Monday, October 10, 2011

Sunny Chicago


We've been enjoying a proper Indian Summer (as I was recently told, you first must have frost (which we had a little over a week ago) and then hit temperatures in 75-80 degree range). We took advantage of the sun, for an action-packed weekend.

Saturday we drove into Chicago, enjoying the beautiful Chicago Skyway toll booths, and headed to the Lincoln Park Zoo. Myrna was extremely excited to see a wild boar, and I discovered on Friday night that the zoo was lacking in wild boar, and we would have to settle with warthogs and/or pigs. But the animals were kind of the least of her concern. She was much more interested in snacks, running around in the sun, and the "Kid's Zoo" attractions. An 8 foot high system of platforms and mesh siding was the key attraction to all the kids. The problem was, of course, there was no way to "rescue" a stuck kid, and Myrna got stuck in a bottle-neck led by a terrified girl, being cheered on by a crowd of parents.


Myrna then found the zoo splash pad, for some mulching leaf collecting fun.


Even if we didn't see each and every animal, we wore Myrna out so she could nap and we could enjoy lunch at Goose Island Brewery.


She would wake up during a much anticipated Trader Joe's shopping spree. Then we made our way downtown to get coffee at one of the few Intelligentsia cafes. The Chicago Marathon was on Sunday, and the city was filled with runners carrying their grab-bags. Pre-Marathon race days always make me jealous. (Sunday was also the day of the Portland Marathon - and it was 10 years ago that I first ran that - how time flies). Myrna too was in "running mode" as she has adopted the UW football jersey as her "running shirt" and insisted on wearing it.

2 comments:

Jody Lemke said...

Bill and I were born and grew up in Evanston, Illinois, so we have fond memories of all the Chicago attractions. Since I still have family back there, we have been through a few times in recent years and seen how the city has changed, mainly for the better.

Seattle is now into its usual fall weather, so enjoy the sunshine and the gorgeous foliage colors!

Grace said...

Please tell me your secret to this napping on the go! (and good work, by the way!) Does she actually get reasonable quality sleep in a stroller? Or car seat? This is our sticking point of late...