Day 0 – Chicago

On Tuesday afternoon, we’ll pile into our rental car and begin nine consecutive days exploring Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, two of the seven Canary Islands.  We’re ready for the warm weather and miles of beaches along the Atlantic Ocean. We’re looking forward to trying new foods and finding the hot spots for the best ice cream. And, we’re excited to check into our roomy vacation homes, which will serve as a base for our daily adventures.

Getting from Iowa to the Fuerteventura, however, requires four legs of travel, which started Saturday with our five-hour drive to Chicago. Our flight wasn’t scheduled to leave until late Sunday, but with a “park and fly” rate at the airport Residence Inn barely more than 14 days of airport parking, we decided to break up our travel over two days instead of one. We left Ankeny in the afternoon, with plans to be in the Chicago suburbs for dinner a shade after 8:00 p.m.

As Amanda had warned me, the late dinner time proved unpopular with the kids, so we called an audible and decided to get our deep dish pizza fix at a Giordano’s restaurant we found in Sycamore, Illinois, about an hour outside of the Chicago suburbs. Unfortunately, Google Maps didn’t indicate it was a location offering only carryout and delivery, and the prospect of waiting in the car to eat a deep-dish pizza in the car wasn’t exactly appealing.

Fixated on the idea of pizza for dinner, I scoured the listings on Google Maps and found Sam’s, the best-rated local pizza shop which had been in business for more than 40 years. It was a family-owned spot with owners who moved from Palermo, Italy, in the 1970s. The story, unfortunately, was better than the pizza, which was all-in-all unremarkable. We struggled to finish half of the large pizza we’d ordered before loading back into the van for the rest of our journey.

I was able to garner support from Noah and Eilidh for my plan to stop by Jeni’s for ice cream on the way to our hotel. Noah didn’t even end up ordering ice cream, and Eilidh only had a few bites of hers, but the rest of us enjoyed our dessert. I can’t resist the opportunity for Goat Cheese and Red Cherries ice cream at Jeni’s, and I’m thankful to be able to eat some nearly every time we’re remotely close to a store location.

Sunday, October 27

Noah spent his Saturday morning completing the social studies homework assigned before the vacation. He read the highlighted pages within his hardback history book and documented at least two facts about the American landmarks listed in the accompanying worksheet. As he was finishing up, the rest of us were getting up for the day. The kids were anxious for breakfast, so we ventured to the hotel lobby for continental breakfast staples like scrambled eggs, sausage links, and cereal.

Emmie’s hair needed trimmed, so Amanda accompanied her at a nearby Great Clips, while Noah, Eilidh, and I made a Starbucks order at the adjacent Target. Next up was the Woodfield Mall, with the LEGO store and H&M highlighted as our destinations within. Noah was overjoyed to make his own mix of LEGOs from the pick-a-brick wall, while Amanda most enjoyed finding deals on girls clothes at the H&M. While Amanda and Eilidh were shopping, Emmie and I split a pumpkin spice croissant donut at Stan’s in the mall’s food court.

Lunch was at Shake Shack, another staple among my favorite non-local dining destinations. From that point on, we were essentially killing time until heading to the airport, making stops at a park and an international food store that was along the route. The helpful hotel shuttle driver gave us some tips for our return to the states, and we were dropped off at Terminal 5 about 2 hours before our scheduled flight departure time of 7:20 p.m.

Even with TSA pre-check, our trip through security felt several times more complicated than the average domestic flight. Eilidh’s blended Nourish food received extra attention, subjecting Amanda to a full-body putdown before we could make our way to our gate. Food options at the terminal were so-so, with Noah opting for Garrett’s popcorn as his dinner. The selection proved popular as every McMillin helped themselves to handfuls of the kettle corn/buttery corn mix. Our flight departed on time, and in 7 hours, and 20 minutes, we will be in Lisbon, Portugal.