Day 5: Home Alone for the New Year

Today is New Years' Eve, and the first leg of our trip home. We actually got up a little early this morning to begin the trip home. My first concern was getting out of Chicago, which we did just fine after a few harrowing blocks of busy traffic.

But instead of going south, we'd opted to go just a little further north to do one last bit of sight-seeing. We'd just watched Home Alone again before leaving home, and since it was filmed near Chicago, we visited a few locations.

First up was the church in nearby Wilmette where Kevin hides in the Nativity. He also goes for solace and finally befriends Old Man Marley. Another church in Chicago was actually used for interiors, but this one is easily recognized as the exterior.

Next up was the famous Home Alone house in nearby Winnetka, which looks almost the same as it did 25 years ago. A fence has been added to the front and a sunroom on the back, but visiting right after Christmas is the perfect time. Since it's a private home on a residential street, we were careful to respect the neighbors and not be too obnoxious.

Just down the road (and actually across the railroad tracks and within walking distance) is the pharmacy where Kevin accidentally stole the toothbrush. According to Google Maps, it was a Panera Bread for a while, but now sits empty. The park across the street which featured the ice rink is now fenced off for construction.

Last stop was another favorite John Hughes movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Most of that was filmed in Chicago, but we did stop by the high school steps where Ferris picked up Sloane. This same high school was also used for The Breakfast Club. I almost fell climbing up the icy steps. That would have been a good story.

Then it was back through Chicago again for our only bit of heavy traffic for the day. We started out going back the same way we'd come in, but this time with much better weather. It was pretty much clear skies all the way to Cincinnatti. Saw a lot of barren farm land and one area with a bunch of windmills. This was the first time we'd seen a wind farm this far east.

We got into Cincinatti just fine, but had to circle the block twice to get into the parking garage. It was the most narrow ramp I've ever seen and I was really glad we weren't driving Marsha's SUV. We had just enough time to park and walk the couple of blocks to our dinner reservations.

Dinner was just down the street at Nicholson's Tavern, a Scottish pub where the waiters and waitresses all wear kilts. But the waitress' kilts are more like mini skirts. They gave everyone a small glass of Guiness to ring in the New Year at 7:00, when it turned 2016 in Scotland. Madison was interested in trying it and, as expected, didn't like the taste.

The main festivities were right outside our hotel in Fountain Square, complete with music, ice skating, refreshments, and more. We checked it out for a bit, then called it a night in our nice, warm room overlooking it all. We passed the night playing cards and watching Mr. Holmes before celebrating the countdown and watching the fireworks from our hotel window. Perfect way to end 2015.

Happy New Year!

Day 4: Chi-Mex and T-Rex

It was snowing when we woke up this morning, but luckily it didn't last too long. We'd wanted snow and cold when we headed north a few days ago, and we definitely got it.

We started the day with 1:00 lunch reservations at Frontera Grill, the restaurant of Top Chef Master Rick Bayless. We'd rooted for him when he'd competed a few years ago and we're excited to finally try his Mexican-inspired dishes. It was awesome! Definitely a cut above your typical Mexican restaurant dishes.

We had planned to go to Field Museum afterwards, but realized we didn't time it very well. We would only have two hours at best. We looked at other things to do, but nothing else really fit our schedule or was any cheaper. And it was too cold to just explore. 

We decided to go anyway and just make the best of it. We took the subway, which was actually our first time riding it. On our previous trips, we'd just walked everywhere since it's all in the same general area.

When we got to the Field Museum, we were pleasantly surprised to find out it was actually open until 6:00, which was perfect. Good thing we'd stuck to the plan!

The first thing you see when you enter is Dinosaur Sue, the most complete T-Rex skeleton anywhere and the museum's most famous exhibit. Madison was fascinated when she was little and we bought the book, t-shirt, etc.

This time she was more interested in the special exhibit on Greece, billed as "from Agamemnon to Alexander." Luckily, unlike our day at MSI, this was not sold out, so we made it our very first stop.

The exhibit tells the history of Greece through numerous treasures, including helmets, swords, pottery, and statues. Especially the latter two. It's been a while since I studied Greek history in college, so I was surprised to learn that when it comes to early Greek history, such as Agammemnon, historians aren't sure what is fact and what is fiction. The gold mask once thought belonging to him, probably didn't, and he may have been a myth.

Many of the pieces were from real, but non-historical figures, who lived normal lives, but were buried with all sorts of objects that told stories about their daily lives. Two of these were women with jewelry, pottery, and figurines.

There were also busts of a two very famous Greek figures: Spartan King Leonidis (from 300, who didn't really look like Gerard Butler), and Alexander the Great himself, who conquered most of the known world at a very young age.

The museum's largest and permanent collection is of studied (meaning taxidermy) animals, some of which have since gone extinct. Many are over 120 years old and were first displayed in the 1893 Columbian Exposition (see yesterday's post), while many more are from the 1930s.

Quite a few items in the museum are actually from the 1893 Expo. The contents of the Palace of Fine Arts were rehoused in this new location in the 1920s thanks to department store tycoon Marshall Field. Going there really gives you a feeling of stepping back in time.

While viewing these exhibits, which include baby lions and polar bears in addition to all the adults, the question naturally arises of from where they came (Marsha asks it every time). There are a few small signs that explain that the modern specimens died of natural causes. The subtle message is that the older ones, not so much.

One of the primary exhibits here is the man-eating Lions of Tsavo that killed 120 railroad workers in 1898 (depicted in the movie The Ghost and the Darkness). Despite the lack of manes, they are both male (a trait specific to that area). After they were finally killed and the bridge completed, they were made into rugs for a time. They lost some of their size when they were mounted for display.

FInally, we toured the sections on ancient Egypt and several islands of Polynesia. These are fascinating areas full of amazing artifacts and reconstructions, but we had to rush through since the museum was getting ready to close.

We'd thought about taking the bus or subway to Millenium Park, where we had dinner reservations at the Park Grill. The food was excellent and there's a skating rink out front, so we got to watch the skaters as we ate.

Finally, it was back to our warm hotel room again, where we watched The Walk, about Phillipe Petit and his famous enough high wire walk across the Twin Towers. Even on our small TV screen it made us nervous, but gave me fond memories of standing on top of the tower.

Day 3: Beef, Science, and Pizza

We started our day like we usually do by sleeping in. Madison's roommate, Jordan (who lives near Chicago) met us at the hotel.

Our first stop was the Al's Italian Beef location right down the street, recently named the Best Sandwich in America by Food Network. Aside from their delicious spiced beef, they're known for dipping their sandwiches in "gravy" (Italian for any sauce, but theirs in more of an Au Jus). They're also known for the "Italian Stance" (which I'm pretty sure predates Guy Fieri's "The Hunch") to keep you from dripping gravy all over yourself. And they have posters of Coach Ditka everywhere.

We spent most of the day at the Museum of Science and Industry. I'd wanted to go on our last two visits, but it's actually a good distance away from downtown. Our original plan was to drive, but we didn't want to deal with traffic and parking, so we followed the Concierge's suggestion and took the bus.

The museum is on the site of 1893 Columbian Exposition, also known as "The White City" since all of the buildings were white and it was lit at night with new electric lights. Originally the Palace of Fine Arts (its contents are now in the Field Museum), it's the only building remaining, since the rest were designed to be temporary. The expo introduced the Ferris Wheel and, sadly, one of America's first serial killers (read Devil in the White City). Walt Disney's father, Elias, was one of the construction workers and his tales most likely helped inspire his son to build Disneyland.

We got our tickets at the kiosk and found that general admission was the only thing available. We didn't realize it would be so crowded, so all of the extra experiences like the U-boat tour, were already sold out.

We took the escalators up to the the top floors and just started to explore. The first thing we found was Yesterday's Main Street, which re-creationed a 1900-era street complete with shop windows so that you can look inside.

Two things you can actually go in are the Nickelodeon (which was showing a 1903 silent version of A Christmas Carol that used an impressive amount of double exposure for ghosts) and a very popular (despite the cold outside) ice cream parlor.

Just next door was a giant model train system depicting shipping from Seattle to Chicago. The section with downtown Chicago was so impressive, complete with all the major skyscrapers and a working L train, we didn't even notice the Seattle part at the other end until later.

The Science Storms section was a lot like Durham Museum of Life and Science, but  on steroids. Everything there, like the live tornado chamber and the shifting sands, was much bigger and far more spectacular.

Overhead was a Boeing 727 attached to the balcony and other aircraft suspended from the ceiling. The 727 was donated by United Airlines and it took two years (and a ton of money, no doubt) to get it in the museum. Marsha and I were more fascinated by the video than the actual plane.

One exhibit got my attention just from the name: Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle. I wondered if this was the same Colleen Moore who was a big star during the Silent era (she was a flapper like Clara Bow), and it was. She loved miniature furniture and dollhouse (sans dolls) and spent many years having this castle constructed with actual lights and running water. She even added to it after donating it to the Museum.

Another favorite was the Art of the Bicycle, which traces the invention of the bicycle in the early 1800s to experimental bikes seen today, including one made of cardboard. The first bicycle had no pedals and was strictly for indoor use.

Around every corner you find something new and interesting, from early automobiles to modern farm equipment. We could have easily spent more time there and had several things left that we didn't get to do. All things to look forward to on a future trip.

We took the bus back to downtown and had the first of two goofs: we went to wrong bus stop outside museum, which wasn't where they dropped us off. Then we got off at the wrong stop (my fault for not double-checking). Luckily, we weren't too far off track and had a nice walk down Michigan Avenue.

Dinner was another Chicago staple: Giordano's Pizza. Like Al's Italian Beef, there are many locations across the city. It was very crowded, but considering folks who came in after us, the wait wasn't too bad. Luckily, they let you pre-order so they can start on your deep dish pie while you wait for your table.

It's actually more like a pie than a pizza. The crust is really thick and the cheese and pepperoni are in the middle with another layer of crust over that. The sauce (which was amazing) is actually on top. Our waiter (who was great) warned us that the medium we ordered might fill us up, and he was right. We almost ordered dessert to go. It was worth every bite and there were still people lined up outside for a table when we left.

Finally, we took Jordan back to the train station and saw her off. Then it was back to the hotel and our nice warm room to watch The Martian, which Madison hadn't yet seen, and call it a night. Wonderful day in the Windy City.

Day 2.2: Chicago and Goliath

After hitting the road for Chicago, we realized that we hadn't quite paid enough attention to the weather. Despite it being 75 degrees when we left NC yesterday, apparently winter storm Goliath was attacking the entire planet today.

It rained and rained and rained the entire way to Chicago. We saw numerous accidents (including a transfer truck that had jackknifed into a ditch and had just been abandoned), snow, slush, and lots of snow plows. We ended up getting to Chicago two hours behind schedule. I was worried that the temp would drop below freezing, but thankfully it never did.

Had a little trouble getting into the city after we found our exit and the next couple after it were under construction. That was a challenge. We finally had to just ignore the GPS and follow the onscreen map through town to find out hotel. 

Our hotel is amazing! It's the Palmer House Hilton, built in 1873. It feels just like stepping back in time. In the 1930s, the hotel's Empire room began hosting major talent like Frank Sintra, Judy Garland, Jack Benny, Jerry Lewis, and more. Our hallway is full of famous portraits.

Despite it being so late, we still braved the cold to head out for dinner at Nando's Peri-Peri Chicken. We'd been to a couple in the UK this summer (Liverpool and Cardiff), so even though we couldn't afford to go back, we still got some of the food.

The menu was a little smaller, but still fairly similar to the ones in the UK. The best part was that they still had the little custard pie desserts that Marsha loved.

Hopefully, the rain will be gone tomorrow for our first day in the Chi-town. And that driving will be easier, too.

Day 2.1: Cleveland Rocks (More Than We Thought It Did)

For our first full day of the trip, we did one of our favorite things: sleep in. But despite that, we still managed to leave the room ahead of schedule for our lunch reservations at Michael Symon's Lola. Even though we got there about 45 minutes early, they had plenty of available tables.

It was every bit as good as our dinner there from two years ago. Madison was anxious to try the Mac n' Cheese, which she loved, but didn't place at the top of her "best ever" list (I'll have to get her to do a post on that).

Afterwards, we strolled down to the 5th Street Arcade, which was really cool, but most of the shops were closed. Since it's Monday, this had us confused. We would have explored downtown some more, but it was raining and we'd accidentally left one of the umbrellas in the car.

On the way back to the hotel, we passed by the Federal Reserve, which also has the Money Museum. Entry is free, so we decided to check it out. The building itself is beautiful -- constructed during the 1920s I think. The security is understandably tight, but the museum itself is great.

The various exhibits teach you all about the history of money, checks, and banking in the U.S. My favorites were one where you learn to recognize counterfeit bills and the sniper ports over the main entrance. We would have stayed longer, but we managed to get in only 30 minutes before closing.

Then it was back to the hotel to grab our checked bags and car. The rain was starting to pick up, so we were ready to hit the road. We realized, though, that by sticking to Downtown, Cleveland has charmed us. We'd definitely like to come back when it's warmer and see much more.

Day 1: Christmas Vacation

We seem to be having a hard time sitting still these days. With Christmas day behind us and a full week before it was time to return to work, we'd wondered just what to do with our free time. Normally, we'd spend it at home relaxing, sleeping in late, watching movies, and having lots of company. But this year we all had the same thought: Road Trip!

But where to go? That was the tough question. Madison and I immediately suggested London, but that was too expensive (and considering the current world situation, not the best time to travel to Europe). Naturally, WDW is always a suggestion, but none of us wanted to go this week, which is their busiest time of the year (January is another story).

Then Marsha got the great idea of going back to Cleveland and re-visiting the Christmas Story House at Christmas! Even better, we could have dinner again at Lola, Michael Symon's restaurant. We've been dying to go back there ever since our first visit two years ago, but Cleveland Which is a little out of the way for us. Perfect opportunity.

After some thought, however, we realized a couple of things: 1) As much as we lived the Christmas Story House, we really just wanted to eat at Lola. 2) Chicago is only five miles further (Madison pointed this out).

So there you have it: drive all the way to Cleveland just to eat at Lola. For anyone that knows us, that is perfectly understandable. Unfortunately, Lola was all booked for dinner, so we grabbed a lunch reservation instead before hitting the road for Chicago tomorrow.

After a long day yesterday due to driving back and forth to a family get-together, we hit the road this morning an hour later than planned. However, since we were taking I-77 all the way there through the western tip of Virginia, then West Virginia, and Ohio, we weren't too worried about traffic jams. The route was a near exact duplicate of the first leg of our cross-country trip two years ago. I'd forgotten that it was mostly mountains practically the entire way.

It was a nice leisurely drive the whole way and the perfect start to our trip. Despite leaving late, we still had an extra hour of wiggle room on our ETA. Which was good, because we managed to use it up looking for an ATM in West Virginia. We also had a fair amount of rain for a good stretch, but luckily we managed to drive out of it after crossing into Ohio. It had dropped down to 40 by the time we reached Cleveland, which was actually a welcome change from the unusually balmy 75 degrees we'd left back home in NC.

Keeping with the Michael Symon's theme, we'd booked dinner at the Flying Fig, which we'd seen on his newest show, Burgers, Brew, and 'Que (which, for some reason, only showcased restaurants in NYC, Cleveland, and Nashville on every episode). We ended up just driving straight there, which was no big deal. Downtown Cleveland is pretty quiet on a Sunday night in the dead of winter. Shocking, I know.

The food at Flying Fig was fantastic. I had the burger (would Michael Symon have it any other way?) and Madison was all set to have the pasta until she heard about the pork chop with cheese grits special. 

Afterwards, it was off to our hotel, the Westin. As much as we liked our hotel from the last trip, this time we opted for something more centrally located. The room is huge and as I already mentioned, downtown Cleveland is pretty quiet.

Not a bad way to start the trip. 

And God Created Mini-Golf

About twelve years or so ago, we visited Lancaster and Strasburg, PA, where we toured an Amish farm, rode the awesome Strasburg Railroad, and failed to defeat the Cherry Crest Farm Corn Maze (we won't mention the PA Dutch food). This week we returned to work in Lancaster for the week and really looked forward to revisiting some of those amazing experiences. But the number one item on our list: Village Greens Mini-Golf!

Village Greens is nestled right in the heart of Amish farmland (mostly corn) and is hands-down the most beautiful course we've ever played. It truly is in God's Country.

This place is so breathtaking we really didn't care who won (I won the first game, but Marsha won the second). It's also the hardest (and longest) course we've ever played, but again, it's hard to care.

The two courses are very different. The first one, Orange, is more like traditional mini-golf. There are 18 holes, little buildings, a covered bridge, a cave, and moving ramps. But again, the design of each hole is made to match the natural beauty of the surroundings.

The Gold course, which is much more challenging and for adults only, has 23 holes and the obstacles are built from the natural surroundings themselves. These holes are much longer, there's a river and little bridges that run between them, and the course goes way off into the woods. It's no wonder that this place has won so many awards.

The clubhouse has a little cafe that serves hotdogs and burgers. They were actually pretty tasty. For our second trip there and our last night in Lancaster, it was a great ending to our trip before heading off to the hustle and bustle of NYC.