The next morning, the hotel shuttled us to the Hinsdale train station, about 5 miles away. We enjoyed the train ride into the city. We took an express train that took about 30 minutes. From Union Station, we took a cab to Navy Pier.
We enjoyed walking through the building. There is a stained glass museum that’s just incredible. There is also a garden with really cool fountains. Some fountains went in spurts that made it look like fish jumping. Some flowed in arches from one pool to another.
Navy Pier is also the home of the Chicago Children’s Museum, and we spent a few hours here.
The kids had fun playing, climbing, building, and flying airplanes.
The kids each got to spend $15 in the gift shop. Alyson picked a stuffed puppy, Christian got a yo-yo type toy, and BJ got another toy.
We had lunch at the biggest, busiest McDonalds I’ve ever seen at Navy Pier. From there, we took a cab to the Hancock building and went up to the 94th floor. A voice informed us we were on the fastest elevator in North America, making the trip in 40 seconds. Our ears popped in confirmation. Here are just a few pictures of the view.
The city
The kids listening to the audio tour
The silly kids pretending to be window-washers
The view of Navy Pier from the Hancock Building
I was amazed at just how BIG Lake Michigan is. It seems like an ocean.
Lakeshore Drive
Some of the amazing architecture
We took a cab back to Union Station and then the train back to Hinsdale.
We felt right at home amongst Starbucks and Washington Mutual’s everywhere. We had a little time to kill before the hotel shuttle picked us up again. We spent the time at Starbucks and had a bit of a culture shock. The coffee shop filled with 30+ middle schoolers with Starbucks cards, designer clothes, and attitudes. It was quite an experience, and when we asked about it, we were told they come in every Friday afternoon.
After we got back, we got changed and headed off to the rehearsal dinner. Bill was happy to get his toast delivered and did a great job. The meal was wonderful.
BJ was really tired through most of the dinner, but he perked up later when we handed over the camera. Christian enjoyed playing with his new yo-yo. Alyson spent another meal drawing and talked Kelly’s ear off.
Alyson thought it was funny to meet another Allison.
