CHICAGO HERE WE COME! (with our three little ones)

We took our 3 oldest children to Chicago on the train twenty some years ago. At that time our 3 youngest children were very sad because they wanted to go with us and we told them that we would take them another time. Well, you know how busy things get and time gets away - here twenty three years later we decided to make that promise good.

We left KC on the train at 7:45 last Friday morning. We arrived in Chicago at 3:15 and decided to walk to our downtown hotel. It was a good walk and we were glad to get to the hotel and be done with the luggage. Shortly we headed out to find a trolley that would take us to the Navy Pier. We walked around for a little bit and then rode the huge ferriswheel at the McDonalds.

Later we were ready to have some of the good pizza that we enjoyed at Ginos 23 years ago. Then we bought a 2 day pass for the transit system so we could ride the subways and buses the next couple of days.

On Saturday we visited the museum of science and industry and went through the smart house which has some amazing technology and also went through the u-boat that we captured from the Germans in World War II.
We then went to Michigan Ave. to do some shopping and then
later on Saturday evening we rode the subways.

On Sunday we attended Moody Church and enjoyed a good service with hundreds of others. We then went back to the hotel to check out of our room and then went to lunch before heading for the train station.

By 3:00, we were back on the train and ready to head back to KC. We knew from 23 years ago that the seats were reversible but we couldn't figure out how to get them turned. Susan was persistent and finally figured it out and we thought we would have a fun time on the way home but.... as they came to check our tickets, they told us we would have to turn them back around. The other family that thought that was a wonderful idea were admonished first and they turned and said we had told them how to do it:)

We enjoyed a meal in the dining car
on the way home - we intended to do that on the way in but they were all out of food so we had to wait.

We had a very fun and busy weekend and were somewhat exhausted as we boarded the train on Sunday. We thoroughly enjoy being with our children and only wish we could have had all of them with us.

Ready to leave for Chicago at Union Station in KC

resting up for the busy 48 hours ahead

walking with our luggage to our hotel in downtown Chicago

(a mile and a half)CHICAGO

carousel at Navy Pier

taken from the ferriswheel

Lake Michigan from the ferriswheel

downtown Chicago from the ferriswheel at Navy Pier

Wonderful Pizza place

Enjoying pizza

Our name on the wall with the millions in Ginos

Elisa writing on the wall in Ginos

the seats like they were when we took our 3 oldest kids some 20 years ago

enjoying some of the displays in the museum of science and industry

a free trolley that we rode to Navy Pier

when it started raining - the hoods went up

Moody Church we attended Sunday morning

riding the bus

arriving back in KC Sunday night