I love Chicago, even in the rain

Monday morning we left the Leeman's house at 6am with ALL of our luggage. So much STUFF! After just having 1 big bag for Rollie and I last week this feels like a lot, but it's everything we need for our next 3 weeks on the road. 2 big car seats, a bag of toys, a bag of food, diapers, clothes for all of us... you get the picture.

Ruth dropped us off at the St. Paul train station around 7am Monday and we took the Amtrak train to Chicago. We had a family bedroom on the train which was great. It meant that our family didn't have to stay in our seats the whole 8 hour trip and we had plenty of room for all our luggage. It was a really fun and relaxing way to travel, and very economical as well. The room had windows on each side of it so we were able to take in all the beautiful Wisconsin scenery along the way. We had breakfast and lunch in the dining car and in general the kids did really well. They took a nap and watched a couple of movies on the computer.

 Lydia and Ben watching our train pull up to the St. Paul train station

in our bedroom on the train

We arrived around 4pm at Union Station in downtown Chicago and took a taxi to our hotel. We got a fantastic hotel on Priceline called the Blackstone hotel, which is an historic and beautifully renovated hotel, right downtown Chicago on Michigan Avenue at Grant Park. Which means that we are close to everything we want to do and have good access to busses and the Subway. And we have an enormous park right out our front door (a huge blessing when you're staying in one hotel room with 2 little kids).

hugging in the hotel room

The Blackstone is the one with the greenish top floor

So after settling into our hotel, we went out to dinner at a Chicago pizza place called Lou Malnoti's and we all loved the pizza. Then we walked to Grant Park and the kids were able to run around a bit. By then it was bedtime for the kids, and when you share one room that means it was also bedtime for us :)

 mmmm.... Chicago pizza

 Grant Park

Tuesday morning we were all up around 6:30 and went downstairs to Starbucks for breakfast (twist my arm...) We had planned to take a sailboat tour of the Chicago lakeshore this morning, but the weather report was calling for lots of rain and some thunderstorms, so the boat place was closed for the day. Instead we walked in a light drizzle to Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park and the kids had a great time running around and playing in the rocks (they didn't care about the magnificent skyline behind them or the lakeshore next to them, but Rollie and I enjoyed it.) I love Chicago!

 the kids at Buckingham Fountain

 

 

contemplating the Chicago skyline?

It started to rain harder so we headed towards Michigan Avenue and found a free exhibit on Chicago architecture and the kids had fun looking at the model of the city and all the tiny cars and people in it. We found a small outdoor market selling baked goods and fruit so picked some up for our snacks and breakfasts this week. We had leftover pizza and apples for lunch in our hotel room, and the kiddos took their naps.

Tuesday night we took the subway a few miles north to have dinner with Bill and Christine Pinalto and their kids. Bill was the youth and college pastor at our church in Phoenix and they moved to Chicago a year ago when Bill took a senior pastor position at Edgewater Baptist Church in Chicago. Craig and Becca Deveraux (also from CBC in Phoenix and live in Chicago now while Craig is at Moody) joined us and we had a great time catching up over dinner.

 Craig and Becca Deveraux with Logan Pinalto

 Taylor, Christine, and Bill Pinalto

 Rollie and Lydia

Cade Pinalto and Ben

Ben just loves older boys and Cade played with him a lot :)

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we're spending the day with my Aunt Sandy who lives 4 blocks from our hotel. It's supposed to rain again so we'll probably spend the morning at one of Chicago's amazing museums not too far from here.