It took me a week to recover from our whirlwind trip to Chicago, hence the delay in documenting our latest adventure. This was a birthday extravaganza, celebrating all our September birthdays and cashing in on Dawn’s May birthday gift (Hamilton! EEK!!!!). We were especially excited to reunite with our traveling partners in crime, The Dello Russo’s. We always find fun no matter where we go and this trip did not disappoint.
As you probably already know if you follow our adventures, Sean and I both work full time. While we do take a few big trips throughout the year we also love to take quick weekend trips. So, Friday night after a long week of work and school we rush to the airport for an 8pm flight to Chicago. The boys love flying and have become quite the experts, from movie selections to asking the flight attendant for both the cheez-its AND a cookie, to knowing where the secret USB charger is between the seats.
We arrived in Chicago and met our driver for the transfer we prearranged to get us to our hotel. We stayed at Aloft Chicago Downtown River North. This is a Marriott property with a modern flair. The lobby was bright and welcoming with an area filled with pool tables, giant connect four and the kids favorite, a Truth Or Dare Wheel. The front desk associates humored the kids with multiple dare options, they really were awesome!
With lots to do and not a lot of time to do it, we dropped our bags in the room (which was nice and big) and headed out on the town. Yes, it’s 11:00pm, but we were hungry and we were in Chicago and Gino’s East was only a few blocks away. The pizza was delicious, the company even better. But we had a big day ahead of us and sleep was a necessity so back to the hotel we went.
The Dello Russo’s surprised Sean for his birthday – tickets to the Cubs game including field access during batting practice courtesy of their new friend, Jon Lester. Yes, that Jon Lester, pitcher for the Cubs. We got to go into the dugout and talk to him, he was super gracious and after answering a few questions, signing something for everyone and posing for multiple pictures we thanked him and headed to find our seats. This was an amazing experience for all, but especially the boys who are big baseball fans. The weather was perfect and the game ended with a victory for the Cubs!
We snuck out of the game a little early so we could catch the train back to our hotel and get freshened up for dinner. We grabbed an Uber and headed to The Village, Chicago’s Oldest Italian restaurant. When you walk up the stairs it’s like you are transported to a Tuscan Village under the twinkling lights of the night sky. With its close proximity to the theater, they conveniently market a quick two course dinner to ensure you don’t miss curtain call. We had plenty of time, so we ordered from the normal menu. The food was delicious and the portions very generous. We topped it off with birthday cake for all the September birthdays we were celebrating.
The highlight for me was seeing Hamilton on stage at the CIBC Theatre. The theater was beautiful, reminded me a little of The Fox Theater in Atlanta. I promised not to sing along to every song and I kept that for the most part. The actors were all great but George Washington was phenomenal, such stage presence and a fabulous voice. Three in our group had seen the show already but they still loved it! My only regret, after our action packed day was that by the end of the show I was exhausted! We Ubered back to he hotel and I think we all were asleep before our heads hit the pillow.
We were able to sleep in a little on Sunday. We woke up with more birthday celebrations as it was officially Tyler’s 14th birthday. Our family tradition is opening presents as soon as you wake up and Chicago didn’t stop that. We had a few hours before we had to head to the airport so we headed out for more exploring. I think it is a requirement to take your picture in the reflection of The Bean. It’s official name is the Cloud Gate sculpture and is located at Millennium Park. It is one of Chicago’s most photographed attractions. From there we walked through some of the shopping district. The boys were fascinated with the Air Jordan store and of course we had to buy something.
After our little shopping detour we decided to walk the mile back to the hotel so we could see more of the city. It was an easy walk and pretty quiet since it was Sunday morning. We made one last stop and that was for lunch, you guessed it – pizza! This time we sampled Lou Malnati’s. The place was packed but we were able to sit pretty quickly. The 45 minute wait for the deep dish was worth it and it was equally delicious as Gino’s East. Personally, I liked the crust at Gino’s the best and the cheese and meet combination at Lou Malnatti’s. Which do you prefer?
Not sure how we did it, but we packed a whole lot into 36 hours. Definitely a city that will require a revisit so we can see what else they have to offer. But for now, it’s back to the grind.
I love your adventures!