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!
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