We used Hailee's graduation as an excuse to fulfill a long time wish of mine. A two part wish. 1.Go to Chicago. 2.Go to Chicago with my girls. It met every expectation. We had a BLAST!
The very first thing we did when we got settled was find and obey the 11th commandment.
Did we ever EAT PIZZA! Not just any pizza. Chicago deep dish pizza from Giordano's. The toppings are inside-the sauce on top. We ordered two small pizzas and an appetizer. I thought for sure I would never eat again. And I didn't...'till breakfast.
On the way back to the hotel we enjoyed another little taste of Chicago...which would be the comments we heard people make as these girls walk by. As in... (under her breath) "I gonna kick you in your little blonde butt."
Day two was the perfect weather for a stroll to the Art Institute of Chicago.
This is the Chicago bean. Actually I have no idea what this was really called. But it was cool.
This girl could make a living doing jumping pictures. She's that good.
The museum was incredible. I love this one by Gustave Calliebotte. Paris Street: Rainy Day
I did a report in college on Toulouse-Lautrec. This is his At the Moulin Rouge piece.
Hailee never much cared for her profile till now.
We were blown away by the Thorne Miniatures collection.
The harp had all the parts: pedals, strings, etc. Everything was built absolutely true to the time period and piece depicted. The curtains, tapestries, chandeliers, etc. were just so...cute. HOW is it that some people can have such an abundance of artistic talent not to mention focus and patience? I just can't relate. But I can appreciate. Thank you Mrs. Thorne for sharing.
Are we having fun yet?
Is it any Small wonder that I adore my Big girls? Just look at how cute they are.
Okay...One more. I loved this! I would like it for my birthday. It is called Thanksgiving, by Dorris Lee.
That night we saw a Broadway play at the incredible Oriental theater.
It was all about the dancing for me.
Day three: THE AMERICAN GIRL DOLL STORE. And yes, these girls are technically adults and mere years away from being parents themselves, but boy was it fun to reminisce about the good ol' doll days. (Whch for Hailee was not that long ago :))
Okay, so Hailee was trying to keep control of herself but looked like Christmas morning the whole time.
This is her new pick. She said she would share with Christian who, for a long time now, has wanted us to adopt. A little black boy.
The Hancock building, although not the tallest in Chicago, has a fabulous observatory at the top with a guided tour of what you are viewing on tape. This is a view of Navy Pier.
This is a view of my girls looking at the view. I LOVE their faces. Identical. And I think I know where they get it from.
After our architectural boat tour (of which I took 20 pictures that I hate), we found a little spot to gather our thoughts about dinner.
We found a local guy who suggested the famous Chicago landmark, the Billy Goat Tavern. (Made famous from the SNL skits). CHEEZBORGERS anyone?I was quite happy with my cheezborger (double's the best), but the CHEEPS-no fries- thing was a little harder for me to be content with. I NEED fries with my burger.
And then we met up with Brittney's boyfriend, Taylor. It looks like he found out about that other guy she has a crush on and is kinda bugged.
That night -pretty much all night-Chicagoans everywhere (but especially right outside of our hotel room) celebrated the momentous win of the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team of the Stanley Cup. It was CRAZY! The honking, yelling, cheering, and sirens blaring went on pretty much most of the night. I thought we would be the only ones up and sober the next morning. That we would have the whole Miracle Mile to ourselves. I was wrong. It didn't even slow them down.
The last day we were there, we rode the subway to the Cellular Field to see the White Sox play.
After the game we made a stop at this famous institution. Really, it was incredibly cool. Nothing quite like it here. But the food tasted the same.
The Rock N Roll McDonald's (formerly The Original Rock 'N Roll McDonald's) is one of the most famous McDonald's locations in the world and was once the busiest in the United States.[1][2] It is a flagship location.[3]Near North Sidecommunity areaChicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States a few city blocks west of the Magnificent Mile, has been a tourist attraction since it opened in 1983.[4] The site has a Rock & Roll exhibit in a building adjacent to the restaurant and a small upstairs McDonald's museum display. The restaurant has a maximum occupancy of 300, which is about three times the standard patron capacity.[5] The building features the first two-lane McDonald's drive-through, relatively luxurious decor, a cafe, plasma displayflat screen televisions and a green roof.
Although nothing could compare to the Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's (kidding), the architecture in Chicago was unbelievable. We (okay, I) was in awe.
Have I mentioned before how much I loved having my girls all to myself for 4 days? I loved that we all love to eat..the same foods. I loved that we all love to shop-but not too much. I loved that we could curl up together at the end of every day and watch a chic flick that we all agreed on. I love watching these two sisters strengthen their relationship with each other knowing that it will become more and more valued and important to them as the years go on. It is so fun for me to watch them experience life and the world around them and each other. I love being their mom.
