A couple weekends ago our mothers flew into Midway Airport in Chicago. Megan and I spent the day riding trains and buses all over Chicago and loved it. The highlight of our trip was visiting Lincoln Park Zoo in downtown Chicago. For those of you who don't know, Lincoln Park Zoo is completely free! Now, many of you may be saying, "I bet it's a ghetto place." Well, it's not. Much nicer than SLC's crappy Hogle Zoo for sure. We enjoyed our time there.
After the zoo we went to the top of the Hancock Building. We were on the 96th floor at a lounge with overpriced drinks. Everyone who goes up there is supposed to buy a $6 Coke, but we just took pictures and went back downstairs. The view of the lake and the rest of downtown was awesome. Here's a picture for you!
Overall, I think Chicago people are much friendlier than people give them credit. Many people just started chatting with us on the train or bus and a lady even helped us find the train station. We ate dinner at an Indian restaurant in a neighborhood a little north of downtown. I loved the neighborhood with people of many races walking their dogs or just strolling. The food itself was really spicy but I liked it.
After dinner we rode the train downtown and switched trains to get to Midway Airport to pick up our moms. Due to the fact that Chicago does have a lot of crime and drug use, there are very few public bathrooms. That meant I had to hold it from Bryn Mawr to Midway Airport (about an hour!) Once we got to the Midway station, I saw our moms and said hello as I hurried into the airport to use the bathroom. My advice? Make sure and go the bathroom whenever you have the chance!
After Chicago we went to Nauvoo with our moms. I had been before, but it was nice to visit. If you haven't been, the Temple just appears while driving through "downtown" Nauvoo. We got some good pictures there too.
The temple is to our backs when we took this one.
This past week we went to some sights closer to home. We traveled a few miles north to the town of Maquoketa (that's pronounced "Ma-Coke-A-Da"). Just outside the town is a state park known for its underground limestone caves. I would have never guess that such a place exists in Iowa.
We took our dog to the caves and loved going underground where it was cool and the water was clear. While we could have explored dozens of caves, we stuck to the ones with overhead lighting and didn't require getting on all fours (or stomachs) to explore. Walking on top of the hills felt a lot like hiking in the mountains and I loved it.
Another picture, I think dogs just love getting dirty.
And finally, after the caves we drove across the Mississippi into Illinois. We drove to a small town called Galena. Ulysses S. Grant grew up in Galena and now it's a tourist town designed to feel like President Grant's time. While it's pretty and very relaxing, I don't care about the shopping for girly decorations like my mom would. I'm so thankful that Megan doesn't care either! Instead we walked to a city park that overlooked a stream that runs through town. During that walk, we unleashed Edward who enjoyed chasing birds and being free. One injured bird couldn't get away fast enough and Edward made sure it wouldn't escape. Megan picked up the bird and I held Edward back much to his dismay as he watched his catch get away! So funny.
One final picture:
Galena is only a few miles away from the Wisconsin border and I had never been before. Another one to check off my list! 34 states down, 16 to go!
The weather has been wonderful! Not warm or humid at all. I forget it's June because it's cold in the morning. I doubt it will last forever, but I like it now!
Well, there's some of our adventures, hope you enjoy them!
Jordan
