Spring Break in Chicago

Spring Break is definitely top 5 for my most favorite time of the year.

Garrett, Lara, Lara's boyfriend Brian, and I set off on our trip to Chicago on March 16th. After getting stuck in traffic for and hour or so, we were finally really on our way. Despite getting stuck in the traffic, we still managed to make pretty good time to Chicago. We listened to music and played Battle of the Sexes on the drive. Once we got there, Victoria and Kelly welcomed us and we hung out and talked.

Day One: St. Pat's

The day when everyone is Irish! St. Pat's is one of my favorite holidays. I mean, I love me some Christmas and Easter, but I think that St. Pat's may take the cake! We started out with some yummy Chicago style pizza. Here's the thing with this...I like Chicago style pizza, but being from St. Louis, I would rather have thin crust any day of the week. I like my pizza to be cracker-like. This day brought many memories back from Mizzou. We started partying at noon and just kept going. My Mizzou skills are long gone. I didn't make it past 8, but I did last longer than my sister, who's still in college. So that made me feel better.

Day Two: The Navy Pier and Shedd's Aquarium

So this day we were just planning on going to the Navy Pier and having a light day, but it turned into a cross-city trek. We had a lovely morning on the Pier and had a snack lunch at Bubbe Gump's. Of course, we didn't realize until after we had ordered that we should have saved the fish meal for Friday, when we couldn't eat meat. Bummer. However, it was very tasty. Then we got ice cream cones and decided that we would head down to Shedd's Aquarium for the afternoon. At first the boys wanted to walk, but after a few minutes of consulting the GPS on Garrett's cell phone, we quickly ruled that one out. Once we got over there, we decided to get the City Pass, which got you into all the museums for one price, which was significantly less than paying for them all individually. We spent the rest of the afternoon looking at the amazing wildlife from around the globe. They have a baby beluga that was born in December/January (can't quite remember the exact month) and that was really neat to see. We saw everything from largemouth bass to belugas to my personal favorite leafy sea dragons. After our lovely day on the town, now it was time to decide how to get back to Victoria's condo. First, we thought cab but then decided that we had spent enough on cab rides for the day. Then we decided the Metra, but that was a failed attempt because we couldn't figure out where to go. Then we thought bus, but by this time, we were just ready to be back at the condo. So we decided to walk. 10 blocks down and 8 blocks over. It really wasn't a bad walk, except for the fact that the St. Pat's Day shoes gave me blisters and Garrett wasn't wearing long enough socks in his new haven't-been-broken-in-yet shoes. So we made it home is one piece but we were all very tired. We ate in and all talked and watched a movie that I can't recall at this point.

Day Three: Bopping Around Town

We started the day with Dunkin' Doughnuts on the go! First on the agenda was the Museum of Science & Industry. Garrett was like a little boy in a candy store. He was so excited about everything. Brian was really excited to see the planes. Lara just kind of went with the flow and I was so excited to the see the German U-boat again. We went there many years ago and took the tour. I remember the submarine being really cool, so I was super-excited to get the chance to see it again. We had fun pretending to use the periscopes. After a quick bus ride, we were at the Planetarium. Okay, so nothing against space, but this was one of the most boring museums I have ever been to. We watched a movie about exploring the outer edge of the galaxy, but we all ended up taking a nap through that. All in all, we decided this one was a waste of a ticket. After a disappointing time at the Planetarium, it was on to the Field Museum. We saw the Pyramids, we were 'shrunk' to the size of a bug, and we walked around in prehistoric times. Sue the T-Rex is still my favorite. I took lots of pictures. We also looked at the precious gems collections. Garrett can't understand the fascination with diamonds. He thinks that there are other more beautiful stones out there, of course that was before we got to the diamond section. They are just so full of sparkle. Fabulous! Then we decided it was well past dinner time and it was Friday, which means we had to find a place that served fish of some kind. We all decided that we should head back to Bubba's and have a fabulous last meal in Chicago. We had shrimp po' boys, cajun shrimp, trout, and for me a fish sandwich. Also, don't forget the fun drinks! Mine was so expensive that they let me keep my glass! Lol! After that we headed back to the condo and got ready to go out to the bars. By this time we were all pretty tired, so Garrett and I really didn't last long. We went home and Lara and Brian went to meet his sister who was visiting Chicago for the weekend.

Good bye Chicago! We got up early Saturday morning packed and headed home. Garrett and I had to be back down in Jackson for his dad's 50th birthday party. We had a lovely spring break. Garrett was interested in the big city, but still prefers the country. I find myself agreeing more with him on that account everyday.

Lots of Love!

~A