Last Post

Welcome to my last post. I'm not sure if anyone is going to notice anyway. I've taken a new gig in Omaha, NE and we're moving their in July. So I'll start a new blog for activities in Omaha. We've sampled the wares there. The Zoo is large, hilly, and inexpensive. And it has a full size steam train. The men loved it. It has a children's museum we have not seen. And we are going to live on a lake. So that will be an adventure.

Take care and keep having fun in the Windy City.

Fun in the Sun at Morton Arboretum

Ranking: Value - 4; Dad Fun Factor - 4 out of 5; Kid Fun Factor - 4 out of 5

We decided to take advantage of one of the few sunny days we've had this Spring 2008, where the temperatures have not been below freezing, and headed to Naperville IL, to spend the day at the Morton Arboretum. This was my first trip to the 1700 acre garden but not the boys'. They knew exactly what they wanted to do first. "Climb on the rocks", was Jack's demand. Having never been I as pretty clueless as to what that meant. OK, we can climb on the rocks. The park is basically open from dawn to dusk. We made it there in 40 minutes from cosmopolitan Elgin. The park charges a fee to drive through the gate, $9 for adults and $6 for 3 and over. Jesse, being two, was free. Once through the gate we simply parked and made tracks to the welcome center. It's a large open building with a very neat gift shop (garden and nature oriented), several multi-media presentations on nature and the arboretum, and a very, very good cafe.

We grabbed a map of the park and headed out. Most of the family oriented activities are within 200 yards of the welcome center so you don't have to go 4-wheeling to get to the fun. First of the gate is the Maze Garden. The boys loved running through the maze, finding dead-ends, and going in opposite directions only to meet again. I loved it because there is only one way in and out and they couldn't break anything. The center of the maze is a large elevated observation deck that has a complete view of the maze. It's pretty cool. Next we headed to the Children's Garden. The CG, as I'll refer to it going forward, is simply awesome. We entered with clean clothes and existed with dirty knees and elbows. You can crawl, climb, run, swing, hop, explore, and learn all at once. There are guided activities if you want the purely educational path. I hate to admit it but we took a pass on this this trip. Instead we went to burn energy. We did that in spades. Few of the water displays were on which saved us immense suffering. We did enjoy hopping across the rocks like frogs on Lilly pads. The best part about the arboretum is that every activity has a learn attached. What are pine cones? What lives in the pond? What does a owl's view look like? And many more. In all we spent four hours in this one area and the boys thoroughly exhausted themselves.

Next was lunch. I have to make a special note about the cafe. Normally, if you have read my blog before, you will know I'm a cheap bastard and like to take my pic-nic meal. Tracy instructed me that we were, against my normal practice, going to eat at the cafe. I'm glad we did. They have some of the best sandwiches, gourmet salads, marginal pizzas, and soups going. I was really impressed. The bill was right in line with eating a good meal out at one of our normal restaurant choices as well. I highly recommend the cafe. The view from the eating area is spectacular. You can sit along wall of glass that goes from floor to 15 ft (guess) ceiling. It looks out over the large pond next to the welcome center.

Following lunch, and a pit stop in the very clean and usable family restrooms, we headed out to the Conifer Trail. We took the time to get off of the beaten path and commune with nature. Instead we found a steep hill and spent 20 minutes rolling down it. Jesse ended up staggering around like a drunk sailor.

I really recommend the Morton Arboretum. We're contemplating adding it to our wad of memberships. In the mean time, go check it out at their website: http://www.mortonarb.org/

Spring has arrived in Chicago!!!!!

Of course, that means that we still have several inches of snow left before it ends for this half of the year. We've started the awakening process. Moms with kids in tow are coming out of their caves and heading to the neighborhood parks. My own MILF-age has started arranging for "happy hour" get togethers. These, of course, are excuses to drink a little whatever and let the wild ones run crazy.

Over the past month we've done some traveling. I won't bore you with the details. Here are some recommendations if you ever make it to the Tampa Bay area. Absolutely fly on Southwest Airlines. More on this to come. Same with the Tampa airport. Stay out of the Orlando airport if you can. Definitely visit Busch Gardens if you have a free day and $350 (cost for 4 adults and two children; one was free!). Their "Land of the Dragons" makes out Six Flags Great America look sad. And they have free beer samples. Nothing better. DO visit the beaches in Bradenton Beach. We stay close by and loved it. The sand is great for making castles. If you have the chance to go out without the kids make a trek to a local Spanish/Cuban restaurant named Columbia that makes the Mojitos. If you don't know what those are you need to Google it to find out. They are the best in the summer.

More to come on the trip and some other local attractions. We're back into the activity scene again. Yippee!

DuPage Children's Museum in Naperville

Ranking: Value - 4; Dad Fun Factor - 4 out of 5; Kid Fun Factor - 4 out of 5

We hit the road today for one of our boys' favorite spots on a cold, cold, day: Naperville's Children's Museum. I say Naperville because that's where it's located but they call themselves the DCM. We like to hit the popular spots as close to opening as we can, on Saturday that is 9:00 am, so we arrived right at 9:45. It was already a mob scene with little gangs of birthday celebrants running rampant around the various play areas. At least out membership (recall that you want to buy that at the Rockford CM) got us in a few minutes faster than the the common folk. We immediately headed to the Light and Sound Room. This room is the home to photo-sensitive walls (paint with light), percussion instruments galore, shadow theatre, and many other fun things. One section we really enjoy is a where your movement generates music and a light show. It is really cool.

Adjacent to the Light and Sound Room is the heart of the DCM, what I call the Wind and Water Room. Here you can play with bubbles, make the perfect river system, sit and watch the fish, or play with a whole host of wind contraptions. The wind area is particularly neat because of the center piece: a functional wind tunnel. My boys love to run in and out of the tunnel pretending to be super heros flying through the air.

The DCM is two stories with a fully built out basement. The basement houses the party rooms for birthdays. It also provides space for the rest of us non-birthday participants to buy vending machine yummies (today that was popcorn) and microwave up some snacks. The bathrooms scattered around the building are all pretty little-man friendly. I can't say much about the ladies room but the men's room is well equiped for dad but the urinals are too tall for junior tinklers. They do provide stools for the sinks though. The locker room right at the entrance is a little tight for the crowds we experienced today but normally it's not a big deal. The whole place is wheel chair accesible with an elevator between the three levels.

We had a great time today at the DCM but the crowd was a little much. That, of course, is our problem. One benefit of a large number of birthday parties is the increased quality of lady guests. Not that I'm looking or anything. I think they all tend to try to look better than the rest of their competition. It must be a chick thing. Anyway, plenty of dad's without showers and mom's done up. Again, I can't complain.

I recommend the DuPage Children's Museum for it's simple and fun activities. I still like Kohl's best and, when we get there, the Chicago CM at Navy Pier. It's simply great. Add this one to your rotation.

For more information visit their website at: https://www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org/

Pizza at Nick's...er...I mean the Moose House

Ranking: Value - 3; Dad Fun Factor - 4 out of 5; Kid Fun Factor - 4 out of 5

One of our favorite restaurants to take the kids to, besides the other favorites I've listed, is Nick's Pizza. Nick's is a small chain of pizza joints (meaning two) in the far western burbs. We have never visited the Crystal Lake version so I can't give much insight into that location. Our local spot is in Elgin. The boys really love the ambiance. Step inside through the heavy barn doors and you enter a taxidermist's dream. The whole place is littered with stuffed (meaning formerly breathing) animals. Everthing from deer, ducks, fish, bears, and moose (hence the nick name). The center of the restuarant is an enormous rock fire place with a large Moose Head centered up the wall. Very spectacular. There are live fish in large tanks used as seperation from the dinning area and the bar. One special feature is the bottomless baskets of peanuts on the tables which beg to have shucked shells thrown to the floor. Nothing thrills the boys like throwing food on the floor and not being sent to the naughty chair. They love it.

The pizza is pretty good. It's not traditional Chicago style. I would categorize it as thin crust with a little thicker body. I really like it, especially the Nick's Special with pepperoni added. The boys love the pepperoni and can easily split a small between them. Dad's will also like the large selection of beers. I like to order take-out and sit in the bar sipping a shorty while I wait. Nothing better after a long day.

All in all I'd give Nick's a try. Be scared if you are looking for a table after 5 pm on the weekend. We always meet friends there right at 5 and get seated right away. 10 minutes later and you are waiting for 15 minutes. That can seem like a lifetime with little people in tow. They do have a small video arcade to spend you lunch money. You can also litter the floor with peanut shells while you wait as well. Plan on spending $50 for a family of four with a beer each.

For more information visit their website. For a chain of two it is a very good site and worth a trip. You will immediately recognize the pictures I stole..er..borrowed: http://www.nickspizzapub.com/site/home

Down but not out

My appologies for the lack of postings. I had a bad case of the flu, passed it to the boys, and then to momma. So needless to say it's been a little rough to post. I have some fun action to report in the coming weeks and can't wait to get it down on bytes and bits. Be patient and stay warm.

Update on Batavia Chuck E Cheese

Quick update on one of our favorite rainy day sites. Let it be known that Winter 2008 has arrived in Elgin, IL. It is -4 deg out as I type and not getting any warmer. OUCH! That's cold and definitely not for the faint of heart. Needless to say, we are not heading to the zoos, Brookfield or Lincoln Park, today. Instead we decided to head to another great indoor spot, Mr Chuck E. Cheese's house. We made it there around 4:00 p.m. to find the place insanely busy. I have never been when there was a wait. Today we did. 30 minutes to be exact. Not a good mix with antsy little men and a cold draft streaming in from the door next to my ass. So we bailed. Instead we went to Red Robin (expensive again) and our local stand-bye: McDonald's. God I love that place. We spent $4:50 on a small coffee, a small coke and 2 small sundaes. About $31 less than Red Robin and the boys played in the habitrail for nearly an hour, burning off energy and giving mom and dad some time to chat (a rare thing these days).

I'm all about Mr. Cheese's house but today it all belonged to Ronald.

Pray for warm weather and a Packer's victory.

Schaumburg IKEA, or the best place to shop with Kids in Chicago

Ranking: Value - 5; Dad Fun Factor - 4 out of 5; Kid Fun Factor - 5 out of 5

I don't want to take much of your hard earned pro football playoff weekend to describe the best shopping experience in Chicago so I will keep it short. We went to Ikea in Schaumburg (they are all the same so the location is not that important) today to look for a couple of magnetic bulletin boards so we can put up loose photos in the boys' rooms. Not important. What is important is that you can drop your kids off (as long as they are potty trained and between 3' and 4' tall) in a safe, secure, fun, and stimulating play area while you do your adult thing. Ikea has been doing this for some time now (how long I don't know) and it works great. You fill out a detailed form with your personal information and your child's name. You sign it and anyone else (like a spouse) whom you want to be able to collect your child. They take their shoes and coat and off they run and play. A wrist band and sticker with claim in for is put on your child. There is only one way in and out and there were at least 5 care workers on duty with about a dozen rug rats. They have puppet shows, movies, slides, and toys all about (like the kinds Ikea sells). You get an hour of peace and quiet while you shop or have a bite in the cafe. It's a great chance to have a little mommy-daddy time without hiring a baby sitter.

I know I sound like a cheap bastard here. Fact is, I am sometimes. In this case, we bought the stuff we needed and still had time to poke around. Not too shabby.

Have fun! For an Ikea near you go to www.ikea.us

Rainy Day At Shedd Aquarium

Ranking: Value - 3; Dad Fun Factor - 4 out of 5; Kid Fun Factor - 3 out of 5

There is one thing that us suburban dad's hate, even more than expensive gas, and that's going in the city with the kids. I bit the bullet the other day. We bought an annual pass to Shedd Aquarium last winter while visiting for the first time (as we are want to do) and I've regretted it ever since. I really like a good aquarium. We moved to Chicagoland from Atlanta which has a great kids aquarium and we loved going there even when the boys were younger. Shedd is a good aquarium but not great. We spent the $15 on parking under Soldier Field (which is worth visiting by itself) and walked over to Shedd, jumping and splashing in the puddles as we went. The Field Museum, which we have never been to, is between the two and boy do I want to check that grand old place out. If you've been let me know. The first time we went to Shedd we ran into a very long line to get in. Not this trip. It was pretty dead, probably due the NFL Wild Card games, and was I ever happy. We peeled off our jackets and headed up the elevator to the main level. If you have not been, as I may assume, you enter with strollers at the ground level and take the elevator up. It's a huge elevator that carries about 50 people.

The main exhibit halls are very classic looking. It's a hub and spoke set up with a very large tank in the center and several specialty exhibits, such as the Amazon, Game Fish, River Systems, etc., spoke outward. The boys love the main tank, the Caribbean Reef, at the center best. It houses sharks, a cool sea turtle, rays, and a very nice looking Green Moray Eel. Best of all, there are often divers in the tank. The boys find that really cool and dad gets to brag about how he and mom both dive. He can't wait.

My favorite, and surprisingly the boys' least, is the sea mammal section. The dolphin pool is enormous and really neat. It's an infinity pool that looks out over Lake Michigan. The dolphins are not the normal grey variety but rather Pacific White Sided versions that are smaller and a little less acrobatic but I'm sure no less lovable. The show is a little too educational for the little men and they were ready to leave after 5 minutes. I wanted to stay (love the dolphins) but was out voted. We like the show at Brookfield more but this one is included in the cost of admission and is a way better setting. We headed down to the Beluga tank to see the new arrival, a good looking little man (whale) who was born recently. Of course, the little men were not interested in the little whale. The last exhibit we looked over was the Penguins. Man, are they cool. I really, really like the penguins at Shedd. They must feed them speed or something because, when compared to Brookfield, they are as hyper as can be. One little girl kept calling them Happy Feet which was a little sad, but besides that it was excitement. They chase each other under water and duke it out on the rocks. It was almost a little gladiatorial if you ask me.

My favorite part, and one we did not take advantage of this trip, is the snack/picnic area with underwater viewing of the dolphin pool. How cool is this? You can eat lunch right next to huge windows looking into the pool from about 20 feet underwater. This trip we decided to go to the food court, which is pricey but not as pricey as Six Flags, and ate looking out at the Chicago skyline. It was pretty awesome.

This was a quick visit to a place we will likely visit more as the boys grow older. They are a little young for the straight fish displays but a little old to be strapped into a stroller and wheeled around. We like the attempts to make it more child friendly, such as the dress-up sessions (want to be a sting ray) and the puppet shows (diver down!). One thing that we really need to have a great day is a little outside play and that's not easily found at Shedd. In the end we're going to skip Shedd for a year or so but come back when we are all ready to enjoy it.

For more information check out the Shedd website at: www.sheddaquarium.org