Ralphie Rough Road

How is it possible I have never posted about this trip to Chicago or really looked through all of the photos I took?  I guess I thought I would eventually get around to it, but I never expected it to be 3.5 years later.

During my son’s spring break in 2013, we decided to venture up to Chicago and check out the city.  After doing some research we decided to purchase the City Pass for Chicago.  City Pass allows the user to visit several attractions at a discounted rate.  It also lets you skip many of the long lines, a huge plus.  Currently, City Pass is available in 11 major U.S. cities & Toronto.

We wanted to tour a few of the museums while visiting & the end of March was the perfect time to be indoors.  With our passes purchased & our car packed we hit the road.  I had found a reasonably priced hotel which included parking at no additional charge, which is hard to find in Chicago.  We were close to most everything we had planned to see, so our car sat parked for the 3 days we were there.  The public transportation system in Chicago makes it easy to get around without a car.

With the City Pass, you have a few options on which attractions are included.  Our visit included the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), the Shedd Aquarium, The Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, and the Museum of Science & Industry.

Upon arrival, we explored the city near our hotel.  (We stayed 6 blocks west of the Magnificent Mile.)

We wanted to arrive at the Sky Deck of the Willis Tower before the sunset to take advantage of daylight & evening views of the city.  Good thing we had a City Pass.  Upon arrival we discovered there were long lines, without a City Pass we would have missed the cutoff to get through the line before Sky Deck closed.  With our passes in hand, we were whisked ahead of several large lines.  Our total wait time was less than 30 minutes, whereas everyone else had a 1-2 hour wait.  I felt like a VIP!

The Ledge is quite an experience.  Stepping out into a glass box high above the city makes for a unique view.  

The next day we hit the Field Museum  & the Shedd Aquarium.

“Sue” the largest, best-preserved, and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex ever found is a highlight of the Field Museum.  

A lot to see in one day, when you take into account travel & eating time.  We were exhausted once we arrived back at the hotel.  After a quick swim, we feel asleep quickly.

Our final day we checked out of our hotel & drove over to the Adler Planetarium.

On the drive out our last stop was the Museum of Science & Industry   This was by far our favorite.

Loved the bicycle exhibits!

The city & train model was pretty cool too!

The U-505 submarine was pretty impressive to see in person.  Note:  there is an additional charge to tour the inside of this submarine.  This is the only German submarine in the U.S.  

It has been awhile since we took this trip, but as I recall we drove home that evening.  With a full day of museums and a three-hour drive home, we were tired when we arrived home.

Although it was a short trip, we had a blast touring this fun city.  With so much more to see in the area, I would like to plan another trip in the future.

**This will be my last Travel Thursday post.  I am considering new ideas for 2017.  Not sure what will be featured on the blog for 2017 but I look forward to sharing more photos & stories in the year to come.