chicago

luc and i have been to chicago three times now, with this being the bird's first.  what a difference it makes toting around a little one in the city!  i have to say my least favorite part was taking the extremely packed train with the bird in her stroller.  my favorite part was taking her to all of our favorite sites and seeing her enjoy them just as much as we do.  we also found some new fun places that were kiddo friendly. places we visited:

MAGNIFICENT MILE.  this is where we stayed.  we love walking around in this part of the city.  this time, from the advice of a local, we visited a great little play ground near the old water tower.

THE CHILDREN's MUSEUM.  the bird was a little young for most of the exhibits but she still had a great time.  she mostly enjoyed trying to "catch fish" in the lazy river and digging for dinosaur bones.  the museum is located at the navy pier, which we also spent some time at admiring their water features and indoor garden.

THE BEACH: if you try to go to the beach, at the navy pier, during the day (especially on a weekend) - good luck.  it is packed.  so we decided to take advantage of the bird's early rising to visit when no one else was around (and probably still sleeping!).  she LOVED playing in the sand and water.  good thing we brought an extra change of clothes!

CITY PARK ZOO: a really cool thing about chicago's zoo...it is free!  it is actually part of the park and has some really great exhibits.  unfortunately, due to the heat, a lot of the animals weren't out this time but the bird still had a great time saying "hi" to all those she did see.  my favorite was this little pigmy hippo :)

MILLENIUM PARK: on our last early morning, we set out to millennium park.  the crown fountain is one of my favorites sites in chicago.  the faces change every few moments and water spits from each person's mouth.  of course, the bird thought splashing around in here was great fun.  the frank gehry designed jay pritzker pavilion is also a must see and beautiful amphitheater.  and finally, no trip to chicago is complete with a visit to cloud gate, the big reflective jelly bean.