I Heart Chicago

I promise I won't blog like this on a normal basis - but we've done so much in the last week that I wanted to include for my memories. (So if you're tired of happy Chicago posts, you may want to skip this one :)

On Thursday morning, Brittany, Eli and I ventured downtown on the el train. Eli was really well behaved and didn't fight being in the stroller too much, which was great. I think he thought it was so fun riding on the train and would say "choo choo" in a quiet voice.

We got off the train at Chicago Ave. and hit the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Ave.). There are shops galore and it was lots of fun. We also went up to the Signature Room in the Hancock Building, which is on the 95th floor. We pretended to look at the menu so Brittany could see the view for a few minutes before we "changed our mind" and rode back down in the super-fast elevator. I hadn't been up there since 2002 when Ben and I had the crazy experience of being in the restaurant when a 1,000 lb piece of scaffolding broke loose from the building and plunged more than 40 floors to the ground, killing three people (there were 60 mph winds that caused it to break away from the building). It was a little strange to be back and remember that day.

Back to the details of today though - some of the stores we went into included:American Girl Place (Brittany had to take some pictures for her younger sisters), Macy's, Ralph Lauren (that store has the BEST bathrooms), Nike, Crate and Barrel, Gap, and H&M.

Eli took a cat nap in his stroller while we were in Crate and Barrel and then woke up happy in time for lunch. We ate at the Grand Lux, and my favorite part of the meal was the garden salad w/ the house dressing. It was DELISH! Brittany and I both had bbq pork sandwiches that were tasty too. Eli enjoyed tastes of my food, but especially loved dipping french fries in ketchup and drinking from his straw (as shown in a picture below). The Grand Lux is above the stores on Michigan Ave. and we had a window seat with a great view.

I have to say - I love the kids clothes at H&M! I couldn't resist getting a few things for Eli. He was so hilarious - I tried a winter hat on him (the brown one shown below) and he LOVED it. I think the inside reminded him of his stuffed sheep Bob and his soft sheep rug. He did not want to take it off and ended up wearing it outside, in our hot, humid weather, for a good chunk of time (before I sneakily took it off; it was way too hot). He looked so funny! Eli loves soft textures so much.

Below: 1) Wrigley Bldg. 2) Crain Communications Bldg. 3) the new Trump Tower, almost completed 4) the Tribune Tower

Overall, Eli was amazingly good. He's not usually the most go-with-the-flow kind of child, but we got home at 4 p.m. after a long day in the city without too much trouble. Some other things to mention:

There is a L'Appetito at the base of the Hancock Building. The lemon knots/cookies are SO good! I got so excited when I saw the bakery and ran down the stairs to pick some up. The vanilla buttercreams from Fannie Mae Chocolates are also so delicious. I love being pregnant and not caring as much if I indulge in a few yummy treats.

To sum up the rest of the day, Brittany stayed in the city to go on the Chicago Architectural Foundation's boat tour, then went to the Art Institute, where Ben met her after work and they later caught the second half of the Cubs game, standing up in the crowded bleachers.

I think it's safe to say Brittany and I are both exhausted from our marathon week of sightseeing, filled with LOTS of walking and so many fun things. I am sure next week will feel so ordinary - but that's okay with me though. :) I'm ready to rest (and my wallet needs a break too). Thanks for coming Brittany! Now she's on her way to student teach at an inner-city elementary school over the next four months in Washington D.C. Good luck!