Friday, August 11, 2006

Tales from the Windy City

We have just arrived home after a long but fantastic trip to Chicago. Devon, Rowan, and I visited many places and saw a great many things. My good friend Kathy Russell, with whom I have been pals since junior year in high school, joined us for one of the days, and we enjoyed every minute. We took the Amtrak from Portage to Chicago, which I highly recommend with the cost of gas and parking these days (not to mention the hideous driving one finds in the city) and relied on public transportation for the most part to get around. Our first night there, we visited Navy Pier and a fun cajun jazz restaurant called the Be-Bop Cafe. The Tall Ships festival was happening as well, so we were treated to an unusual view of boats off the pier. Kathy joined us for Day Two, when we visited the Field Museum (and saw the INCREDIBLE King Tut exhibit) and spent the evening at Soldier Field masquerading as Bears fans for the Chicago Sun Times Friends & Family Night. It was a treat to see the players from spectacular seats as they scrimmaged and prepared to kick off the preseason. Back at the hotel, it was martinis and ghost stories, thanks to a book called "Weird Wisconsin" that Kathy so graciously brought for the kids.
The next day was jammed - we visited Millenium Park (which was spectacular!) as well as the Museum of Science and Industry, the Art Institue of Chicago and the Shedd Aquarium.
Vacations are wonderful - they provide a terrific way to unwind, and a new appreciation for the home you return to at the end. Thanks, Kathy, for making our trip so memorable - I can't wait to visit again!
(But the seven dollar beers I can surely do without!)


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

It sounds like you had a good time. Every time I go on vacation I say, "I need to do this more often". The sad things is it never works out that way.