How I Spent My Summer Vacation

What was I thinking? I was online with a niece and nephew a few weeks ago, and offered to let them visit me during my summer vacation. Who knew their parents would eagerly agree! Visions of a quiet, peaceful, restful week went screaming out the door as I realized what I had let myself in for. But a promise is a promise.

So there I was on the 4^th of July, hanging with my youngest brother and his beautiful wife at their backyard pool. Along with four very active pre-teens and teens. My brother displayed his prowess at the manly art of dunking children, all of whom found a multitude of reasons to get themselves dunked. Of course! Naturally! Why else would they taunt their uncle, who was more than willing to toss them about the pool at the slightest provocation?

During ‘adult swim’ there were four anxious faces milling about the pool’s boundaries and every so often the plaintive wail would rise up, “Is adult swim over yet?” The oldest, at 17, actually wormed her way into the pool. When the other three finally got in the dunking began again in earnest. I have some very single-minded nieces and nephews.

Two days later I was headed back to Chicago with a niece and nephew who are 13 and 14 respectively. Cousins, they had stayed awake until 2:30 AM in anticipation of the trip, which began at 7 AM ET. For nearly six hours I was captive to James Bond, the Eagles, the Disco Dance Music CD and the Wacky Hits CD. I survived.

Leaving the Skyway, both were stunned by the presence of a McDonalds in the middle of the highway. It was decided that a picture of this oddity was required on the way home. Traveling down Lake Shore Drive, they got their first real glimpse of the Second City and were immediately in its thrall. After divesting ourselves of car and luggage, we immediately took the CTA to Jackson and headed for the Taste of Chicago.

The Taste is an annual event featuring dozens of local restaurants providing examples of the food from their menus. It has become a major tourist draw. We walked to the Taste, got food, visited the Buckingham Fountain, and then meandered over to the Navy Pier. No visit to the Pier can be complete without a ride on the Big Wheel, the Ferris wheel that is the Pier’s most visible feature. We took the bus back to the apartment under glowering skies and stopped at Bockwinkel’s for some basic food. The store is located in the basement level of Chicago Place, and in the time we were there a shower had passed over, as evidenced by the wet streets and raindrops still sputtering into the puddles when we came out.

After a round of showers for ourselves we headed out to Giordano’s for pizza. Sundays at Giordano’s can be very busy, and this was no exception. Sodas and mozzarella sticks staved off the initial hunger pangs. A nicely stuffed pizza did the rest.

Monday morning my nephew displayed his culinary skills by making omelets for the three of us. Quite tasty. Then we headed off for the Shedd Aquarium via the CTA. The weather was falling apart on us, it was raining and outdoor activities seemed unlikely. The Shedd is a beautiful facility that includes white-sided dolphins and Beluga whales. We were too late to get seated for the dolphin show, so went downstairs and watched the action from the underwater viewing area. The whales cruised upside down while underwater, and one of the dolphins blew water at onlookers upstairs. The Shedd also has a new coral reef exhibit with sharks. The exhibit is well worth the visit.

Next stop was the Adler Planetarium, which must be an overlooked jewel since there were far fewer visitors there. We saw two sky shows, Alien Encounters and Sky Watchers of Africa. The first describes what life might be like on planets radically different from our own, the second describes how African tribes integrated the stars and planets into their lives. Fascinating viewing. The Planetarium also has numerous exhibits and the one about star formation was quite stunning. I wonder if people appreciate what the Hubble Telescope has done to open up our understanding of the universe. The planetarium was a great deal of fun, plenty of hands on exhibits for inquiring minds. There is also an outdoor garden with a stone calendar of sorts, which lines up the four points of the compass and the locations of the solstice sunrises and sunsets.

By the time we got to the Adler the weather had improved, but was very hot and muggy. When we left it was still the same, and we stood at the free trolley stop, hoping to get a ride home. We nearly did. The first trolley got us to the Loop, but it was too late for the connecting trolley, so back to the trusty CTA. We got home in time for a swim in the apartment pool, including a few rounds of Marco Polo.

Dinner was leftover pizza and then some ice cream. Both niece and nephew took turns checking out email and the web.

The next day turned into the Field Museum day. I had thought we would be there for just the morning, but we stayed all day. The Field’s current major exhibit is Eternal Egypt, which features art and artifacts from that culture. The British Museum has been holding these items and they are on loan to the Field. Some of them date back 5,000 years. Both enjoyed the exhibit very much and it includes a taped tour that you can listen to on headphones. We also visited the Underground Adventure, which shows you how life looks underground from a microbe’s point of view. The Baseball exhibit was also a hit (sorry about that pun). We also went to the exhibits on lacquer art from Japan, Tibet, and the Pacific islands. I didn’t know that my niece and nephew would enjoy the museum that much, but I am glad that they did.

A trip to the SPRINT store to replace my cell phone battery was followed with a brief walking tour of the neighborhood. We then had dinner at a local Asian restaurant that included Chinese food and Japanese sushi on the menu. Afterwards we had wonderful sundaes at Ben & Jerry’s. It had been another fine day.

Wednesday turned out to be a very nice day, the best in terms of weather. We strolled up to the Lincoln Park Zoo, stopping to photograph the Bishop’s house at State and North, and the green dragon in the park. The morning was spent looking at the zoo exhibits. Unfortunately, the great apes are loaned out to other zoos pending completion of the new house for them, which will include modern outdoor display areas. My nephew really wanted to see the gorillas, and I think this was the only disappointing moment. The animals seemed to know that cameras were focused on them, and often complied with some posing. The Spectacled Bear was determined to present only his right profile to onlookers. We went to the Zoo Farm, and I have a picture of a manic nephew in the driver’s seat of a John Deer tractor. I tremble at the thought of him with a driver’s license! Look out, here he comes!

After the zoo it was time for ‘Big John’, the Hancock Tower. We went up to the observatory and got a panoramic view of the city. We also got a view of the latest incoming storm. I began to doubt that we would see any pool time that afternoon, which was high on our ‘must do’ list.

Lunch was at the Cheesecake Factory, and the burgers are absolutely huge. We were seated inside and that proved fortuitous since it started to rain heavily about 30 minutes after we got there. Dessert was take home slices of cheesecake.

The storm proved to be very short lived, and we got pool time after all! It was a lot of fun watching the cousins play in the pool. I was reminded of pool time with my siblings when I was much younger. We broke for the obligatory showers, and then it was time for dinner at Lawry’s, which is known for its prime rib. Prime rib is all they serve. The prime rib itself is not better than any you get elsewhere, but the tableside presentation is different. The carver has an ornate hot cart that includes multiple roasts, potatoes, and vegetables. Your server tells the carver what size cut you want and the side dishes. He cuts it right then and there. The restaurant is wood paneled and reminiscent of old ‘clubby’ style restaurants of the past.

After dinner it was back to the apartment and the waiting cheesecakes. Then yours truly did the laundry. I have decided my nephew’s socks need to have a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting with some Clorox. However, I have been assured that is the case with most socks worn by boys. I hope so.

Thursday was the drive back home. We left at just about the crack of dawn, and did indeed get the photo of the McDonald’s. Six hours later they were safely home, and six hours after that I was back at my apartment, tired but happy they had a good time.

I have learned that my niece is a Neopet expert and draws in the style of Japanese animé. She is actually quite good at it, and has a book that provides instruction on how to do it. My nephew has dreamed up a Star Wars parody and I have challenged him to go and write it. I promised to host it at my website if he does it.

I thoroughly enjoyed their visit and they both want to come back, so I guess I did a good job as their hostess. It was a wonderful summer vacation.

The Nephew's Version

The Niece's Version