Chicago, Chicago, That Toddlin' Town

 

 "Chicago, Chicago, that toddlin' town ..."

Contrary to what Frank Sinatra's song says about Chicago being a "toddlin' town," I think it's more accurate to say it travels at an all-out sprint.

We arrived in Chicago in mid-afternoon - theoretically, ahead of rush hour traffic. But we visitors from rural Kansas thought it was plenty busy. In our rural Kansas neighborhood, the biggest obstacles for traffic are pulling over to let giant farm implements pass by or dodging deer at twilight. 

How did we navigate the concrete jungle and all its roadway options before Google Maps right on our telephones? We missed one turn, but our Google "friend" recalculated quickly, and we made it to the hotel. I let out a big sigh of relief. And nobody even honked at us! Success! (After we were in Houston a couple of years ago for a K-State bowl game, we were feeling good that Randy only got honked at a couple of times. That's one way we gauge our navigation success in unfamiliar territory.)

We got to the hotel and parked our car until it was time to leave for home. Randy texted the kids and asked how many bushels of wheat it would take to pay our parking bill at the end of our stay. It wasn't cheap, but can you put a price tag on letting Uber drivers fight the unrelenting traffic? We think not. 

We were in Chicago to help my sister, Darci, and her husband, Andrew, celebrate the wedding of his oldest daughter, Julia. Before we got there, Darci suggested downloading Curb, an app that connects you to Chicago cabs. I successfully completed a Curb transaction, and we were delivered to Darci's and Andrew's condo for an evening pre-wedding, get acquainted party.

It's just a bit different from our evening view at home.

These shots were taken from their balcony on the 16th floor.

Uber and Curb weren't our only transportation methods. We also walked around the neighborhood surrounding the hotel.

We ate breakfast one day at a McDonald's franchise located next to its Hamburger University. It's where they train McDonald's franchise owners from around the world. Randy says he's already a graduate student in hamburgers. The menu there included a few international options. Kent and Randy tried a British breakfast sandwich.

We also rode the subway to Wrigleyville, thanks to the navigation skills of my sister Lisa and sister-in-law Suzanne.

Once there, we went to a Chicago Cubs game.

The Cubs didn't win their game vs. the Atlanta Braves, but it was still a fun experience.

That evening, we went to a pre-wedding gathering after the wedding party had a brief rehearsal.

For we Kansans, it was our first exposure to the traditions connected to a Jewish wedding.

Julia and Dan with their officiant (at left)

 

On the Saturday of the wedding, we went to the Shedd Aquarium in the morning before we needed to get ready for the wedding ceremony that evening.

 Even though Randy and I have visited Chicago several times, we'd never been to the Shedd. It was impressive.

The wedding was beautiful. (I shared photos from that in an earlier blog post. Click HERE for those.)

Lisa and I thought some of the pre-wedding music sounded like it was from the soundtrack of Fiddler on the Roof. 

 It was quite a party. 

On the blog next time: We stopped in Hannibal, Mo., and Kansas City on the way back home.