Chicago>Phoenix

"On State Street, that great street, I just want to say
They do things that they never do on Broadway -- say
They have the time, the time of their life
I saw a man and he danced with his wife"
-Frank Sinatra

Yesterday we did it up in the one and only Chicago. The day started earlier than normal so that we could make the 10:38 train into the city. Despite getting a full night’s sleep both Annie (Danny) and Tina (Justin) fell asleep on the train. Since Shy and I didn’t want to be the bums that slept on the train, we were the crazies who took pictures of the sleeping bums on the train!


Once arriving in the city we headed straight for something to eat. We stopped at the Gold Coast Hotdog place which is supposedly the “best hotdog in Chicago.” Being that I’m not much of a hotdog eater I don’t really know how I feel about the place. It was good but the relish was super green which thoroughly weirded me out. From there we headed towards Millennium Park to see the bean. It huge and shiny… what’s not to like about that right? At the park there was a mini concert going on at just about the sickest venue ever. I must admit that I would not mind working at a place like that!


From the park we headed to Navy Pier and rode the giant Ferris wheel (AWESOME). Then in our infinite wisdom we walked all the way to North Shore (I hope you’re starting to get the picture that we walked A LOT). Once arriving at North Shore beach we sat on the steps then moved to the sand where the boys brought us a bench so we could all sit on the bench with our feet in the sand. Unfortunately, it was too cold to even fathom swimming but our feet did get nice and exfoliated! After saying “Hey, there’s not much to do here,” we decided to continue on to the Lincoln Park Zoo.


Guess what the best part about the zoo was aside from the awesome animals.. it was free! The zoo closed at five and we didn’t get there until 4:05 so we did a speedy trip. We were lucky we had that much time. Danny thought the zoo was one way and Justin thought it was the other but after asking some natives we found out where it really was. The zoo had sweet gorillas and all sorts of giant cats. I got to see penguins for the first time! Shy was the most excited about the giraffe and the boys just wanted to see everything (no shocker there). After seeing everything there was to see at the zoo we decided it would be a good idea to start the trek back into the city. *Note at this point we have walked at least 6 miles and Shy and I were in sandals.*


From here our spirits were drooping and our feet were aching but we continued onward! Chipotle graced us with a free restroom facility after we got to see some of the sickest housing in downtown Chicago. Eventually our journey landed us back at Potbellies sandwiches for some much needed grub. My sandwich was delicious! At this point the rain had set in as well as more swelling in our aching feet but we were determined to make the 7:37 train back home. After a brisk walk/jog in the cold rain we made the train! After a long day’s adventure Shy and I both succumbed to being the bums who sleep on trains.

Once arriving home I iced my feet in the bathroom sink and Shy soaked hers in hot water in the tub. As an added bonus to the day Mrs. Schmitt made Banana Split cake. The recipe is now saved on my computer… SOOO GOOD! All in all it was another great day for the crew.