Fancy Park + Fancy Lunch = Fancy Day

Last Friday we were still in the holiday spirit, so the girls and I met Tom downtown to explore the new Maggie Daley Park, which officially opened just a few weeks earlier on December 13, and to have a fancy lunch at the Walnut Room. Since it was the day after New Years, there was no traffic and we zoomed (as the girls like to say) into the city, picked up Tom and found a great parking spot at the Millennium Park Garage. We popped back up right across the street from the entrance to Maggie Daley Park and the Play Garden was within eyesight. Of course Isabelle wanted to go right away, so it was our first stop on that sunny, 31 degree day. Trust me, it felt downright balmy after the weather we've had this week. It was -6 when I woke up this morning.

This park is fancy. We explored the The Harbor play area, then the swings and finally the The Slide Crater which includes two huge towers with slides and a 30 foot suspension bridge to connect them. Isabelle said the bridge was too wobbly for her.  Luckily there were some shorter slides so Isabelle I went down them and ran back up the crater to go down again...and again...and again until I was worn out. Each play area had a sign saying what it was and what ages it was suitable for. Most of the large structures - like the scary tall slides - were for ages 5-12 and the rest were for the under 5 set. The playground is already out of this world, but it is still a work in progress and we can't wait to check it out when it is completely finished. They were working on The Lagoon when we were there.

The Harbor

The Harbor

On the suspension bridge

Above The Slide Crater

HOW COOL IS THIS?!?!

The slides we went on are to the right

It was getting close to lunchtime and we still wanted to check out the Ice Ribbon. I have never seen anything like it!  It's a 20-foot-wide path that wraps a quarter mile around the park. That beats skating around and around a rink any day. We didn't bring our skates, but there were plenty of people out there and the line to rent skates ($12) was pretty long. The Ice Ribbon will remain open until March and then the rock climbing walls will open. It looked like one was done and another was still under construction.  When it's done there will be 19,000 square feet of climbing surface including top rope, sport lead and bouldering. Ah-mazing! I cannot wait to dig out my climbing shoes and try it all out!

The Ice Ribbon with one of the climbing towers on the right

After checking out the Ice Ribbon, we walked across the BP Pedestrian Bridge - formerly known to the locals as the "Bridge to Nowhere" - through Millennium Park and then to Macy's. First stop was the Walnut Room where we found out we should have made a reservation. The wait was about 90 minutes. Not great. We bought some chocolate, checked out the furniture department and finally it was time to dine. We even got a table right under the tree!

What a great start to the new year!

We had a great view of the Christmas tree

Fancy lunch!

The Walnut Room at Macy's

Cowboy World!

In August we took Isabelle to Donley's Wild West Town in Union, Illinois. It's about an hour from Chicago and my sister Michelle discovered it one day driving home from work. Michelle, her husband Jim and my other sister Janell wanted to get together, so we thought it would be a great place to meet and spend a Saturday morning. I prepped Isabelle by taking her to the library to find a book on cowboys. We found The Toughest Cowboy, it's about a group of cowboys who are tamed of their wild ways by a poodle named Foofy. Check it out, it's a cute book. I also kept referring to Donley's Wild West Town as Cowboy World, so forever in our minds that is the name we will use. I didn't think Isabelle was into Cowboy World while we were there. She was a bit afraid of almost everything - pony ride, petting zoo, merry-go-round, Wild West Show (that one we should have expected, gun shots were involved) - but after we left she kept talking about Cowboy World. Even this week Isabelle has mentioned "I go to Cowboy World!" She did enjoy panning for gold (water and rocks were involved), running around the tee-pee and she liked the train ride.

Donley's Wild West Town is geared for the 3-11 age set, so I think we'll go back another time when Isabelle is a little older and can enjoy it even more. Here are some of the activities, all for $16. Ages 2 and under are free.

Wild West Show
Train Rides
Merry-Go-Round
Roping Lessons
Playground
Petting Zoo
Panning for Gold
Sling Shots
Tomahawk Throw
Archery
Pony Rides (for kids)
Mini Roller Coaster (for kids)
Mini Canoe Rides (for kids)
Hand Cars (for kids)
Tee-Pee, shops and other areas to explore

Train is coming!

She was a little nervous on the train.

Inside the petting zoo.

We checked out the ponies, but she would NOT ride one.

Panning for gold.

Just a typical Saturday for us.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Cave Paintings Are Coming!

Last night my husband emailed me an article that I just had to share. In March Chicago's Field Museum will bring replicas of the Lascaux cave paintings. They will even reproduce the cave! It will be just like going to the site in France.

Tom and I visited the Dorgonge region of southwestern France in 2009. We wanted to see the Paleolithic cave paintings, so we went to Lascaux II, which is a complete replica of the original Lascaux cave that was closed in 1963 to preserve the artwork. Lascaux II is situated very close to the original cave and I have to say, it was hard to remember I wasn’t in the real deal. Tom and I took the tour in French and even though I couldn’t understand a word, it was really fascinating to look at the paintings and imagine what life was like 20,000 years ago.

During that trip, we also went to Grottes de Cougnac. It is a huge cave with paintings from 14,000 to 25,000 years ago. The paintings are not as elaborate or as plentiful as Lascaux II, but they are the real thing. Pretty amazing!

Just below this scenic setting is the Cougnac Cave.
We were not allowed to take pictures of the cave paintings in Cougnac or Lascuax II.

Beach Bums

I have lived in Chicago for awhile now and this city still surprises me. When I was in my twenties, North Avenue Beach was the place to be - it felt like Spring Break every weekend. Now that we have a little one in tow, we wanted something more low key. Last weekend we decided to hit Montrose Beach with a few other families that have kids close in age to Isabelle. We had never been to that beach before, even though it’s really close to our house. Shame on us, because it’s awesome!

We got to the beach around 8:45 on Saturday morning. Parking was free and we were able to get a close spot. If you can’t find a free spot, there is a metered lot that isn't expensive. As we walked toward the beach there was a cool breeze coming across the lake. Sand was everywhere – this beach is HUGE! With no worries about low or high tides, we got a prime spot right by the water. Since it's July and it's been really hot, Lake Michigan actually felt refreshing. All of the kids really liked the sand and water, so we ended up staying almost two hours. I think our trip to Montrose Beach was a success and we will definitely be back!

NOTE: Before you go, please make sure to check the beach report for water conditions.

Fun in the sun!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Lincoln Park Zoo is a big tourist destination in Chicago and it’s FREE*! It’s always been one of my favorite places in the city. My husband and I used to live very close to the zoo, so we usually wandered through on our weekly walks along the lake. I must admit, I really like watching the baby monkeys.

Over St. Patrick’s Day weekend the weather was absolutely beautiful, so we decided to take Isabelle to the zoo for the first time. We saw the giraffes, lions, hippos, elephants, polar bears, monkeys and lots more. What was Isabelle’s favorite animal to look at? The people! She couldn’t get enough. Right next to the zoo is the Lincoln Park Conservatory, so we took a brief stroll to look at all of the flowers and exotic plants.

We can’t wait to visit the zoo again! Next time we’ll check out the Farm-in-the-Zoo to see cows, sheep, chickens, pigs and ponies up close.

*Although, fair warning, it’s $20 to park in their lot.