Welcome to Chicago!

There is so much to blog about as of late, and of course, with that much going on, time is sparse.  However, I feel I need to take a few moments and at least knock out a bit about the one mini vacation we'll be able to take this summer.  And yes, a home is worth it.  It is odd as I sit here at work to think two weeks ago, we rolled into Chicago.  Well, Waukegan actually.   Leaving at 4 am was Donnie's idea (and no, we didn't make it and left a half hour late, still good for non-morning people in Jason and I) as we were road tripping with him, Shelly and their kids.  Jason, his mom and I filled the second vehicle.  The purpose of our 10 hours trek?  Cubs/Twins baseball of course. 

For those of you who may not know, Jason's mom is a die hard Cubs fan.  If she has to miss a game or one is on during working hours, you can be sure she has it recording at home to watch later.  Now imagine ending up with five children who instead love the Twins.  It makes for an interesting dynamic, but we are all good sports.  As for me, well, never been that into baseball.  So I was going to see the sights.  I've always wanted to visit Chicago as I love big cities.  And the game was in Wrigley Field.  No one should pass up an opportunity like that.

After making a six mile detour just for Starbucks coffee, the Garmin GPS almost getting us lost, and the men somehow managing to make Shelly and I drive through both Minneapolis (at about 7:30am on a Friday) and Milwaukee (guessing it was the noon rush there), we arrived in Waukegan in a little under 10 hours.  We checked into the Courtyard by Marriot, and the kids had had enough.  It was time to swim.  This was Lainey's main concern during the road trip as in the wee hours of the morning while she was still dozing she awoke just to ask that her swimsuit was packed.  It was, and I think she was in the pool before the rest of us got to our rooms.

While the kids swam, Jason's mom called her mom who lives in Crystal Lake, IL.  I actually have never met Grandma B. so was really looking forward to this as part of our trip too.  We picked up grandma around 6:30, only a half hour later than planned as the Garmin must have chosen to take the scenic route from Waukegan to Crystal Lake.  Grandma selected Applebee's for dinner and a few parking lots later, we arrived.  The time with Grandma went too fast, but I truly enjoyed meeting a very lively Grandma for being 84.  She was a hoot!  I hope we can again visit her in the near future.

Morning came quickly and if I learned anything about Chicago, it takes forever to get somewhere.  We left around 8:45 for the train station as the trains are hourly.  After an hour ride on the El (another first for me) and some sorry looking scenery (trees, trees, trees), we arrived in the heart of Chicago, Wrigley Field land.  Yet we were still two miles from it.  Have I mentioned it was a balmy 50 degrees with rain?  And you guessed it - we decided to walk the two miles.  We were going to take a bus, but by the time we got to the bus stop, Wrigley was a mere one mile away.  En route, the rain continued so we made a stop at a 7-11 store to buy Brendan and Ian some umbrellas (they had, to this point, managed in hoodies).  I guess though being about a half mile from Wrigley field, the only umbrellas available are White Sox ones.  So we ventured on, now in White Sox, Cubs and Twins gear. 

You can imagine the chaos that surrounded Wrigley when we arrived.  This did not make for good photo ops, but we managed.  A homeless man even took a picture of Jason and I in front of the Wrigley sign for a $1.  Of course, it was still raining and there are some fabulous water spots on those two photos.  We have some nice shots though of the sign for Wrigley Field.  With tickets in hand, we then ventured into the ball park.  While the nine of us couldn't sit together, we were able manage to have three seats together and six together.  So Jason, his mom and myself sat together.  We joined a group of rambunctious Twins fans in section 503 at the very top of the stands.  Made for a nice view of the Chicago skyline though.  And yes, it was still raining.  It was a lighter rain though and the game was only delayed about a half hour for them to remove the tarp from the field and prepare it.  The temperature hadn't improved much, and we sat shivering for about the first hour.  The view and atmosphere of being in Wrigley Field though seemed to take that all away.  It is a feeling that can't be put into words.  It was like I was sitting in a a piece of history, one that likely will continue for years.

I kept track of the scorecard for the game, which was a way different one that I was used to.  No little diamonds to run the players around the bases.  We dined over a nice $30 ball park lunch (three hot dogs, three sodas, a bag of chips and peanuts) and by the end of the third, Twins were up, 2-0.  I am convinced the ratio of Twins fans to Cubbies was 50:50.  This was really apparent every time Joe Mauer stepped up to the plate.  The crowd roared.  As the game continued, I snapped some photos of the skyline to warm up, and finally around the seventh inning, sunshine poured out of the sky.  I guess better late than never. 

In the ninth, the Cubs made an attempt at a comeback, putting some excitement into a game that had been pretty quiet since the third.  The Twins held on though to win it, 2-0. 

We again decided to walk the two mile jaunt back the train.  After another hour long ride on the El, the Garmin found us one of Chicago's best pizza places, The Quonset.  The pizza was a delight, though the plumbing in the place could use some work.  We returned to our rooms at the Marriot, where Jason created some humor for us...  An evening swim and time in the hot tub was then followed by a good game of Trivial Pursuit 90s which Donnie and a sleeping Shelly won.  Thankfully, the next morning did not bring an early departure time.   We easily arrived back in Fargo though around 7 that night.

As for the non-loving baseball girl who loves big cities?  Imagine this - I didn't exactly care for Chicago but now have an absolute need to watch the Twins play.  Go figure!

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