Chicago

We wanted to take a little vacation before classes started back, but we have been gone so much this summer (and spent a lot of time in the car) that the thought of driving somewhere to get away was exhausting to think about.  Just a couple of weeks ago though, we thought about hopping on the Amtrak to Chicago and spending a few days relaxing there.  So we did!  We began planning a trip to Chicago about a week before we left.  I'll save you from ALL the details and long stories- and give you just the highlights (in mostly picture form).

Welcome to Chicago! We grabbed lunch and walked to our hotel (only about .7 miles from Union Station) after our 5 1/2 hour trip on Amtrak from Carbondale to Chicago.

 We went to Navy Pier...

and of course, we rode the ferris wheel...which gave us the opportunity to see the skyline.

We wanted to see the free fireworks at Navy Pier- so conveniently went on Wednesday night.  They were seriously some of the best fireworks we have ever seen- even though it was only about 15 minutes (so good!)

We walked and took public transportation all over the city.  Our hotel was in a great location though- right in the middle of the loop.  We stayed at The Palmer House Hilton....and it was swank (thanks Hotwire!)

 We did the touristy things too- like 'the bean'

 ...which happened to only be like 3 blocks from our hotel!

Of course we couldn't miss running days- so we had a 6 mile run and a 13 mile run while we were there.  We passed Buckingham fountain on both of our runs...but made sure to come back for a picture.

We love cupcakes....which is probably pretty obvious. Remember when we had our own Cupcake Wars?  We wanted to try Sprinkles Cupcakes- the first cupcakery in the US, started by Candace (one of the judges on the show Cupcake Wars).  It was a small store, but the line was out the door!

 

And we know why too... seriously, it was the best cupcake I have ever had.  We tried another cupcake shop in Chicago, and it didn't compare.  I got red velvet (yum) and we bought a pumpkin cupcake mix to try at home!

We did lots of free stuff in Chicago...just touristy/walking around.  But we did spend money to see Blue Man Group and it was pretty good. 

The weather was so great too.  I think the warmest day reached about 83 degrees and it only began to rain as we were getting to Union Station to leave on our last day.  We spent a few hours at the Lincoln Park Zoo, which was fun and free.  I did tell Eric that I'm probably not going to be the mom that can take the kids and spend the entire day at the zoo.  I don't have a love affection towards animals like some do, so I just get bored watching them.  You can only stare at a sleeping lion for so long.  I do like zoos in small doses though :)

We also had our first experience of 'snow ice'.  My friend Kenny owns a little treat place called Cloud 9.  The snow ice was so fluffy and light.  We had mango flavored with mango drizzle and fresh strawberries.  Delicious!

Kenny and me

We couldn't be in Chicago and not have deep-dish pizza...so we "carb-loaded" at Giordano's the night before our 13 mile run.  Hawaiian pizza is my absolute favorite!

We checked out several fun restaurants while we there...like Yolk.  Eric saw it on our run and just happened to suggest we go there the next day.  We got there and had a wait.  Little did we know that we were at a trendy breakfast spot with really good food!

We also ate at Weber Grill restaurant which was good.  I don't know that I could ever be a food critic though- cause I enjoy most places.  I definitely recommend the teriyaki steak skewers.

It was the first time for both of us to ride the Amtrak.  You can't beat the price- that's for sure.  Our Amtrak tickets, transit passes, and parking in Carbondale didn't even add up to the price of parking at our hotel for the 3-4 days.  We enjoyed the train going up much more than coming back.  On the way back, we were behind the kid who watched 2 movies on loud without headphones and in front of the smelly guy.  Plus, I think we were just ready to be home.




We loved our getaway to Chicago!  My family has talked about doing a similar trip and riding the Amtrak up together.  Eric and I made sure to make mental notes about things that would be fun to do together and considered this a "scouting trip".  We are in full-swing towards students returning...so be praying as we begin a new semester of ministry!