Chicago - Day Three

We slept in a little on our last day, but felt anxious to get up and moving since we didn't have a lot of time before we'd have to board the plane home.

The night before we'd checked into changing flights and possibly staying one more day. The fee for changing was astronomical, so we decided to leave things as they were. But then we had a luggage dilemma. We'd be checked out of our hotel with our two carry-ons. We could leave them at the hotel until we were ready for them, but it was an hour round trip to retrieve them. We certainly didn't want to lug them onto the train and around Chicago! No hotels in the area of the airport would let us leave them for any amount of money and thanks to an evil band of terrorists, we couldn't leave them at the airport. Unless...

It cost us $23 dollars a bag to check our carry-ons. Skyway robbery! But we really didn't have any other options. We checked our 2 bags at the curb, entered the airport, went down to the trains and left the airport. We knew that if we asked if we could do that, we'd be in a rut, so we just left that question out.

We knew right where we wanted to go for our "Thai Food dinner turned lunch" because we'd plotted our route the night before. The biggest trick was trying to orient ourselves once we came up from the subway. Much of the Chicago train runs above ground and is elevated. Downtown, it's a subway. And when those folks get off the trains/subways, no one is strolling along. It's a push for the exit! We were chugging up the stairs out of the subway and I was sure that my legs would not survive one more lift. It didn't help that I was carrying Sarah and the diaper bag and Chad had the umbrella stroller. (How did that happen?) Oh well, I should at least be forced to exercise occasionally.

We arrived at the Thai restaurant a little before their opening time - 11AM. They welcomed us in and we were their first customers of the day. It was a beautiful restaurant and smelled heavenly! We ordered some of our standards so we could compare. It was very good, but I'm happy to say that our hometown Thai restaurant is cheaper and better tasting. :)

When we first arrived at the restaurant, we noticed a bus pulling away from a stop out front...head directly to Navy Pier...where we wanted to go next. We hadn't braved a bus ride yet, but we decided to jump on after our lunch. The buses and trains use the same pass so it was very convenient. It was a short ride and we were there.

We figured we had less than two hours before we had to start heading back. True to form, I let this hang over me, worrying that we'd underestimate our time or that there would be a problem with the transportation and we'd miss our flight. I did not enjoy myself like I should have.

The first thing we did when we got there was shop for gifts for the kids. After all, the first thing they asked us when they learned we were going somewhere was if we'd be bringing back presents. Isn't having your parents home safe and sound good enough? No, not when you're a kid.

After shopping, Sarah got her lunch in a quite corner, then we headed out to enjoy the sunshine and the pier. We were there just a couple of days before things would really get busy for the season. Bad for tourists, good for someone who doesn't enjoy throngs of people (that would be me).


When we headed back out (I probably irritated Chad with my anxiousness), we found a bus that would take us to the right train (the one headed to the airport). Like a couple of unsure tourists, we let the driver know what our intention was and he very kindly let us know which stop we should be looking for.

That was a very long bus ride and the farther we went, the more crowded it got. The more crowded it got, the hotter it got. So pleasant. It was very nice to get to the train stop and descend into the cool nether regions of Chicago's transit system.

I think Sarah was happy to be there, too. Maybe she was just happy. No wonder she caught so many admiring eyes! It was a very long plane ride home. Sarah didn't sleep as well this time and the flight was over an hour longer. I don't know how I get so lucky in my seat arrangements, but it seems like I ALWAYS get the wing. Such a great view there. We had the exact same seats going and coming.

I was a little concerned when prior to take-off in Chicago, the flight crew had to spend some extra time redistributing weight (moving luggage from below the plane, to the cabin) due to the extra fuel they had in the plane. They were carrying extra fuel because the weather in SLC was poor and there was a chance we'd be stuck in the air for a bit, waiting for a chance to land.

We landed in Salt Lake in a snow storm. My mom met us there with the kids and we headed home. That stinker snow storm followed us all the way to the border where it suddenly vanished. I was glad, too, because I was driving and it was getting tricky.

I like to go places and have new experiences, create new memories, etc. But it's really the best feeling to come home. Someday, I'll come home to a clean house. I'll need a little help from the troops before that dream becomes a reality.