Blown Away by Navy Pier

Saturday in the Windy City and it looked like it was going to be sunny and in the mid-'70s.  That meant only one thing - Navy Pier and a walk down the Magnificent Mile.  Having lived in Illinois for many years, I have trod the Magnificent Mile plenty of times but this was my first trip to Navy Pier.  This is mostly because I left the state before the Pier became what it is today - 50 acres of parks, restaurants, exhibits, and attractions.  As we were walking up the first thing spotted was the giant wheel which everyone declared was a must.  Heading over, we got sidetracked by the giant chair and the need to sit...

We made it to the wheel and those of us not deathly afraid of heights got in line while the others waited below soaking up the sun.  Which was necessary because that wind off of Lake Michigan is no joke.

We needed to get two cars.  This is my attempt at a photo of those in car 2 from our group...

Uncle C also snapped this...

We got some pretty cute kids in our car too.

 

And there are a few of the rest of us having some popcorn while they wait on the bench.

The Pier.

That skyline...and you can start to see the dark clouds rolling in.

The kids spotted the swings from the wheel and we promised them a ride.  But not before getting them all sweatshirts.  Did I mention that wind that the Windy city is named for?

P (sitting with MadHatter) is deathly afraid of heights.  The kids talked him into this.  And that smile is nervous as all get out.

Love a good reflection shot.

By now the sky was threatening rain.  So much for the sun and 70s they forecasted.  But, having grown up in the midwest, it was not unexpected by any of us.  The weather can change on a dime.  We decided to ditch our walk on the Magnificent Mile and hightailed it to our cars.

We did not make it!  Those of us without hoods stayed behind and sought cover while the others sprinted ahead to get to the garage.  Grampa came back and picked up Nana, Spike and I and off we went in search of dry clothes at the hotel.

Still gorgeous even in the rain.

Dry clothes secured.  And just in time for dinner.  And since the kids had never had deep dish pizza we knew exactly what was on the menu.  What is Deep Dish, you ask?  Well, as the name suggests the crust is very deep creating a pizza that looks more like a pie than a flat pizza.  But that doesn't mean it is thick crust pizza.  Traditional Chicago deep-dish is a thin crust with a thick, thick layer of toppings including a chunky tomato sauce and layers upon layers of cheese.  And because of its longer baking time, which would cause the cheese to burn if put on top, the ingredients are assembled upside-down from a traditional pizza.  Mouth watering good! 

And the girls agreed!

Look at all of that cheesy goodness!

A balloon lady even came by and made swords and animals for the kids.

Stuffed, we headed back to the hotel for a nightcap where MadHatter decided that her Uncle C needed to update his hairstyle.  And then proceeded to do this for the better part of half of an hour (he is a pretty good sport).

It was getting late, and we had a very early taxi ride in the morning, so we bid everyone goodnight and farewell.  It surely was a whirlwind weekend and we will have to get back to Chicago soon to sight see with the girls but it was so worth it.  It was fun introducing my kids to my home state.  And on the way home I got to introduce them to one of my other favorites from when I lived in North Carolina (we went through the Charlotte airport) - Bojangles.  The best chicken and biscuits around!

Until next time Midwest!  I'm sure we will see you again soon.

A Windy City Surprise!

It was my brother Spike's 50th.  A big day in any respect but this year has thrown him some pretty big challenges so his wife reached out to see if the family could gather to make it all the more special.  But, of course, we could.  Our first iteration of the trip had Spike, S, and J coming to us.  Doctors put a kibosh on that one.  The second try had us coming to their house and spending the weekend.  As much as we love Spike, we don't really love our hometown (small town Illinois leaves a lot to the imagination).  That is when my other brother had a great idea - let's all meet in a part of Illinois that has a bit more by way of things to do.  It would get Spike out of town (which was the original plan) and we would all have a good time in the big city.  The third time was definitely the charm.  And to make it all the more fun we planned it all as a surprise.  Who doesn't love a good surprise?

Thursday after school the girls and I headed off to the Windy City.  My brother C's family got in just after we did and Grampa was there waiting to chauffeur us to the hotel.  It was late so getting in without Spike knowing we were there was simple as everyone was already asleep.  And we followed behind very quickly.

The next morning the family - including Spikes step-kids and grandson were all waiting in the lobby for breakfast.  They had all come up together the night before and he thought that this was his surprise.  What he didn't expect were the 7 other people who showed up that morning.  I think he was a bit suspicious but he was happy to see us all.  And it was his actual birthday to boot!

Our hotel was on Drury Lane.  And it served muffins.  

Anyone else singing yet...

Breakfast eaten we piled into 3 cars (we were 16 after all) and headed off to the Museum of Science and Industry.  Where we promptly ran around an acted like little kids - the whole lot of us.

Uncle C and Stinkerbell.

A massive U-505 submarine.  The ONLY German sub in the U.S.  It was MASSIVE!

Trying out the doors in the sub...

And the beds...

Some fit better than others (granted, he is quite tall)

We got lost in the mirror maze (and then found again)

And checked to see if we were in proportion. (her arms are slightly longer than she is tall.  But she was happy to see that she had grown an inch).

We watched as a gyroscope top was built and personalized for us on the factory line.  Poor MadHatters didn't pass inspection the first time so she had to start over.

We watched how wind kept balls afloat (and messed up our hair)

And how electricity was attracted to us.

And so much more - we toured a coal mine, we watched a man-made tornado.  There were swirling sand dunes and lightning storms and lectures on what makes things bounce.  And then the museum closed and we needed to head back to the hotel before rush hour traffic trapped us in the city (we didn't make it).  But that's ok, it gave her time to do this...

A fabulous day well spent with family, capped off by a big Italian birthday dinner.  I hope Spike enjoyed his birthday celebration as much as we did!