Some scenes from the Windy City — one of two vacations planned for the summer. And we hit the ground running from the moment we arrived. First stop: Navy Pier and a ferris wheel ride at sunset. Omigosh, what a view.
The next day brought a trip to the Art Institute, which is always a hit with teenagers. Especially boys. 🙂 To make matters worse, my objective was to see a Japanese Kimono exhibit, so you can really imagine their enthusiasm. But they were such great sports about it. They didn’t protest and actually tried to pretend that they found it interesting. But that didn’t keep them from making fun of everything else.
(I’m thinking yoga isn’t in Drew’s future.)
And I can thank Ferris Bueller for the fact that they wanted to see the Chagall windows.
The exhibit was followed by lunch, shopping and wandering around until it was time to head to the Blue Man Group. It’s a good thing that we headed there early because the guy at the train station gave us the wrong directions and we ended up walking for (literally) miles. But we managed to have fun along the way, stopping for frozen yogurt, enjoying the neighborhood architecture and admiring the graffiti.
The show was worth the urban hike, without a doubt. Correction: our seats were worth it.
Front Row.
We were absolutely speechless and didn’t think it could get any better. But then…
…imagine our reaction when one of the Blue Men handed me his painting from the stage after one of their skits! We nearly fell over. You should have seen the looks we got on the train ride back to the hotel. (Thankfully we had accurate directions for the ride back!)
The next day, we got our beach fix. Standing on the shore at one point, I seriously thought I couldn’t leave. I love this town.
See the pug on Tanner’s shoulder? That’s Puggy Wuggy, Tanner’s most valued possession in the world. We had “Puggy Wuggy Cam” moments throughout our trip, including the one below. This one is called “Wish You Were Here. – PW”
Maybe you have to be a Pisces, but is there anything more beautiful than this?
Through the lens of an iPhone is pretty gorgeous, too.
That night brought the event that was the basis of our trip: U2 at Soldier Field. We met up with my dear friend Amy for dinner and headed to the stadium.
While we quickly learned that I’m not equipped to stand up for hours at a time and have little tolerance for rude/obnoxious people, U2 sounded fantastic. I loved their set list and got the biggest kick out of watching my kids.
The next day, we met up with Amy again for some lunch and a trip to Wheaton College to see the wardrobe that belonged to C.S. Lewis. This photo cracked me up. It looks like Tanner is actually checking to see what’s in the back of the wardrobe. I think that C.S. Lewis would be pleased.
And I’m beyond pleased that I have kids who are so much fun to hang out with. In fact, I love it. I’m a lucky girl. Can’t wait for Part II of “What We Did on Summer Vacation.”
hey there, friends 
First of all, I am shocked that your kids have seen Ferris Bueller since it's older than them. Secondly, you guys had a great, fun-filled vacation for sure. Love all the photos. Your kids are lucky to have such a great mom and you are lucky to have such wonderful boys. (I can't imagine ever being soooo complimentary of teenage boys.) 🙂
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Being a child of the 80s, I introduced them to Ferris a loooong time ago. 🙂 Thanks so much for your kind words and thanks again for going to the concert with us. It was so much fun!!
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