Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
    • Peace in the Process
    • Bringing Home More Than Groceries
  • Contact

Oh, the places we go … {Chicago Edition}

May 9, 2014 by Kristin Leave a Comment

I used to think I wanted to live in a big city. Now I’m quite happy living in my small town and occasionally traveling to big cities. And the city that tops my list is Chicago. {Obviously, I’ve never been there in the winter and I plan to keep it that way!}

We spent my birthday weekend with my family in Chicago. We often travel with or to vacation with family {which we enjoy!}, but I really enjoyed the four of us being able to be in this adventure together. It came at a good time and was refreshing for my momma soul. I believe it was my sixth time in Chicago. {Our other family trip there was with some extended family in September 2010. The rest were when I was in middle and high schools.}

Last weekend we explored the city and enjoyed good food and fun activities. Here are the highlights …

Take me out to the ballgame! It was a truly beautiful day for baseball! 

Wrigley Field 
We chose this past weekend specifically because the St. Louis Cardinals were in town. {And, yes, I liked that it fell right in our two-week birthday season!}

I had been to Wrigley Field as a kid, but that was before I followed baseball. Greg influenced my decision to root on the Redbirds when we were dating in college, but I’ve long told him he needed to see a game at historic Wrigley. I didn’t even realize until the week before we went that this year was the perfect season to take care of visiting Wrigley. It’s the 100th year anniversary of the ballpark.

The Cubs won 3-0 and the game itself didn’t have much action, especially for Cardinals fans. But we had a good time. The kids ended up with a ball from batting practice, thanks to the nice guy near us in the outfield bleachers, and everyone around us was friendly. Yes, even the Cubs fans.

I wish there wasn’t reason to hear the crowd’s rendition of “Go Cubs Go,” but I want the teams I follow to have a song. Such a fun atmosphere. Even the Cubs fans seems surprised the Cardinals lost. I even heard one guy say, “The Cubs don’t win a lot, but we sure have fun anyway.”

Travel: We took the red line subway/rail from near our hotel to Addison street. It was easy to do and we ended up buying a day pass for the rail system because we knew we were traveling north of Wrigley to meet friends and then back south again afterward. And the kids traveled on the subway/rail for free.

Lake Michigan
Our college friend Sarah and her husband Mike live a few blocks from Lake Michigan near the northern city limits. We walked with them to the lakeshore and explored some of that beauty. Cate collected sea glass and Ben tossed rocks back into the water. Neither of these activities is surprising if you know my kids!

Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe
We ate the breakfast included with our stay at Hampton Inn two of the mornings. It was fine. But we really like breakfast, so we ventured out Sunday morning, hoping for a delicious breakfast. We found one here.

It was pricier than we would usually pay for breakfast out, especially at home, but it was a good vacation splurge. Greg has some fancy breakfast burrito and I had French toast on delicious bread topped with glazed strawberries. The kids shared an order of silver dollar pancakes with chocolate chips on them.

Travel: Thanks to Google maps, we walked from our hotel and Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe was just across the street from our next destination …

The Bean & Millennium Park
My camera and I have a small obsession with the bean. It’s a bizarre structure, but it’s so intriguing with a camera in hand. But the kids also enjoyed running toward it, acting like they would collide with their reflections.

Millennium Park allowed the kids to run off some energy. They also liked the faces in the fountains and the way it appeared the aces were spitting water.

City Tour & John Hancock Building
As a way to see some sights and move about the city, we took a Grayline Tour on a double decker bus. This gave us good views of the skyline and took us to the John Hancock Building, in which we went up to the 94th floor.

We went up in the Hancock Building in 2010 and had planned on the Sears Tower {shhh, I know, Willis …} this time, but our tour guide said the Hancock is better crowd wise and with its views. Plus, hey, we were already there. {This tilting view wasn’t open yet!}

Navy Pier
Turns out the Chicago Children’s Museum is free for kids the first Sunday of each month so we added this to our itinerary once we learned that and knew we would be nearby on Sunday. It is inside Navy Pier and much larger than I realized. The kids loved all the hands-on activities and play areas.

Yes, Greg and I still had to pay $14 admission each, but I’d still say it was a worthwhile investment for our kids.

The ferris wheel is what Cate remembers from our 2010 trip, so we weren’t going to get out of town without riding it again. My blogging friend Beth met us at Navy Pier and joined us on the ferris wheel. The real-life time with her was so fun!

The kids also rode the carousel and Cate rode the giant swings. Ben would have joined her but he’s not 48 inches tall. We walked and talked around Navy Pier and then had dinner at Bubba Gump’s.

Travel: We walked to Navy Pier from the Hancock Building and then back to our hotel afterward. It was a mile each way but easy to navigate. In fact, when booking a hotel I used Navy Pier as a reference point on the map because I was familiar with its location.

Lincoln Park Zoo
My kids love zoos. This certainly isn’t the biggest or best we’ve been to before, but it’s free and pretty. Our favorite exhibits were the two 1 1/2-year-old gorillas who were playing with each other and the noisy, active gibbons, including the momma gibbon that swung around while her baby hung on to her tightly! It was a refreshing break with a slower pace – quite a contrast from the hustle most elsewhere in the city.

Travel: We got on a city bus near our hotel and rode it to the Lincoln Park Zoo. Our kids rode free, so it cost two adults just $4.50 for the ride. And the kids’ exposure to public transportation continued.

Giordano’s Pizza
Eating Chicago-style pizza was Greg’s goal so we worked this stop in for lunch on Monday. Turned out to be a great time because the restaurant had lunch specials and service prompt enough for business people on their lunch breaks. Yummy!

In the past we’ve done a few things I would do again, even though we didn’t get to this time:

Shedd Aquarium
This is a “museum” our family enjoyed. Greg and I aren’t museum-goers typically but this is well worth much of a day and strep ticket prices. The Shedd Aquarium is near multiple other museum and offers fantastic views of the skyline as well as Lake Michigan.

Architectural Boat Tour
It’s a lovely boat ride on Chicago River and offers some different views of buildings. Cate was 3 when we went and wasn’t interest in the building details shared by the tour guide but did enjoy the boat ride. We left Ben at the hotel with Gran-Gran that time! Kids aren’t given much of a discount on this boat tour, which is a definite drawback for a family.

If you’ve been to Chicago, what would you add to this list?

________

This is the second in an occasional destinations series I accidentally started recently. See the Murray Edition here. I also posted about traveling by train to Chicago with kids earlier this week. You can see our pictures in an album here.

Want more stories? Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin’, or subscribe to receive “Insights in Your Inbox.”

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: family, road trips

Comments

  1. Mindy Whipple says

    May 18, 2014 at 10:27 pm

    What a fun look into Chicago (have never been) through your eyes! PS: You now have me craving French toast topped with berries : )

    Reply
  2. KristinHillTaylor says

    May 19, 2014 at 12:57 am

    Thanks, Mindy! I could go for some of that French toast too … 🙂 Chicago is a great place to visit if you're ever looking for a destination!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let’s Connect

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our high school girl who never forgets, our middle school boy who has no fear, and our joy-filled first-grade girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

Subscribe for Updates

Recent Posts

  • From snow to sand
  • Books of 2022
  • How to enjoy winter days at home
  • How to cook new recipes
  • How to have fun as a family

Join the Conversation

Join the Conversation

On Instagram

I know, “everyone” is reading “Spare” by P I know, “everyone” is reading “Spare” by Prince Harry. But I also keep hearing different opinions about it. So here’s mine!

I am intrigued by the royal family and I liked watching “Suits,” just so you know my very loose interest. I had also watched the @netflix documentary Harry and Meghan released. 

Short answer: I really enjoyed listening to this book. 

An heir, then a spare. Deep grief as a child when his mom dies that he doesn’t really confront until he’s older. An institution that governs every decision in his life yet doesn’t protect him when he felt like he needed it. That’s some heartbreaking makings of a good story. And I appreciate Prince Harry telling it — even though I’m sure parts were incredibly difficult. I also appreciate why he and Meghan did what they did and are trying to establish new, different roots. 

Ultimately, this book is about death and life and all the moments in between. I’d recommend listening to it because his voice is a good one. 

One minor, silly complaint: There are 232 chapters, although they’re numbered starting with one in each of the three sections. That makes the audiobook not flow quite as well as it would otherwise because most of them are just a few minutes long. 

I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and I’d love to hear what you think because, you know, everybody is reading it! #KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #readersofinstagram #audiobooks #audible #princeharry
We are all in for basketball season! Tonight was @ We are all in for basketball season! Tonight was @murraystateuniv Spirit Night at the @memgrizz game. We had some pre-game fun with friends, watched the Grizzlies come back from 19 down to win, and witnessed Ja Morant’s triple double.

#memphisgrizzlies #basketballseason #NBA #TeamTaylor #bettertogether #weekending #favoritethings #RacerNation #MurrayState #WeAreRacers
Cheering for our Racers — and, really, most ever Cheering for our Racers — and, really, most everything in life — is more fun with friends! What an awesome atmosphere at the CFSB Center today with a Murray State win, Ja Morant in the arena, and more memories.

#RacerNation #MurrayState #collegebasketball #basketballseason #bettertogether #WeAreRacers
I’ve worn a favorite sweatshirt that says “Let I’ve worn a favorite sweatshirt that says “Let heaven and nature sing” twice this week. I may not be singing Christmas carols anymore, but I still felt the depths of winter this week. The sweatshirt seemed right. 

The sun didn’t shine much this week, although seeing on Friday as we wrap up the work and school week was welcomed. It’s mostly been cold and gray. It’s felt like winter. 

A lingering tension needs resolution and understanding, but honestly the gap between seems so vast. I crave slow time at home and meals around our table. I miss some friends and was reminded of the heartache that can come with community, but I also felt the deep appreciation of friendship and remembered the beauty of sharing this life with others. I was excited for an invitation and easily accepted it. I started a new habit (hopefully) walking with a friend. 

While driving through my days, I remember how uncertainty is what makes me look up. I remember my Creator when I am slapped in the face with the reality I’m not actually in control. I remember (again) to surrender. 

Goodness happens in the gray of winter. Life may look and feel different, but new life is always preparing to break through the cracks of the ground. The gloom that tempts us to look down doesn’t last long when we believe the sun will break through the icy trees and the fog will lift. 

This is hope. Even in winter. Thank God for it all. Let’s let heaven and nature sing. 

#countryliving #latergram #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #reallife #weekending
I heard mixed reactions about this book from two d I heard mixed reactions about this book from two different friends, but I enjoyed it! 

I liked the backward timeline, although I was uncertain about how it would work until the end. Some of the twists and connections were so good! 

I also liked the bigger ideas Gillian McAllister tackles: We miss things when we are living our life at our normal pace. What if we could go back? What would be notice that would change our reality? And, of course, perhaps, there would be unintended consequences. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It did get a little slow in the middle, but the end and beginning are quite good! #KHTreads #bookstagram #booklover #kindlebooks #kindleoasis #readersofinstagram
This about sums up motherhood: My teenage girl in This about sums up motherhood: My teenage girl in the middle rebounding and playing hard and little sister photobombing the moment! 

Honestly, parenting has been hard lately. Nothing major. But so constant and always adjusting. 

Even so, I love watching them on the court and in life. There is so much excitement and goodness among the repetition and exhaustion. 

This is real life. And those are our 10-0 Lady Lions out there. 🦁💛

@ncca.lions #momlife #reallife #basketballseason #momconfessions #livingfaithfully #girlmom #firstborn #thirdchild
I finished studying Colossians today with my Prece I finished studying Colossians today with my Precept group. Paul wrote this letter to an established church that was still growing and learning and maturing in the faith — like us all.  I really loved this study because it spoke right into my life with encouragement for knowing Christ, walking in wisdom and truth, praying continually, letting peace rule, and giving grace. Plus Paul deeply loved his people. 

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” — Colossians 2:6-7

Too often I step out of God’s presence for two minutes while are loading up the van in the morning or I’m rushing kids to bed. Too often I don’t surrender my fleshy desires and feelings to the One who holds this whole wide world in His hands. Too often I think my plans are worth holding onto tightly. Too often I think I can bring peace to my household, minivan, or dinner table. 

But real peace passes all my understanding. It rests in God’s wisdom and knowledge alone. How amazing we have access to that, thanks to Jesus. How easily I forget where I’m rooted. 

I want to let peace rule — in my home, in my head, and in my heart. 

Today while I was driving, I noticed how lovely the road, land, and sky looked. But today was really windy, like feel-it-move-my-vehicle and knock-over-trash-cans windy. It almost felt deceptive with the beauty before me, but, really, that’s like life. 

Sometimes it seems I have it together. People know my gifts of organizing information and people. I show up on time and am responsible. But so many thoughts and feelings are swirling in my mind. I replay conversations and fight against the same insecurities from the previous day. 

I feel both lovely and like my swirling mind could knock me over at any moment. And that’s why I needed God, particularly through His words through Paul to the Colossians. 

#livingfaithfully #faithlife #churchlife #reallife #countryliving
This girl has been complaining of a sore throat th This girl has been complaining of a sore throat the last couple of days, but she hasn’t had a fever or any other symptoms so I kept telling her she was fine. Truth be told, she a bit of a hypochondriac and generally happy, so it’s hard to tell if she sick sometimes. 

The folks at Aligned Health took care of her this afternoon and are treating her for strep or whatever bacteria is making her throat look and feel rough. 

I’m thankful for access to medical care and an unexpected night at home.

#momlife #thirdchild #reallife #momconfessions #livingfaithfully #choosingJOY #sickday
I really loved this book! “Life is the stuff th I really loved this book!

“Life is the stuff that happens in the cracks between your plans and expectations.” — from “One Night on the Island” by @josiesilverauthor 

The writing is excellent, the setting works well, and the story unfolds in some predictable but sweet ways. I also think it was the right book at the right time for me. 

#KHTreads #romcom #romcombooks #bookstagram #booklover #librarybooks #readersofinstagram
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Favorites

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2023 Kristin Hill Taylor | Design by Traci Michele | Development by MRM