Brad and Cora were on Spring Break last week and since the kids spend much of their time pretending to take a train to Chicago ("Uncago" in Peter's words) we thought it would be fun to take a day trip. We drove to Michigan City, IN where we picked up the South Shore Commuter train. Not as nice a ride as the Amtrak, but the tickets are super cheap and it's still a train by any child's definition. It rides on tracks, moves quickly and blows a horn. We chug-a-chug-a-choo-chooed the rest of the way to Chicago.
We got off the train at Millennium Park and had a snacky lunch there. The highlight of the park was enjoying green grass and trees on a sunny day with a brisk chill, and possibly the very friendly and hungry squirrels and birds we shared our snacks with. We didn't explore the park much so we'll have to do that another time! We trekked along the Riverfront path to Navy Pier, enjoying views of Lake Michigan and sounds of roaring traffic
It was a perfect day for a Ferris Wheel ride. That's not my favorite way to spend 7 minutes so we saved a few bucks and I enjoyed watching them from a sunny, out of the breeze location.
Off they go!
And there, at the very top of the Ferris Wheel, I see a little blondie stick his head out to wave "Hi, Mom!" I was much more comfortable with that from the ground looking up than I would have been from up there looking down! I would have ruined all their fun had I been the parent riding with them! Give me a roller coaster over a Ferris Wheel any day!
After our fun at Navy Pier we gave our feet a treat and took a Water Taxi back to Michigan Ave where we only had to walk a few blocks back to the train station.
Cora preferred riding under the draw bridges more than walking across them - they were bouncy!
We had a great day together as a family. It was fun to watch both the kids be so excited about riding trains, big city buildings and traffic, Police boats, Fire boats, riding a boat, etc. We rode the train back to Michigan City, at a pre-packed dinner in the car and got home in time for bedtime! In a sense it was a whirlwind day and we only saw a fraction of Chicago, but our intent was to have the thrill of riding a train and spending the day together doing a few fun things in the Windy City. Goal: achieved!
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