Scout Trip

No, not the Boy Scouts.  This was an old fashioned scout trip...one where we scouted out the area to learn everything we could.  We have tentative plans to take the family to Chicago later this year.  So I booked two round trip train tickets to Chicago for me and Mark.  Our objective was to see what the train experience was like and check out various sites in the Windy City so we could have a better idea of what we might do with the whole family.  

So here we are in the Bloomington-Normal Amtrak station early in the morning.  This was the first time Mark would be riding a train...and he was pretty excited.

Our first stop was the Willis Tower (aka Sears Tower...aka tallest building in North America and 3rd tallest building in the world).  The elevator would ascend over 1300 feet in a matter of 60 seconds.

I zoomed in on this next picture...if you look closely, you can see four glass enclosed balconies that extend beyond the rest of the tower.  They were added just a few years ago and certainly added to our little adventure!

On the way up, there is a screen above the elevator doors that tells you how you compare with other structures in the world.  We passed buildings like the Taj Mahal, the Great Pyramid, the Eiffel Tower, and the Empire State Building.  It made a short trip to the top go by even faster!  

The views were just like you've seen in all the other pictures from high elevations. :)  But it's always fun to experience it in person.  Mark was in rare form making the best faces!

1.5 inches of glass separated Mark from a vertical drop 103 floors down!  I didn't realize until after I took the picture that Mark was crossing both of his fingers.  I thought that was cute.  That first step is always the hardest.

This is looking towards the building.

And now we're finally comfortable and sitting on the 1.5 inches of glass.  What a feeling!

After the Willis Tower, our next stop was Millennium Park.

That metal bean is not much to look at in a picture, I'm sure...but when you see it in real life, it's actually quite fascinating.  Who thinks of things like this?!?

Here we are taking a picture of ourselves.  

Chicago is definitely a city worth exploring on your feet.  The architecture is amazing and there are plenty of parks to break up the city blocks.  There were also a number of water fountains/playgrounds for kids and adults alike to cool off.

After walking down the "Magnificent Mile" on Michigan Avenue, we ventured over to our last stop of the day: Navy Pier.

Mark and I agree...neither of us recommend the Ferris Wheel.  The view was nice but it was pretty boring.  It's a slow ride.  The wheel is constantly moving.  Riders get on and off without the wheel ever coming to a stop.  You make one revolution in 7 minutes and then you get off.

Here's the view from the top:

Oh, and Mark spotted this ride while we were on the Ferris Wheel.  So, of course, we had to check that out, too!

I stayed on the ground so I could take pictures. :)

Lake Michigan is absolutely beautiful.  There were sailboats and speedboats and lighthouses.  And it was probably 10 degrees cooler on the pier with a constant breeze.  Navy Pier has just as big of an indoor area as they do an outdoor area.  We explored the outdoor areas on our way to the end of the pier.  On the way back, we walked through part of the indoor section which included an art exhibit and lots and lots of shops.  

We had walked all day long, so we opted to take a water taxi on the Chicago River back to Union Station.  It was a great way to end the day.  Seeing the city from the river was a cool perspective.

Union Station in Chicago is MUCH different than the cute little Amtrak station in Bloomington!  It was a maze to find our train.  But we found it and got home safely.

It was a great scouting trip.  We learned a lot and had a lot of fun.  We're not sure this is a trip for a family of 8 (especially when several of them have such tiny legs)...but we haven't done a complete report back to Mom...so a decision has still yet to be made.  We've done 4-mile hiking trips before...just not in the city.  Can you imagine our little family trekking through the city of Chicago?!?  They wouldn't know what to do with us! :)