Search Results for: blog five reasons you should visit chicago

Carrying Kids: How Big is Too Big?

Want to illicit judgmental stares from hundreds of onlookers? Forget about spanking your kid in the check-out line at Target or screaming at her in church, all you need to do to carry your six-year-old through a crowd of window shoppers on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile and you will feel the burn of prejudice cut through you like a hot knife slicing a cold stick of butter. You thought pushing a first grader in a stroller yielded discriminating comments; try schlepping a 50-pound child in your arms for 10 loooong city blocks and see the type of judgmental looks you are … Continue reading →

Marathon Party

When I ran my first marathon I skipped the traditional pre-race pasta party. Rather, my cousin and I held our own quiet carbo-loading shindig in the corner of a quaint Italian restaurant just off of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. I was too nervous to surround myself with elite racers and other marathon veterans. Plus, I really didn’t have much of an appetite. I ended up forcing myself to eat my Penne a la Vodka while listening to my cousin wax poetic about the impending 26.2-mile run. Fast forward to my second marathon a few years later and I was more than … Continue reading →

Harry Potter and Michael Jackson Themed Trips

If your kids are wild about Harry, then hit the road for a literary journey featuring the fictional boy wizard’s favorite haunts. Last week’s release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, has sparked a slew of travel deals inspired by J.K. Rowling’s books about wannabe wizards, including: Skyscanner.net is offering tours of 13 key locations in the Potter Universe, from Platform 9¾ at London’s Kings Cross Station to Romania, home to the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary. Fandango.com is featuring a Summer Movie Road Trips section that offers travelers the chance to visit Harry Potter’s Rolling Green British Isles. Meanwhile, for … Continue reading →

Zoo-rific Summer Travel Ideas

What a zoo! Life can get pretty chaotic, especially if you are juggling kids, a house, pets and a paying job. But with summer just around the corner, why not consider taking a break from your personal zoo to visit some of the best animal facilities in the country. A number of top-rated zoos are featuring special exhibits this summer—-everything from Mammoths to Micronesian kingfishers. If you are looking for super summer fun without having to travel abroad, then check out what’s new at the following zoos: MINNESOTA The Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley is debuting a $1 million, nature-based … Continue reading →

Having Fun in Chicago

My family always has fun during our trips to Chicago. The Windy City offers dozens of kid-friendly attractions that are as educational as they are fun-filled. If you have never visited the Midwestern metropolis or you are returning sans wheels this spring, then consider taking advantage of one of the city’s best-kept secrets. Chicago Neighborhood Tours allows you to sit back and let someone else do the driving while you enjoy the sights on themed bus rides. This year the city’s Office of Tourism has added several new themed half-day bus tours to its offerings. Take a look: HYDE PARK … Continue reading →

Stranger Things Have Happened

I live in Wisconsin so technically I should be a Brewers fan who sends bad wishes in the direction of Chicago and their world famous Cubs. The problem is I love Eddie Vedder and the Pearl Jam font man has just released a song for the Chicago baseball team that I find intoxicating. The new tune (which was created at the request of Cubs great Ernie Banks) is called “All the Way.” The song is available on Pearl Jam’s Web site right now, but you can hear it being played almost non-stop on Chicago radio stations and in bars near … Continue reading →

Kids’ Car Seats in Taxis

We buckle up our kids in our own vehicles, have them wear lifejackets on boats and make sure they are donning helmets while riding bikes, but what safety precautions do we exercise when traveling with children in taxi cabs? No parent wants to skimp on safety, but there are many of us who don’t plan well enough for family vacations and are left compromising our children’s well-being as a result. For example, the state of Illinois recently unveiled a new safety campaign that reminds parents that taxis are vehicles too, and holding a child on their lap is against the … Continue reading →

Family Travel: Dolls, LEGO and Blues

Could the Mall of America get any better? American Girl fans answered yes and mall officials listened. Come November (just in time for the holidays) American Girl will call the massive shopping center home. Which means your kids have one more location to blow their allowance money on the mega-popular dolls and their mountains of accessories. The new store is making headlines because, according to company execs, American Girl is very selective about where it sells its goods. Company reps say the American Girl store in the Mall of America will span 20,000-square feet, feature two stories and include a … Continue reading →

Unwanted Passengers Delay Flight

Remember the blog I wrote detailing my daughter’s alleged mouse sighting during our flight to Hawaii earlier this year? That post also contained information about an actual mouse sighting made by flight attendants on a plane bound from Des Moines, Iowa to Atlanta, Georgia. Well, critters have struck again. Not Mickey and friends; rather some smaller but equally unwanted pests—ticks! And take note: The bloodsuckers were found on a United Airlines flight from Denver to… you guessed it… Des Moines. According to United officials, the wayward bugs delayed Flight 1178 for nearly six hours on Tuesday after a passenger informed … Continue reading →

It’s a Gas—More Hotels Helping You Save Money This Summer

Who knew it would come to this? That hotels would actually be paying you to visit them? With the slew of gas saving travel packages being offered by lodgings from coast to coast, that’s pretty much what is happening–hotels, motels, inns and B&Bs across the country don’t want you to put the brakes on your summer road trip so they are providing generous discounts and rebates to travelers who choose to stay at their properties. Here’s a look at the latest offerings: COLORADO You can thank the Aspen Chamber of Commerce for this next gas rebate. The group is currently … Continue reading →