We've had downtown Chicago on our "visit" list for a few years now. We had a list of things we wanted to see and we knew that the kids were finally old enough to handle the amount of walking and to enjoy the things we would be seeing.
When I received my Christmas gifts from Matt & work (Cubs Tickets and Money to put towards tickets), Matt & I knew that Chicago was going to happen this summer!
We made a list of what sites we wanted to see and made our plans. We aren't necessarily museum folks, so most of our plans were outside sites.
We left home mid-morning on Sunday, arriving in Chicago around noon. Our first stop was at the Burr Oak Cemetery to pay our respects to Emmitt Till. It was closure from our Spring Break Trip, when we followed the story of Emmitt's kidnapping and murder in Mississippi.
Leaving the cemetery, we grabbed lunch and then headed downtown. Matt & I wanted to show the kids Soldier Field and the Lakefront near Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium. Unfortunately, it was bumper to bumper traffic due to a concert that afternoon. We drove out to the Planetarium then flipped back towards the city.
We found our parking garage and set out on foot.
First Stop - Lurie Garden & Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Cloud Gate - "The Bean"
Such a cool sculpture! I knew it was big...but it is more than I ever expected! We loved looking around at the different sides/angles and snapping lots of pictures. Our favorites were the skyline reflections!
It's kinda hard to spot us, but if you look for Kaitee's green shirt, that helps! Just to the lower right of the circle, you can see Kaitee & Matt.
We headed down the stairs to Crown Fountain and watched the little kids play in the water. Maddie & Will soon took off their shoes and socks and played for a bit.
We walked across the Nichols Bridgeway and explored the outside of the Art Institute of Chicago.
After a walk through Butler Field, we headed to Buckingham Fountain.
Have you noticed the dark clouds overhead? They were overhead all day, but got a bit darker as we were walking around the fountain. By the time we reached the crosswalk to head across Lake Shore Drive, we were getting sprinkled on. We had to wait a LONG time to cross over to Lakefront Park. By the time we crossed, the skies had opened up. We ran to a grove of trees to find refuge...unfortunately, the deluge hung on for longer than we hoped and we ended up pretty wet! The trees couldn't hold the water any longer!
After 20 minutes of waiting out the storm, we got back on our walk. Next stop, Navy Pier via Chicago Riverwalk.
Cleaning off the glasses and playing in the lake (it was really cold!) - might just as well, we were soaked already!
The SUN came out!!!
Are you noticing a water theme yet? We loved this fountain! Neat enough to look at from the front...then we walked around to the back!
Once at Navy Pier, we decided it was time for a break. We went inside, looking for a place to get some food and drinks. We saw Harry's and knew that was the place we needed to be! We had fun looking at all of the pictures & memorabilia on the walls - lots of Cubs and Chicago celebs. We ordered a few appetizers and re-hydrated, it was just what we need to continue on.
We headed out to the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel...just as the rain clouds rolled in again.
By the time we were up high, the skies had, yet again, opened up. It was fun to watch all the people below as they scurried for cover!
Maddie wasn't too fond of the stopping while up high...
She's looking better here!
We quickly snapped a picture in front of the ferris wheel then headed back inside to figure out our next stop.
Our initial plan had us walking from Navy Pier to 360 Chicago (John Hancock Building). We took in the weather and the overcast sky and decided it would be best to head back to the parking garage and head out to our hotel for the night.
We hopped on the Navy Pier Trolley and rode it to Michigan Ave - The Magnificent Mile. Didn't seem too magnificent that day. The rain was still coming down.
We enjoyed the beautiful buildings and scenery - just wish the rain had held off. It really put a damper on our day.
We got back to the van around 7 and headed out of town to our hotel. We stopped for our traditional Chicago dinner - Lou Malnati's. Once at the hotel, the kids swam for a bit and we were in bed by 12. All in all, a good day. We could've done without the rain, but at least it wasn't a storm. It was also a comfy temp all day, so that helped. We saw some amazing sights and had fun as a family. That's what it's about, right?
The next morning, we slept in a bit and checked out of the hotel with no real agenda for the day - other than the Cubs game that night.
We drove around the suburbs, locating some letterboxes. We ate at The Silo for a late lunch and then started heading towards the remote parking lot for the Cubs' games.
Here we go!!
Once at Wrigley, we loved taking our time walking around the park and seeing the sights - showing things to the kids as we went.
First stop - Trophy Room
We stopped at the Cubs Store and then headed in to the stadium. Before the game, kids 13 and under are allowed on to Wrigley field to wait for possible autographs. Will headed down with high hopes of meeting a player. Matt stuck around with the camera, ready to capture that moment! (Will is the one with Schwarber shirt and squid hat)
The girls & I went to sit in our seats...
Will did end up meeting Theo and getting an autograph from Clark.
Matt took the kids to get their "first time to Wrigley" certificate. When they came back, I realized we were missing a bag (we all had a string backpack to carry - snacks, ponchos, W Flag). Matt back-tracked to where he had been when taking pictures of Will. He wasn't allowed to carry his bag in to the section so he put it down beside us girls. It got left behind when we went to our seats. Matt headed to lost and found and was in luck! They had just received the bag and cataloged it. We had our ponchos and W Flag now!
Carey Elwes (Princess Bride, Stranger Things) threw out the first pitch and was the guest conductor for The 7th Inning Stretch. Here is Carey meeting Clark.
As we were waiting outside of the ballpark, the storm clouds started rolling in again. We were sprinkled on...again. Luckily, it passed over quickly and stayed dry the rest of the night. Look at the beautiful clouds!
We had a blast during the ball game! Lots of fun stuff - homeruns, great pitching, hitting, amazing plays, bench clearing squabble, flying the W and singing "Go Cubs Go".
In the 1st inning, KB was hit by a high & inside pitch. At first look, we thought he was hit on the helmet. So thankful it was just his upper arm.
Contreras's homerun! As he came back around to homeplate, he and the Braves catcher (Flowers) shared a few words. This led to both benches (and bullpens) clearing out onto the field.
Later on, Heyward and Donaldson shared a few laughs at 3rd.
A gorgeous night for a ball game!
I spy Tom Ricketts (and the Cubs dugout)
Two of my favorites - Brandon Kintzler and Steve Cishek (he is pitching in the video below)
Singing the 7th Inning Stretch - a fun tradition at Wrigley.
Cubs Win!!! Fly The W!!
As we stood in line at the bus stop, Matt asked if everyone had their bag. As he said that, he realized he was missing his...AGAIN! Maddie quickly told him that he had put it down on the bush while taking our picture in front of the Wrigley Marquee. Her & Matt ran back in search of the bag. As they came back (with the bag), we gave them a standing ovation! We also told Matt, "No more Encores!" He was definitely the butt of our jokes for the rest of the weekend. "Don't put that down...you'll forget it!"
While we waited for our bus, we snapped a pic of us wearing our bucket hats!
We made it back to the remote parking lot around 11:30 and headed downtown. We wanted to see the lights of the city.
Matt dropped us off at Millennium Park and the kids & I walked up to Cloud Gate. Stunning to see at night!
We drove out to our hotel and climbed into bed around 2 am. Another amazing day in Chicago!
We had very little planned for the following day. We planned to do some shopping in Schaumburg and then head home. Because of our late night previously, we slept in and took our time getting out of the hotel. We headed to IKEA and had so much fun! It is so nice to go on a weekday instead of weekend - you have room to move!!
Remember our Cubs bucket hats? We found something comparable at IKEA!
What a fun weekend! So glad that we were able to enjoy this time together as a family. Lots of fun memories!
