We took the train into Chicago which was so simple and saved us the trouble of driving into the city and paying for parking plus hello, its a train! Much more fun for the boys than the ole van. The ride was just over an hour but we brought fun things to do, plus Deric is pretty entertaining!
We got off at the station right downtown by the Bean and all the fun touristy parks, which were really our only planned stops for the day. We purposefully didn't really plan much for the day, opting instead to bookmark a couple sights to see and then go with the flow. We started off at the Bean (of course!) and then wandered through the park and over a pedestrian bridge to probably the coolest playground I've ever seen! I sadly forgot a picture of the playground in its entirety but it was so fun and I would have been flying down those slides if not for that pregnant belly. ;)
This bridge was on the second 'story' of the playground and surrounded by a bunch of slides built into hillsides!
Near the main playground was a collection of little playgrounds that each had a different element for the kids. So fun and a great way to break up what is probably a very crowded playground!
After playing we headed just a block west to Shake Shack for delicious burgers and the best milkshake I've had in a while. We should have gotten one for the boys and one for ourselves but we were gracious and shared with them. ;) It was so tempting to get a second one when the first was gone!
After lunch we decided to walk a few blocks north to check out the Lego store. Reid started to nod off in the front seat of the stroller and we had the *brilliant* idea to slide him under the stroller so he could really nap. I wasn't sure if it would work, but he napped for over an hour under there! He missed the Lego store completely but his nap did wonders and he was up and ready for the rest of the day shortly after.
We finished off our day in the city with a few more sights on the way to get deep dish pizza! We asked around for the best recommendations and it was a fairly even tie between a few pizza joints so we decided to just pick one and try it! We chose Lou Malnati's and got thin crust for the boys since deep dish takes about 45 minutes to cook and they didn't have the patience for it. More deep dish for us that way too!
After a busy day in the city we took the last train back to the Dunes area, where we had booked an AirBNB apartment for the rest of the weekend. The apartment was walking distance to the beach, so that next morning was spent playing by the water! The water itself was pretty chilly still so we waded but mostly spent time on the shore which was fine because it was a warm but not hot day!
Reid could have played ball with Deric all morning! They played for quite some time while Jake built a tunnel in the sand and used a bucket to pour water down the tunnel and back to the lake.
Our last day near the Dunes was our busiest. After breakfast overlooking the lake, we spent the morning hiking the Dunes trails which was an adventure! The trails are fairly steep and completely covered in sand so it seemed like we were walking up stairs made of sand. It was a fun change from typical trails and we agreed that it would be fun to camp at that campsite sometime in the future.
Later that day we met up with friends from college who live in the area to play putt-putt. Our golf-loving boys have never played because there's no putt-putt around us so we knew they would have a blast and they definitely did! Add in three more little friends and it was a chaotic afternoon but so fun!
Now that we've had a taste of Chicago and of the Dunes, we want to plan more trips again soon and check out more of the city! There's so much to do in the city and as the kids get older, more options like the museums will be perfect!
