Navy Pier

We had fun at Navy Pier and took a boat taxi back to Michigan Ave.

Shopping Chicago Style

The girls enjoyed the big department stores. Claire tried on a really cute dress at Neiman Marcus it was ON SALE for only $200! Needless to say, we did not purchase.

Lunch at Ed's

We'd heard about Ed Debevic's Diner, but had never eaten there. The wait staff has serious "attitude" which is part of the fun. Our waiter threw the straws at us and made some other guest deliver our booster seat!

Here's Ed's Story: Those of you fortunate enough to have passed through Talooca, Illinois, during the '50s and '60s probably remember Lill's Homesick Diner on Highway 50. The Homesick knew how to feed you real beef burgers (no soybeans), homemade chili, fresh-baked bread, pies and plenty of good, hot coffee. And Lill knew how to treat people right-

Eat and get out, that was her motto. The homesick is where I learned the short order business. And while I'm no Lill, I think I've made this place something she'd be proud of, So, as Lill always said "If you like what you're eatin', order more. If you don't ­ there's the Door."

Thanks for coming!
ED

City Life

The big girls have enjoyed Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream. We all enjoy the hustle and bustle of the city; its fun to watch people. We’ve also enjoyed shopping although we haven’t bought much. I did buy a neat white platter (cheap) that matched some other dishes. Unfortunately, the bag broke loose from the stroller and the platter is now in a million pieces. I stopped to put the whole thing in the trash, just as a guy asked if there was any food in the bag. Sad!

It is SO noisy here. I’ve never lived in the city, but everywhere I’ve lived, there was at least a little traffic noise. We don’t hear anything on the farm! It seems there are sirens here every five minutes all night long and that does make it hard to sleep.

Theater

We took AnnaMaria to The American Girl Place with Bitty Baby in tow, but she wasn’t very impressed. We bought the big girls tickets to see Wicked, but Lily got sick Saturday morning and didn’t get to go. Fortunately, Lily was feeling fine again by dinner time. Claire was in the 7th row at Wicked and said the show was wonderful. She had seen it before, but thought the acting was even better than last time.

AnnaMaria started Sunday by getting sick. (Please!) I guess that explains why she hasn’t been sleeping or eating well. She took a big nap this afternoon and by early evening she seems fine again.

Claire chose our lunch spot today – Cheesecake Factory. She had Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake for her lunch. That’s vacation! The girls were interested in seeing a show today. We had considered Shout! (Music of the 60’s) and it happened to be just across the street from the Cheesecake Factory. Both Lily and Claire agree that it must have been the worst possible show! At least they got a good laugh over how bad they thought it was.

Travel fun

AnnaMaria’s favorite things: Escalators, tossing coins in the fountain and room service French fries!

Train ride

Friday morning he girls and I decided to spend the weekend in Chicago. Jeff and Ollie were hunting and we didn’t have any plans. I made some quick reservations while Claire and Lily were at Bible School and we caught the train in Carbondale at 4pm.

AnnaMaria enjoyed the freedom of the train (no seatbelt). She entertained herself with a big Sonic cup for about an hour. I bought her some noodles in the snack car, but she decided they were more fun for play than dining!