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.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Saturday, January 12, 2008
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
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
Monday, January 7, 2008
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
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
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