Family Vacation to Chicago - Action packed!

Every fall, we plan an extended weekend family vacation. The first year we did this was in 2007 when Brady was a little over 1 year old. We went to Indy for a 2-day road trip. In 2008, we went to St. Louis for a 4 day trip with 2 of those days joined by the grandparents. This year, we decided to go to Chicago for 4 days, just the four of us.

Day 1 (Navy Pier): We started the drive Thurs. morning arriving there late afternoon. We grabbed some lunch at a local deli before heading to Navy Pier. The boys were very excited to try out the rides. We rode the Ferris Wheel (great view of Chicago and Lake Michigan), the Lighthouse (like Frog Hopper) and the Carousel. We had one ticket left, so we got daddy to ride the Swings. After the rides, we grabbed some Garrett's popcorn that everyone has raved about and with reason before heading to the Children's Museum (free on Thurs. evenings). Very interesting exhibits and the place was huge! I know we only saw a small part of it in our couple hours there. The boys enjoyed the construction areas, the Dino dig, and Kids Town. The boys got to pretend to ride a city bus there as practice before the real thing. We concluded our evening with a late dinner at the Grand Lux Cafe. It was so late and the boys were tired, so we didn't get to try their famous desserts.

Day 2 (City Bus ride to Museum Campus and lots of walking): We kicked off the day with a jump on the city bus...the boys first experience. They did really well and enjoyed the attention they received from other passengers. Heck, they enjoyed attention they got the whole trip. All someone had to do was say HI to Connor and he would immediately say "Guess What? or Can I tell you something?" and you had to drag him away. We rode the bus to Shedd Aquarium. Connor seemed to really enjoy the aquariums, but Brady was less thrilled. I think because several were above his eye level. We lucked into the Dolphin area at the right time for a show...instead of the normal show, they were giving us a Sneak Preview of their new Fantasea show that debuts next month. It was a really awesome show featuring full costumes, flying boats, magic, light effects, and of course several ocean animals (dolphins, Beluga whales, penguins).

Our next stop was a quick lunch before heading to Field Museum...we didn't get very far across Museum Campus before deciding to just grab some lunch from a street vendor (boys were complaining they were hot and hungry). We grabbed some Chicago-Style hot dogs where ketchup was a special request and had a nice lunch on the Museum Campus lawn overlooking the Lake. We then did a quick tour of the Field Museum focusing on the dinosaur skeleton exhibits. This was a neat looking museum, but most of it was too old for the boys. Time to leave the museum area...do we catch a bus or start walking? Oh boy, did we walk a lot this day! We started our walk along Monroe Harbor, so the boys would be distracted by all the yachts parked there. We then cut over to Millennium Park and walked through the art exhibits including the "Bean". We grabbed dinner at Giordano's for some famous stuffed pizza. We've walked this far - let's just keep walking! The boys got to see lots along the way - a Chess game on the sidewalk, banjo player, drummer on a bucket, Michigan Avenue Bridge, giant American Gothic Statue.We made one more stop before making it to the hotel - the Lego Store. We let the boys pick out a couple new Lego kits while also pointing out several that they would like Santa to bring them (hint hint Grandparents). The rest of the weekend was focused on those Legos and the hotel became the most requested place.

Day 3 (Lincoln Park Zoo): After a big breakfast, we jumped on the bus to Lincoln Park Zoo. Upon arrival, Brady requested a stroller because his feet hurt from the day before. I don't blame you bud - I would like a stroller also. We got the boys a double stroller, which I think made the day that more enjoyable and tolerable for everyone. This Zoo is really nice - lots of animals and huge habitats for the animals. It even had a Farm area- who knew the boys would enjoy watching Dairy Cows (we skipped the cow-milking). We ended up spending 6 hours there and I think we even missed a few spots (the Zoo is also undergoing a huge renovation). The boys didn't miss the opportunity to ride the Carousel or the Children's train. We used the train as motivation all day - if you are good today, you can ride the train when we leave. It worked for the most part. After the zoo, we caught the bus back to the hotel so the boys could play Legos and Mommy could nap. For our final night in Chicago, we took the boys to Rainforest Cafe for dinner. They really enjoyed it and Connor has requested a return trip for his birthday so he can get the Sparkling Volcano Dessert.

Day 4 (time to head home): We debated making another stop before heading home on Day 4. The boys, however, were quick to determine the plan for the day. "We want to eat breakfast at the same place we did yesterday, so I can get pancakes again. Then we start driving home, so Daddy can build our Lego Fire Truck." They ended up sleeping the majority of the drive home, which made Sunday night a very relaxing evening for the Seaton family. Vacation was enjoyable...unfortunately will be the last one until next fall (can't break tradition) due to the new baby arriving next spring.