R is a city boy. Sure he grew up in smallish town Iowa but he feeds off the city's energy. Chicago is his jam. He's been several times but this was our first family trip there. I loved watching him show B the city. And as much as B is like me, he LOVED the city like his daddy.
Some Chicago highlights:
-Navy Pier (probably my favorite Chicago spot). The people watching is top notch here. And there's all kinds of little parks nearby for the (then) two year old to explore. We rode the ferris wheel (even though it says not to if pregnant, sorry A!). It was way too high up there for my liking. :| B's favorite part was maybe the fire station we visited on the way back… they let him get in and 'drive' the truck and learn all about how very different a Chicago fire fighter's life is than an Iowa fire fighter's (and how very different it is from what we see on tv). ;)
-Shedd Aquarium. B asked about a million times last year if he could go to a shark aquarium. So Shedd had to be on the list. He was a little tired/cranky that day and didn't seem to be a huge fan of most of it but he STILL talks about it so it must have been a hit anyway. I'll never forget the bird that attacked us at lunch (it literally landed on B's head and started pecking away- in a mom of the year moment, I froze! Sorry, B!). :( Or the 4D show we tried to watch… He freaked when the animals 'spit' water on us. He literally ran out of the theater with me right behind him. He ripped off the 3D shades and started telling the patrons waiting, "Don't go in there! It's scary! It's a bad trick!!!" I wasn't sure if it was an appropriate time to laugh or not but we definitely do now.. (Again, sorry B!) ;)
-City Walking. Giordianos Pizza. The Bean. All the big highlights crossed off the list. It was a lot of walking for this tired mama but was glad to see some of the must see sights on the list. B was a huge fan of all the fountains in the city.
-Cubs game. This was for R's birthday. He loves Wrigley. It was my first trip and I'm glad I got to go. Unfortunately B didn't last too long and he, mom and I ended up taking a cab ride back to the hotel a little early. R and Max stayed forever (about a million overtimes… uhhh… extra innings? later I think Chicago ended up winning).
-United Center. Because R and B HAD to see Michael Jordan while we were in town.
As we bid farewell to the city, we asked B what his favorite part of this leg of our trip was. His answer: "The race car ride!" I was confused and asked him what he meant. "You know, the race car ride back to the hotel." Apparently the Chicago taxi cabs made quite the impression on him. Also, it did feel like a race car ride. :)
Dear Chicago, You're fun. And even though I much prefer a beach (more on that soon) to you, I'm sure we'll be back someday if R has anything to say about it. :) XOXO, H
