Teenage Mutant Backseat Dancers - 11/18 UPDATE! P25 - Leaving on a jet plane

[orangecats2]

Well, I used to have genie (as in I Dream of...) type pajamas. Of course at the time I was in sixth grade! I did like those.

On our honeymoon in Morocco I saw those outfits for the belly dancers. I asked DH if I should get one and he said "Yes, please!"

 

[pkondz]

Well, I used to have genie (as in I Dream of...) type pajamas. Of course at the time I was in sixth grade! I did like those.

Shoulda kept 'em. Would've made hubby happy.

On our honeymoon in Morocco I saw those outfits for the belly dancers. I asked DH if I should get one and he said "Yes, please!"

 

[pkondz]

Ballet and the Park

Busy. Busy. Busy.
Things to do. Places to see.

So, see some sites, si? (by the sea shore)

We had a tour (already paid for, so I ain't missing it!!!) set up for 11:15am.
I wasn't too sure how long it'd take us to get to Millennium Park, so I asked.
The lady at the front desk said to leave at nine.
It's probably only going to take an hour, but if there's any traffic, or accidents...

Better to play it safe... We'll leave at nine.

The plan for today?
Head downtown, do the tour, check out Millennium park, cruise the Miracle Whip Mile.
Dinner will be a visit to Chicago's best purveyor of hot dogs, Gene's & Jude's.

Yeah, okay. It's the Magnificent Mile, but where's the fun in that???


Sometimes plans work out, sometimes they don't, sometimes they morph.
Like today.

You'll see.


I got up at seven to give myself plenty of time to get ready and out of the way.
I woke the dastardly duo at eight, and... they didn't even try to fight me on it!
I went down for breakfast while they made themselves beautiful.
Well... more beautiful, I guess.

Breakfast was okay.
Just okay.
No scrambled eggs.
There was bacon, however, so not a total loss.





The only real difference between a Country Inns and the Holiday Inn that I could see?
Paper plates and plastic utensils instead of real plates and metal utensils.

I am nothing if not flexible.
I adapted.


Scarfing of the comestibles area:




We left around nine or so and drove downtown.
It was pretty easy.
Betty told me where to go and I went.
With a wife, two daughters, one dog and two guinea pigs... all female...
I'm quite used to being told where to go.

And doing what I'm told.


Except for one wrong turn that wasn't a big deal, we were at our destination by ten.

We checked in at our tour and filled out the paperwork.
We were then told to come back around ten after eleven.

The tour office was in the Millennium Garage, adjacent to Millennium Park.
With the tour, you get a $10 voucher for the garage, so parking shouldn't be too pricey.
I hope.
Pretty sure it runs about thirty bucks for the day.

We sashayed out of the garage and into the open air, a stone's throw from the park.

We were looking forward to checking out "the bean".
Officially called Cloud Gate, it's a one hundred ton sculpture made of polished stainless steel.

We rounded a corner and there it was!



You can see why it's called the bean, right?
Right. 'Cause when you see it, you break wind.

No?
Oh.
I could be wrong.

The photo(s) really don't do it justice.
When you see it in person, it just draws you in.
It's really fascinating watching how the reflections change as you walk towards it...

And under it.



Or use it as a mirror... selfie!



Okay, one more... but I probably took about fifty pictures, all around it.
I like this one since it has pretty girls and the Chicago skyline.




The park also has other attractions; it's a pretty interesting place.

There was an area with two large monoliths resting in a shallow pool.
Each monolith would show a face... that moved... and changed every few minutes.



After a while, the face would close its eyes and, well... see for yourself:



And the other one at the other end:



It was fun to watch. There were lots of kids splashing around in the water, too.
And some adults.


As we strolled the park, we could hear music playing.
The symphony orchestra was rehearsing for that night's performance.
We walked over to check it out.



The Jay Pritzker Pavilion is a bandshell designed by Frank Gehry.
Chicago has rules about buildings near the waterfront,
so the bandshell was classified as a sculpture to get around the rules.

I'm okay with that.
It sure was pretty.

Behind the bandshell was this building:



Dee got real excited when she saw it.
It's the Harris Theater for Music and Dance.
It's where they ran the auditions for So You Think You Can Dance when it was in Chicago.

We went inside and there was a dance competition going on.
I asked if we could take a look at the theatre and we could.
We sat and watched a couple of dances, then headed back out.

I was curious to know if they thought they'd be able to compete at the same level as what we had seen.

Apparently, yes.

I have no idea.
I'm not educated enough in dance to know what's proper technique and what isn't.
It's like that old saying: I may not know what art is, but I know what I like.


We needed a bathroom break, so I reasoned that we should head back to our tour.
As we were getting close to our destination, some people stopped us and asked if we knew where Millennium Park was.
“Walk ahead to that gap in the hedges, turn right. You’re there."
It had been a bit since I’d been asked for directions, so I was due, I suppose.
Upon arrival at the tour, we were told that the nearest bathroom was by the bandshell!

We headed back out.
We didn't want to take the long way back, so we walked down Columbus Drive.

And couldn't find a park access anywhere!
We turned around and saw a small pathway. Growing desperate, we took it.

Thank goodness it led into the park... and fairly close to the restrooms.

When everyone was back together again, Dee asked me what time we had to be back at the tour.
"Ten after eleven." I said.
"What time is it now?" She asked.
"Seven minutes after eleven." I calmly replied.

!!!

Run!

We weren't too far, so we didn't have to run.
(But we sure sashayed fast!)


We got back to the tour and had to sit through a short safety video, then helmeted up.



After a short orientation demo and practice, we were on our way for our two and a half hour Segway tour!

Dee had been on a Segway once before, while Elle and I had been twice before.
So we were all pretty comfortable on the Segways already.

Dee would weave gently back and forth while Elle would hang back a bit then
zooooooom! forward to catch up.

I was weaving back and forth at high speed like a maniac.

What? It was fun!
I enjoyed riding the durn thing better than the tour itself!



You can sorta see that we're not exactly close to the others.
Or going in straight lines (note how everyone else in the background are vertically straight.)

At one point during the tour, I zoomed by right behind Dee.
She let out a little yelp.... which of course made me grin.
Evil grin, natch.


Our first stop on our tour was Buckingham Fountain.
A lot of you will recognize this fountain.
It was in the opening sequence for the TV show Married... With Children.
It was also the starting point for Amazing Race 6 (2004)



Neither of the girls recognized it.
I felt old.

The guide asked if anyone wanted their picture taken, so...



We continued the tour and wound our way over to the Shedd Aquarium.



Notice the line out the door?
Yeah. No interest in standing in line, sorry.
What? Who do they think they are? Disney?

While here, our guide asked if anyone wanted to get a hot dog from Kim and Carlos Hot Dog Stand.
Apparently it's one of the highest rated places to get a Chicago style hot dog.

I raised an eyebrow at the girls and Dee slapped me.

No, I meant, 'Do you want a hot dog' kind of raised eyebrow.
I got nods... not slaps


A Chicago style hot dog description varies a bit from person to person,
but essentially it starts with a steamed melt-in-your-mouth poppy seed bun.
The wiener is topped with onions, a "sport" pepper, diced tomatoes, a pickle spear, mustard, relish, and a dash of celery salt.

Now, pkondz does not do "spicy".
pkondz is a total wimp when it comes to hot foods.
So my first reaction was to order the hot dog sans sport pepper.
But then I thought, "But then is it still a Chicago dog?"

I thought not. So I left it on.
And ate it too.

Boy that was a good hot dog!
The sport pepper isn't that hot, anyway.
If a Bell pepper is zero on a heat scale, the sport pepper is 500.
But a jalapeno is 2,500 - 8,000.
(and the pequin pepper, which I'm sure Bunny Boy eats by the handful, is rated at 100,000 - 140,000!! )


I was a little surprised that Elle only had mustard on hers.
Maybe she was a little intimidated by the sign on the stand.
The one that said you had to dance if you wanted ketchup.

I think Dee had onions on hers.

Geez! Where's their sense of adventure?
(I'd find out later on in the trip.)

View from Shedd Aquarium.




After everyone had munched and drank, we continued our tour.
We passed the Field museum (or as our guide so eloquently put it:
The building with dead things)



And we visited Soldier Field, home of...





Apparently, according to our guide, it's cheaper to fly to Detroit and watch the Bears play,
than it is to fork out the cash to watch them at home.


>>>... continued next post ... >>>

 

[pkondz]

Ballet and the Park

>>>... continued from previous post ... >>>


The tour hit a few other spots that I didn't take pictures of.
One in particular stood out.

The Chicago Police Memorial lists the names of all 520 officers who have given their lives in the line of duty.
It was quite humbling to see it.

Just before the tour finished, our guide pointed out a few hotels with interesting histories.



The green-roofed building just right of center was the hotel that visiting U.S. presidents would stay at...
up to and including JFK.

After Kennedy's assassination, new rules predicated that the hotel housing the president had to have helicopter access.
So now every president since JFK stays at the hotel just to the left of it.


As we wound up the tour, it started to drizzle...
Maybe that's too strong a word...

Once every thirty seconds or so, a miniscule drop of water would hit you.

The girls were still hungry, so I asked them what they wanted.
"Salads!"

From hot dogs to salads.
Steep cliff.

I asked our guide and he suggested a place just five minutes’ walk away, called Cosi.
As we walked, it started to rain a bit harder.
Hard enough, that by the time we got to the restaurant,
I was considering possibly opening my umbrella.

The girls had Caesar salad, while I sipped on a smoothie.

I asked the girls what they wanted to do next?
Walk along the Magnificent Mile?
Go up Willis Tower?
Willis Tower? What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis Tower?
Formerly known as the Sears Tower, it's the second tallest building in the U.S.
(After One World Trade Center)

All of a sudden, Dee's eyes got very wide and she breathlessly blurted out,
"Could we go to the Joffrey Ballet????"
I was stumped.
I hadn't thought of this.
Heck it didn't even make a blip on the radar when I was doing Chicago research.

"ummm.... I don't know where it is..."

Turns out Cosi has free Wi-Fi for its customers.
A bit of Googling later and...
"Hey! It's only about a five minute walk from here! Wanna go?"

I took Dee's rapid departure as a signal that, yes, she did indeed want to go.


When we arrived at the ballet, two things happened.
1. Elle and I had to physically hold Dee down, to prevent her from floating up to heaven in rapture.
2. We couldn't get in!

Well, we could go in the front door.
We could go up the elevator to the floor where the studios are.
But a guard wouldn't let us past that.

I see his point, there were children taking classes at the time.
No one other than the kids (and presumably their parents) were allowed.

While Dee was disappointed, the guard did tell her that she could buy a souvenir from a display case.
She asked to see an iPhone case.
The guard handed her the case and told her it was ten dollars.

Dee wavered.
I shouted in her ear, "BUY THE CASE, DEE!"

She did.
I think she loves it.





After the Joffrey Ballet, I asked the girls what they wanted to do next.
They said, "Sears Tower!"
I said, "Okay!"
I did not correct them.


The building was a fifteen minute walk from the Ballet.
We set out and upon arrival... didn't know where to go?

Eventually we found a crowd of people, lining up to get on an elevator.
"Excuse me, is this the place to go to get tickets to go up?"
"Yes, but right now visibility is zero to half a mile and the tickets are non-refundable."

Well, of course, I couldn't let my readers down, so I told the girls we'd go anyway.


(That and I had already been watching the sky.
While it was cloudy, it wasn't overcast.
I reasoned that while the view might be zero at some times,
at other times it would be fine.
Stay tuned to see if I'm right!)


We got on the elevator along with a few other fools, er... folks.
We were disgorged into an atrium where we could purchase tickets.

Now I had read that the lines for the Skydeck (as it's called) can be quite bad.
But there was a way around it!
They have Fastpass!
And it's even called Fastpass.
But it ain't free.

Tickets for Skydeck were $19 each.
Fastpasses were $40!
But, considering it was already mid-afternoon, should we bite the bullet?
I decided to play a hunch and didn't buy fastpasses.

We entered the queuing area and...
just kept walking.
There was no one there!

We kept walking from one room to another, occasionally ducking under ropes.
Still haven't seen anyone.
Eventually we came to a theatre.
There were perhaps eight people inside.
We sat down.

A newsreel type movie was playing.
I decided to play another hunch.
I got up, walked to the end of the theatre and peeked around the corner.

Yup! This way to the egress... or elevator to the top.
I signaled the girls and a few other obedient sheep got up and joined us.

A few minutes later and we were standing over thirteen hundred feet above the streets.

Time from ticket purchase to top?
About five minutes.
Slightly less than the two plus hours we had heard of.


The first views we had were to the south.
They weren't great, but you could see some of the city.
And really, isn't that what you want?
Don't you really want to tell people: "I looked down and people looked like ants!"



Elle used a telescope so she could see the ants that people were stepping on while they looked up.
The people that is.
Or maybe the ants were looking up, saying, "Noooooo!!!!"

What's the last thing that goes through an ant's mind before he dies?
A Nike.





The views to the west were zero... for the time being.
By the time we walked around, the view west was fine, too.

But now we were going to try.... The Ledge.

The Ledge is a glass box that extends four and half feet out from the building.
It's a glass box that leaves you feeling like you're suspended on air...
one hundred and three floors up.

I walked out and took this shot... straight down.



I looked up and Dee had scampered out as well.



Elle graciously declined.
There was no way, no how that she was going to go out on some flimsy pane of glass high over the city.
Nope.
N'unh uh.
Not gonna happen thank you very much.

Dee tried to convince her, but Elle wasn't having anything to do with it.

So we strolled around some more.
By now, the West view had improved and you could see Lake Michigan.





We walked back around to The Ledge and Dee tried to convince Elle to try it.
After a few failed attempts, while giggling uncontrollably and simultaneously clutching onto Dee...



She did it!
Okay, now smile for the camera!
Remember! You're having fun!



As soon as the camera shutter clicked, Elle bolted for safety.


Let's leave the lofty heights of the Willis Tower and descend to street level, shall we?


Back on Terra more-Firma, I asked the girls what they'd like to do next?

Nothing!
They were tired out!

Kids these days. No stamina.

I told them that there were two places that I'd like to visit,
but we would drive and we wouldn't be long.

They agreed.
If they hadn't, I just would've done it anyway, but this way they got a sense like they had some control over the matter.




We made the fifteen minute trek back to the garage to retrieve the car.
First we had to pay, though.
I've heard horror stories of parking costs downtown Chicago...
Hold on to your seats, here we go.

I inserted our voucher, then the parking ticket.

Five dollars.

Park all day downtown Chicago for five bucks.
I don't know what all the fuss is about.


We piled in the car and had a short hop, skip and a jump across the Chicago river.
I pulled up to a metered parking spot and paid a few bucks for an hour.

We walked up the street to...

Garrett Popcorn!
I had been told about this place and how I had to… absolutely must try the Chicago blend.

We walked in and there was a short line up.
Chicago blend is a mix of half cheese popcorn, half caramel corn.

Then, Dee announced that she didn’t really like caramel corn.
Okay. No problem.
“One bag of cheese, one bag of caramel, please.”
See? No sweat.
“Oh, and throw in a souvenir ceramic popcorn bowl too.”

Might as well get a souvenir, right?
After I paid for everything, I thought maybe I shouldn’t have gotten the bowl.
It apparently cost $23,456.
Or something like that.
It was a lot. I remember that.

Oh, well. It’s a nice bowl.
We built a room to display it in.


We walked out of Garrett’s, crossed Michigan Avenue and walked one block south.
Turn the corner and… hmmm….
Right about here there should be a Harley Davidson store… but I don’t see it.
We walk along a bit.
Nope.
No store.
I check the address and there’s a vacant building where the Harley store used to be.
Dang.
“Let’s head back to the hotel, girls.”
We had only walked a few feet when I heard a woman’s voice.
“It’s supposed to be right here.”
I turned around. (This time I was going to do a pre-emptive strike!)

“Are you looking for the Harley store?” I asked.
“Yes! We are!” Two ladies replied.
“I guess it’s gone. At least there’s nothing there now.”

Now I don’t have to wait until they walk up to me and ask for directions.


We got back to the car and took off for the hotel.
Traffic was a little heavier than this morning so it took a little more than an hour.
The girls were content to munch on popcorn.
After a while, a thought occurred.
"Uh, are you guys hungry? Want some supper."
Dee looked at Elle's caramel covered countenance.
Elle looked at Dee's chastened, cheesy cheshire grin.

"No!"

Ah. Hot dog lunch. Salad late lunch. Popcorn dinner.

Now that's a vacation!

Back at the hotel, we all crashed for the night.
We had what would turn out to be the longest day of the trip ahead of us tomorrow.

 

[Backstage_Gal]

Ponzi, sounds like a fabulous day. Any girl would want you as their dad.

 

[shan23877]

Sounds like a fantastic day!!! I never would have though to suggest the ballet, which in hindsight seems foolish. Of course they wanted to see it!

I think my DH would love to do the Segway tour-even if just for the Segway ride! And you did get an amazing deal on the parking-it is usually terrible! And the Field Museum is just the place with dead stuff. It's kind of boring. . And for the record, Soldier Field used to be much cooler visually-now it looks like a space ship landed on top.

Awesome that Elle tried the glass box! It's a cool view!

Love Cosi-they have an awesome chicken caprese sandwich.

Sooooo, besides the really expensive bowl, what did you think of the popcorn???

Loved the update Ponz!

 

[mmeb144]

The Museum with the dead stuff is lots more fun if you make up stories about the dead stuff. Just sayin'.....

 

[ddstratton]

Fantastic day! You guys packed a lot of sight-seeing into your day, and seemed to have a great time doing it. Sounds like a perfect vacation menu, by the way - hot dogs, salad and popcorn -- love it!

 

[pkondz]

Ponzi, sounds like a fabulous day. Any girl would want you as their dad.

Sugar daddy?
While I might be open to it, I think Ruby would probably frown on the idea.

Sounds like a fantastic day!!! I never would have though to suggest the ballet, which in hindsight seems foolish. Of course they wanted to see it!

Yeah. When she said it, I was like

I think my DH would love to do the Segway tour-even if just for the Segway ride

You should. Kay did her first one in Paris and she was twelve.
You all could go pretty soon. It's a blast.
And easy.

And you did get an amazing deal on the parking-it is usually terrible!

Even without the discount, it would've only been $15. A far cry from the $30 I was expecting.
But even if it had been $30, I had budgeted for it as part of the tour expense.
Needless to say, it was a nice surprise.

And the Field Museum is just the place with dead stuff. It's kind of boring. .

I find a lot of museums are, well... dull.
Then again, I love Science museums...

And for the record, Soldier Field used to be much cooler visually-now it looks like a space ship landed on top.

That sound suppressor thing just looked... awful.
I took a picture, then decided not to post it.

Sooooo, besides the really expensive bowl, what did you think of the popcorn???

Oh! Guess I forgot to mention that.
We loved the popcorn, but....
By the time we had our fill of it, we still had a fair bit left over.
The next morning, I asked the girls if anyone wanted more and was met with blank stares.

I think we all OD'd on popcorn and we tossed the rest.
No one wanted popcorn for the rest of the trip!

In other, more current news. I was at Costco two days ago and saw bags of "Chicago mix" popcorn by a company called G. H. Cretors.

O.M.G. soooooo good.
Buying the flavors and eating them separately is nothing like mixing them together.
I plan on getting more.

Loved the update Ponz!

Thanks, Shan!

The Museum with the dead stuff is lots more fun if you make up stories about the dead stuff. Just sayin'.....

I'll have to try that next time I go to one

Fantastic day! You guys packed a lot of sight-seeing into your day, and seemed to have a great time doing it. Sounds like a perfect vacation menu, by the way - hot dogs, salad and popcorn -- love it!

I try to pack lots in... sometimes to my detriment, though.
Just ask Ruby.

I don't sweat the food choices while on vacation, that's for sure!

 

[orangecats2]

WAIT!!! WHAT???

You had leftover cheese popcorn and you threw it away!!!!!!

We would have gladly taken it off your hands.

I'm not sure I can be friends with you any more...

 

[pkondz]

WAIT!!! WHAT???

You had leftover cheese popcorn and you threw it away!!!!!!

We would have gladly taken it off your hands.

I'm not sure I can be friends with you any more...

Nope. We ate all the cheese popcorn.
We had left over caramel corn.

Still friends? Or is the love affair over?

 

[smidgy]

I have never had garret's popcorn. never seen the bean. never seen millenium park. I dont' think any of those were there when nebo dragged me kicking and screaming out of the city in 1982.

I did, however, get to go INTO the controls of the Buckingham fountain at night. and change the colors of the water!( my friends' dad was a big wig for the chicago park district.) oh! I have been to the top of the hancock bldg, but never the Sears tower (in chitown, we don't call it Willis).

I am a lousy chicagoan.. even whenI lived there. most Chicagoans rarely go downtown. which was true of me until high school..
my high school sweetie was a student at the Art Institute (one of the best art museums in the world....) and his dad was second chair clarinet in the Chgo. Symphony Orchestra. so I had been to Orchestra Hall.. and to ravinia Park, while they practiced .. our own private picnic. his mom played oboe for the grant park orchestra and the Nutcracker at Arie Crown theater so that was pretty cool. oh and the Joffrey ballet.
but then I met Nebo.... .
next time you tour Chicaog, you can show me the sights!
so you didnt' go the Gene's and Jude's? only the best hot dog stand in the country? and actually NOT in Chicago.. river grove! (No ketchup)

ps LOVE those segways!!! we had a lot fo fun with those at epcot.

 

[orangecats2]

Nope. We ate all the cheese popcorn.
We had left over caramel corn.

Still friends? Or is the love affair over?

Well, then that's ok. Neither DH or I like caramel popcorn. I don't know about DSS but I'm not worried about him.

Yep, still friends?

Smidgy, it sounds like you need to have a staycation in Chicago.

 

[pkondz]

I have never had garret's popcorn. never seen the bean. never seen millenium park. I dont' think any of those were there when nebo dragged me kicking and screaming out of the city in 1982.

It's not that far away.
Really.

I did, however, get to go INTO the controls of the Buckingham fountain at night. and change the colors of the water!

That sounds ominous.
"I was wading in the fountain, when I was swept into the controls.
The waters turned red with...."
Well you get the idea.

oh! I have been to the top of the hancock bldg, but never the Sears tower (in chitown, we don't call it Willis).

Did the Hancock about nine years ago.

I am a lousy chicagoan.. even whenI lived there. most Chicagoans rarely go downtown. which was true of me until high school..

Really? Is it the parking? The traffic? Or both?

my high school sweetie was a student at the Art Institute (one of the best art museums in the world....) and his dad was secobnd chair clarinet in the Chgo. Symphony Orchestra. so I had been to Orchestra Hall.. and to ravinia Park, while they practiced .. our own private picnic. his mom played oboe for the grant park orchestraand the Nutcracker at Arie Crown theater so that was pretty cool.

That is pretty cool!

but then I met Nebo.... .

And life, as you knew it, ceased to exist.

nest time you tour Chicaog, you can show me the sights!

Oh, sure. I'm an old pro now.

so you didnt' go the Gene's and Jude's? only the best hot dog stand in the country? and actually NOT in Chicago.. river grove! (No ketchup)

Nope. One more thing to put off until another visit.
I figured hot dogs for lunch and dinner would be pushing it a bit.

ps LOVE those segways!!! we had a lot fo fun with those at epcot.

Ya outta try them where you can cut loose a little. :

Well, then that's ok. Neither DH or I like caramel popcorn. I don't know about DSS but I'm not worried about him.

Yep, still friends?

<phew!> Close one.
So you and Dee can have the cheese and Elle and I will have the caramel.
Deal?

 

[laura74]

It's getting annoying how quickly you're posting these chapters. I don't have time to respond to them much less write a new one on my own TR. Don't you Canadians have anything better to do during summer vacation?

Just kidding.

Going away for another weekend tomorrow so not sure when I can catch up but just wanted to at least check in and tell you that you're making me look bad.

And hi.

 

[pkondz]

It's getting annoying how quickly you're posting these chapters. I don't have time to respond to them much less write a new one on my own TR. Don't you Canadians have anything better to do during summer vacation?

We're not used to the heat, so we stay in ice cold air conditioned houses.

Going away for another weekend tomorrow so not sure when I can catch up but just wanted to at least check in and tell you that you're making me look bad.

And hi.

This was my goal.
Make as many people look bad as possible.
And you were at the top of my list.

I'm going away this weekend too.
I'm taking Elle, Dee and another friend of Elle's, Allie out camping.

Obviously I'm a sucker for punishment.


And hi back atcha.

 

[ougrad86]

Just a quick drive by posts, then back to trying to get my son to college without his mom going bonkers.

You did the Sears Tower (I'm orig from Wisconsin, close enough that I can't get used to calling it the Willis) Great that you didn't have a line, we had to stand in one for awhile. Rob really enjoyed it, the ledges were his first stop. I leaned over and looked down, but never actually stepped on it. He was talking pictures on his phone and texting them, while I was close enough to grab him...just in case...we went during the day and another time at night, the nighttime is gorgeous. I like the clouds, they looked really cool in the pictures. Good for Elle for getting out there.

I have a couple of places I will need to visit the next time we go...popcorn and hot dogs...sounds like a good vacation day to me!

It was actually a good thing it was cloudy when you were there. Sunshine and all that asphalt, it can get wicked hot.

The Segway tour sounds great! Unfortunately Doug (DH) can't balance on one!

Sounds like you all are having a great time, but thought I heard some ominous foreshadowing for the future...

 

[pkondz]

Just a quick drive by posts, then back to trying to get my son to college without his mom going bonkers.

I'm thinking.... not possible.
But it was nice knowing you while you were sane!

You did the Sears Tower (I'm orig from Wisconsin, close enough that I can't get used to calling it the Willis)

pssst.... Can you keep a secret?
We call it the Sears Tower too.

But will we still call it that after Sears is long gone???

Great that you didn't have a line, we had to stand in one for awhile. Rob really enjoyed it, the ledges were his first stop. I leaned over and looked down, but never actually stepped on it. He was talking pictures on his phone and texting them, while I was close enough to grab him...just in case...

Atta girl.
Ever ready in an emergency, right?

But really, what could happen?


What? It cracked?

umm..... oh.

we went during the day and another time at night, the nighttime is gorgeous.

It's supposed to be the best at sunset, so you get the best of both worlds.
But....
Whadya gonna do?

Still, would've liked to have seen it at night.

I like the clouds, they looked really cool in the pictures.

It was pretty cool.
You look out one window and can see all the way down.
Next window?
Nothing.
It's like the world just didn't exist on that side of the building.

Good for Elle for getting out there.

It warn't easy for the little rugrat.

I have a couple of places I will need to visit the next time we go...popcorn and hot dogs...sounds like a good vacation day to me!

It was actually a good thing it was cloudy when you were there. Sunshine and all that asphalt, it can get wicked hot.

I'd heard that. And I was a bit worried... but I was more worried about the rain!

The Segway tour sounds great! Unfortunately Doug (DH) can't balance on one!

That's too bad. They're so much fun.
So much, that after I was first on one, I looked into buying one.

Until I found out that most cities don't allow them on streets or sidewalks...
Including mine.

Sounds like you all are having a great time, but thought I heard some ominous foreshadowing for the future...

Now, that would be giving it away, wouldn't it???

 

[orangecats2]

Yeah, whadda ya mean the next day is the longest? You meant to say the best right? You know, cuz you met me!

 

[pkondz]

Yeah, whadda ya mean the next day is the longest? You meant to say the best right? You know, cuz you met me!

Nope.
You can't make me spill the beans before the chapter's posted.

Not gonna happen.

But.....


I will reveal everything about our meeting...



Every. Thing.