Our Goal:

OUR GOAL: Visit fifty states within the next two years. (edited: We missed our two year deadline but still hope to visit all 50 states)

The Rules: States we visit or where we have already visited as a family (three or more members) count. States visited by only one or two family members (such as a business trip) don't count.

Layovers and stopovers don't count. We have to actually either drive though a state or do some activity, outside of the airport, in that state.



Monday, August 20, 2012

Chicago - The Navy Pier

From Billy Goat's Tavern, we headed on foot to the Navy Pier.  On the way, we stopped in at the NBC building because, well, Big Boy thought it would be cool.  There was nothing to see and we never made it past the cavernous lobby.  But the security officer did give us helpful directions tot he Navy Pier.  Go out of the building, turn right, walk a  block, carry the stroller down about 500 steps...  Did I mention that Chicago is not stroller friendly?

It was a pleasant walk on a lovely day. 

The Navy Pier is a long cement pier which juts into Lake Michigan.  I don't know if Lake Michigan is one of those bodies of water that changes color with the sun but on this day, at least, it was a soft blue, almost sky blue.  The Navy Pier is part amusement park, part shopping, part dining and part other entertainment.  It is free to walk around but there are fees for various activities.  A family could easily spend a whole day on the pier and probably not do or see anything. 

There is a supposedly great children's museum on the pier but by the time we got there, we would have only had a few hours.  It seemed frivolous to spend $36 entrance fee (for three) and not see everything there is to see so we vowed to make another trip and plan for more time there.

We walked by an really neat sculpture made entirely of canoes and rowboats. 


Our first stop was the Ferris wheel since I don't think you are allowed to visit the Navy Pier without experiencing the breathtaking views.








Big Boy road the flying swings but sadly, Lil' Bit did not meet the height requirement

 



We walked around soaking up the sunshine, views and the sounds before stopping for ice cream.  Maybe it was the fresh air, maybe it was just being in Chicago but that was one of the best chocolate malted shakes I have had in a while.
Big Boy went into a fun house maze while Lil' Bit and I walked down to the end of the pier to explore the views.  He reported that it was a lot of fun but maybe too scary for Lil' Bit. 






Maybe we had a little too much excitement for Lil' Bit.  She hugged her carry on bag like a pillow and went deep into sleep


I threw a towel over her to block the sun and breeze and she didn't stir until we headed for the bus.

There is a row of bus stops right across from the Navy Pier and once you figure out which one to take, it is a short ride back to the train station.




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