Thursday, June 6
Grandma, Grandpa, Noah, Emmie, and I piled into the minivan and drove to Newton to meet Amanda and begin our weekend getaway in Chicago. The first leg of the trip was along I-80 to Exit 306 for our dinner stop at Happy Joe’s in Le Claire. Grandpa and I split the always-good BLT pizza, Amanda went for her favorite Canadian bacon, and Grandma and Noah split the a classic cheese pie.
Noah drinking water from a coffee cup at the hotel.
The advance purchase of an I-PASS made the drive on I-88 a breeze. Our only mistake was avoiding the oasis stops in search of a better price for gas. After dropping Grandma, Amanda, and kids off at the Renaissance Chicago O’Hare hotel, Grandpa and I drove to the nearest Shell station with a few miles to spare, only to pay $4.49 a gallon, more than 30 cents more than the toll road option.
Friday, June 7
The hotel was in walking distance of the Cumberland station, with 3-day passes giving us unlimited travel on both buses and subway. While public transportation saved us from outrageous downtown parking costs, and associated driving stress, rides from the hotel to downtown weren’t the quickest. Kevin’s early flight in from San Francisco allowed him to join Grandma, Noah, and me on our first foray on the Blue line, to purchase donuts from Glazed & Infused.
Grandma and Noah wait for the Blue line train.
The 24-minute ride to the Damen Blue line stop was uneventful, and the small store was less than a minute from the station. It happened to be National Donut Day, meaning every purchase included a free apple fritter donut. In the end, we bought way too many donuts and none were especially memorable.
Serving classic hamburgers in Lincoln Park and Evanston.
After returning to the hotel, we reconvened to take a combination of train and bus to get to Edzo’s Burger Shop in Lincoln Park. The space wasn’t ideal for our large party, but we managed to enjoy the well-prepared burgers and hand-cut fries. Following lunch, Amanda underwent a 2-hour massage treatment while the rest of us spent some time exploring the nearby area and free Lincoln Park Zoo.
Grandma, Kevin, Brian and Noah in front of the Chicago skyline.
Grandma, Amanda, and Emmie returned to the hotel before dinner at California Pizza Kitchen, a stop at Woodfield Mall, and Emmie’s first time swimming in a hotel pool. It turns out Emmie wasn’t a big fan of the pool.
Emmie chills in the hotel room.
Concurrently, Grandpa, Kevin, Noah, and I swung by a terribly disappointing ice cream shop before buying Noah a sweatshirt at Nordstrom to wear to the evening’s White Sox/A’s game at U.S. Cellular Field. We were at the stadium in plenty of time to watch batting practice and ensure Noah could take home a souvenir baseball. The A’s had a memorable game, featuring both a Josh Donaldson grand slam and a Josh Reddick home-run-robbing catch.
Grandpa, Noah and me following the fireworks show.
After the game was a solid fireworks show, set to Star Wars music. Noah loved them; watching his enthusiastic responses, and the fireworks, made for a fun end to the night.