I have to admit that I loved Chicago before I ever step foot in this city. There is something about it, from the time I was a kid that intrigued me. I have been excited to come here for a long time. So much so, that I was almost worried that it would not live up to my expectations. But it definitely did and I cannot wait to come back.
We arrived in Chicago on Wednesday afternoon. We had left AB on Monday, travelling to Minot, ND, from there we traveled just outside of Eau Claire in WI and the next morning drove to Chicago. We really wanted to take the kids to a Blue Jays game but the timing just did not work in Toronto. Sandy started searching other cities and we were excited to discover that we could take in a game the first day we arrived. This was our first MLB game for the kids and I. I watched so much baseball in my Jr High years, that it took me back to the excitement I had back then. Mind you if it were my choice. it would have been a Twins vs Rangers game, but I am sure most of you would not connect with those teams lol. It was still very exciting. The Blue Jays had 2 home-runs and beat the White Sox. We were greeted at our seats by someone from Chicago, welcoming us and we had not a single dirty look or comment the entire game. Everyone was very friendly. I was thankful because at one point I had to have the man behind me beat a giant June Bug like creature out of my hair with his hat lol! Those of you who know how much I hate bugs can only imagine my reaction. I am proud to say I held it together well, although freaking out inside!
After the game we headed to Chick-Fil-A for supper. SOOO yummy and then went to the hotel so the kids could have a swim. The next morning we slept in until 8am. We had been beat from all our early morning rises. We missed the breakfast at the hotel but I am thankful, instead we enjoyed a yummy brunch at iHOP. Love it there and the kids were excited to try it. With full bellies we headed into the city.
We decided to buy a Chicago Go Card, which was awesome at giving us a great discount for the boat tour and the Centennial Wheel. Two things we knew we really wanted to do. The zoo was an added bonus. Timing was perfect and we could get on the next Architectural Boat Tour. Wow, what an amazing way to see the city. The tour was 1h30m long and toured through the river area of Chicago. There are few cities that you can actually see the city through the Rivers, it was amazing. And the architecture was amazing. The buildings and the history gave me an immediate appreciation of the city. I highly recommend it and we will definitely take this tour again in the future. The city is always growing!
After the boat tour we went to the Centennial Wheel. This was so huge, roughly 196ft. What an amazing view of the city. The kids loved it and so did we. The deal we got also gave the kids tickets to do the rides at the Navy Pier only when they stood in line, the lightening started and it was all shut down. We have had amazing luck with weather this trip, so we decided to chance sticking around. We went inside some of the Pier shops and then the rain stopped. The rides were still not open so we decided to walk down to Ohio St Beach. I love that Chicago is a city with a beach line. So beautiful. Ella and Noah played in the water and we walked the beach. It was a small beach but we all stuck our feet in our first Great Lake! 🙂
We decided to start walking back to see if we could find a pizza place to have supper. We wanted to try Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza while we were here. We found a place that could take our name and text us when a table was ready. We also preordered our pizza which took 45 min to bake. We walked back out to the pier and the rides had started again! The kids enjoyed some more rides until we received our text for supper. What an amazing pizza. It was stuffed with so much cheese. The sauce the meats, it was perfect. And so filling. We all loved it.
We came back to the hotel and then headed for a bit more shopping since it was still early and then we headed to bed for an early rise. We wanted to be at the Brookfield Zoo for when it opened. It was cold, like 15 degrees. We have had around 30 every day of our whole vacation so we were not handling it so well. We all wore jackets and felt like it was still not enough lol. It was a great zoo day though. The animals were active and so many new animals for us to see. My favorite was the ape exhibit here. They had such a great setup and the orangutan’s were amazing. Loved watching them and was able to get some awesome pictures. This was a great zoo, we spent 6 hours there enjoying it and still didn’t see it all.
We really wished we would have had more time here. Loved this city and will definitely be back in the next couple of years for much longer. We want to hit some of the museums next time and have a beach day in the city. Chicago you were great, but definitely a windy city, I could get used to it though, well, until Winter! 😉
I Dream of Summer 
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