Last weekend we drove the three hours from Grand Rapids to Chicago for a weekend filled with big city fun. And while we are no strangers to Chicago, this was our first time visiting as a family. We had a blast!
First stop was the Shedd Aquarium where we spent two hours touring the galleries tanks filled with all of the under water creatures you can imagine. The Shedd sells tickets for timed entry so we booked the first available slot of the day. We entered right at 9a and during most of our visit it felt like we were free of the crowds - score! Our family voted unanimously that the best part of our visit was the dolphin show - so-so cool. Jeff shared with the kids that his favorite animal is, in fact, a dolphin (not sure I even knew that) because they are, “…basically dogs that live in the water.” Natalie then named dolphins as her second favorite animal (behind dogs).
While in town we met up with my good friend (and Maid of Honor from our wedding) Cassie who’s lived in Chicago for most of the last decade. She’s our Chicago expert who gives us all the local tips. We grabbed lunch together at the Farmers Market in Lincoln Park (one of her tips) and enjoyed some fried chicken from the food tents. The kids were treated to popsicles from the ice cream cart - they had a hard time keeping up with the sugary drips because of the gorgeous sunshine we were blessed with all weekend.
The Lincoln Park Zoo was another bucket list item we checked off our agenda and also where we got to see Thomas’ favorite animal: a giraffe. I love that the zoo is completely free but I also love that the zoo allows alcoholic beverages while touring the exhibits! We saw a lion, zebras and a gorilla who did the full on beating of his chest and leapt at the viewing window - it was wild!
We scored big time by bringing along the kids scooters for zipping around the city. We strolled along the Magnificent Mile and made a stop at Water Tower Place. The kids each had $100 to spend (winnings from playing pull tabs at the Eagles Club with Miss Joy in Schoolcraft while staying with Grandma and Grandpa Smith last month - true story) and hit up the American Girl and Lego store. We don’t take them shopping often (only during Christmas when they select gifts for one another or for birthday gifts for friends parties) so they had a complete blast shopping for themselves.
Cassie also joined us for dinner on Saturday night at Beatrix, one of my favorite spots in the city. I’ve dined there a handful of times before but never with the kiddos and was quite impressed by their kids menu. They have a great atmosphere with open air doors and a curbside patio. I love their menu and the proximity to our hotel was clutch - two blocks away. Heads up that they don’t have crayons and coloring sheets but our kids occupied themselves before food by dancing to the music on the sidewalk.
We stayed at the Embassy Suites Hotel and were happy with our accommodations. They had an indoor pool (nothing fancy) and enjoyed some happy hour time while the kids swam. We booked a suite allowing Jeff and I to have our own room and the kids to watch cartoons as soon as they woke up in the morning.
We took a long walk after dinner to Navy Pier and again leveraged the kids scooters. Riding the Ferris wheel was next on our list but our girl Natalie threw us for a loop and pulled the rip cord just as we were about to hop in line. Poor girl took one look at it and told us it was too high for her then burst into tears. Fear of heights was not on our radar for Miss Natalie so we’re logging this note for future adventures.
The kids LOVED visiting the play garden in Maggie C. Daley Park and I’m not going to lie… so did I. It was the coolest playground I’ve ever seen. It’s incredibly well designed and so different from any other playground I’ve seen. It’s visually appealing and thoughtful for both the kids and the parents. There are spaces for all age groups as well as water features for hotter days. This was the perfect Sunday morning stroll destination. Jeff and I enjoyed our coffee while the kids went crazy. They would have stayed all day had we let them.
Before heading out of town we made a stop at Cloud Gate (the Bean) in Millennium Park. It was the kids first time and they thought it was really neat. And while Jeff and I have visited The Bean before we were reminded of how cool it really is. Grand Rapids has La Grand Vitesse and we’re big fans of that work as well… they are both large scale pieces and extremely unique in their own way. We love them both!
Back in GR we are busy putting together lego sets and planning our next Chicago trip for next time. Our short list already includes: a river boat tour, a Cubs game, the Sky Deck and the Field Museum. Until next time!
