It was not until our Youngest was 5-years-old that Hubby and I dared to take a trip away from the boys. In 2010, we drove to St. Louis for a few days to let us be a couple instead of just parents of our two boys.
Since then, we have gone other trips. Now that the boys are 14 and 16, it is so much easier to get away.
In 2012, we traveled to Chicago. Not only did we go to Chicago, we went to Kenosha, Wisconsin and Debuque, Iowa. Why Iowa? Well, I had never been there before so we wanted to cross Iowa off my states visited list.
When we made plans for Chicago, I found out that there was going to be a teacher conference in a hotel that was located on the Magnificent Mile. Actually the hotel was just down the block from Burberry.
A few years prior, I had won a one day pass to any conference that the company hosted. Well, this conference was hosted by that company. So I spent a day at the conference while Hubby explored Wrigley Field.
We stayed close Grant Park which is where the Bean is located. So it was a convenient location for transportation around the city. We were able to walk around or ride the local buses. I don’t remember if we rode the L train or not.
While we were there, we visited Shedd Aquarium which was highly busy. It was difficult to get a lot of photos. We also visited Willis Tower aka Sears Tower. I actually stood on the glass/ pexiglass overhang. Scary but it’s good to say I did that. After my conference, we took a boat tour to see all of the architecture and to learn about some of the history of Chicago. We went to Lincoln Park Zoo which was one of Hubby’s highlights.
After the Lincoln Park Zoo, we attempted to walk to the end of the Navy Pier. The problem was there was a heat index of over 100 degrees. We got 3/4ths of the way down the Navy Pier before I needed to turn around because of a possibility of a heat stroke or exhaustion if I continued on.
One of my favorite or weird memory was that Aerosmith, one of my favorite bands, dropped their last album, Music from Another Dimension, while we were in Chicago. I remember listening to the album while I was in Chicago.
I created another video of some of the photos from our trip. These are not all of the photos that were taken during our trip.
Stay kind!
Believe in the Magic Traci Diary 
It looks like you had a great time. I grew up in Chicago. It’s a lot different now than it was 50 years ago. On the other hand, it still feels like home. Haven’t been back in a few years…
It’s amazing how music can bring us back to certain places and become part of what we identify with that location. I’ve never been to Chicago!
It’s an interesting but very busy city. It’s in the top 10 of the largest cities in the US.
Fun trip! So you’re a “Collector of States.” I’d like to know what other states are on your still to visit list.
I need to go to the New England states, some of the Southern states, and western states.