopped my car if my life depended on it. Yes, the poorer part of town is full of barber shops and liquor stores (I was afraid if I took a picture I would be shot). Yes, I did gain an appreciation for Chicago subs and pizza. Yes, we did see Obama's house (he is Aaron's neighbor). No, you can not knock on his door to borrow sugar because of the barricade and Secret Service.

Three quick thank yous: One to Aaron for being such a great host, two the lady in one of the parking garages that let us out without paying the $19 dollars-not quite sure why she did that, and three, Chicago Public Library: Aaron was able to check out passes to the Field Museum and the Aquarium. We appreciate all the gestures of kindness. Oh, and all the police (there were a lot) that made us feel save if we didn't think about WHY there were so many.