Chicago Activites, Day 2

Day two of our adventure in Chicago included two primary events: a visit to the highest point in Illinois and an outing for the boys to historic Wrigley field to take in our first Major League Baseball game. The girls went shopping.  Some would consider that another major event, I guess. 

The top of the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower is 2325 feet above sea level, 1730 feet above street level, and visible from almost anywhere in the city.  After passing through security and winding our way through the crowd-control maze in the basement, we took the express elevator to the 103rd floor observation deck.  That's not quite 2000 feet above sea level, but it still feels pretty high.

See the little bumps sticking out of the side of the tower, way up top? Keep those in mind for later.

The Pandemonium Fam, looking east over downtown and Lake Michigan.

The Spambanana crew, looking west out over the 'burbs. And yes, that is a glass floor they are standing on. Remember the bumps on the outside of the building? Those are 'Skyboxes', big Plexiglas boxes that stick right out of the side of the building. Really cool.

Some people are quite nervous about stepping out into apparent thin air and looking straight down to the street below.  Paxton and Anthony have no such fear.

After lunch we grabbed the Red Line subway to the Near North where we shoved the girls and the stroller out of a very crowded train car to begin their shopping spree and then continued on to Wrigley Field. There we negotiated a very crowded street and a very crowded stadium and climbed and climbed to our seats just as ump hollered "Play ball!" Here's what we saw.

Sam was able to get tickets that put us near the top of the upper deck, looking right down the first-base line. We relaxed in the shade with a breeze at our back, the lake in the background, and enjoyed the atmosphere of the classic American sport. That's what I did anyway. Kenrick and Anthony and Cooper were so excited they hardly sat at all. The ladies behind us didn't mind.

The Cubs were playing game two of a four-game, mid-season series with Philadelphia. Not that we really cared - it was just fun to be there. Although Kenrick is showing signs of becoming a die-hard Cubs fan.

Kenrick and Cooper took pictures of almost every pitch, hoping to catch just the right moment. This one's not bad. See the ball between the pitcher and the batter?

Oh yeah, the Cubs won 4 to 3. Go Cubs!

After the game we reconnected with the girls and made our way out of the city, fighting traffic the whole way, tired but happy to be with excellent family at the end of another excellent adventure.