We just got home from a quick Chicago trip. I had some dental board meetings and we decided to take the oldest two kids and make it a family trip. Chicago is not yet ready for John Crewe! The Windy City is loaded with adventures and my kids love it!
The first time we took them, we visited landmarks like the Chicago Bean, Field Museum, Hancock Building, and Sears Tower. This trip, we focused more on a relaxed vibe and we all loved it!
We stayed at the Chicago Ritz Carlton and it was absolutely great! It's one of our favorite hotels for the amenities and style it offers.
The Ritz Carlton really caters to children with their Ritz Kids' Program and we loved it!They brought a tent to the room and made a bed in it for Anna Berkley. They had popcorn for Greene. A candy cart came around in the afternoon to our room and the kids finished off the day with cookies and milk brought to the room. This created amazing memories for them and I honestly think they would have loved to stay at the hotel the whole time!
My kids love the Lego Store, the Cubs Clubhouse store, and the American Girl store all located in Water Tower Place attached to the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Anna Berkley and I spent some time in the American Girl store and, on a weekday, we almost had it all to ourselves. For other shopping, anything on Michigan Avenue and the "Magnificent Mile" is perfect too!
Since we had visited many landmarks of the city already, we toured around the city some and then spent a whole day at the Museum of Science and Industry. The kids absolutely loved it! The exhibits were interactive and fun. We had submarine tickets pre-ordered, since they do sell out. Another couple of tips: Use the coat check they offer. Lugging around coats all day there gets old fast. We went on a weekday this time and it was empty. We've been on a Saturday before and it was packed.
The next day, while I had meetings, L.G. and the kids did some exploring, some shopping, and saw a movie.
For restaurants, we had several good ones to recommend. Wildberry Pancakes for breakfast, Chicago Pizza, RPM Steak is a great date recommendation, Ralph Lauren Restaurant, and NoMI are some of our favorites! We have also started a new trend when traveling with the kids. We order Room Service or doordash.com from some of their favorites like Cheesecake Factory and just spend quality time together and eat dinner in our pajamas.
It was fun to get back to this city for a few days, but we were all ready to get home and back to John Crewe too! We polished off some pizza at the Airport and headed home to hug my baby.
We love the Windy City and had the best time! We have so many business and pleasure trips coming up this Spring, sidekicks! I will be sure to take lots of pics and send any tips and recommendations I can to you! Thanks for visiting!
