Transportation Day

Rich planned this entire day for the kids to experience the city in a new way by taking public transportation. With the surrounding streets under construction, we began with a long walk to the Metra station from our car. The kids were so excited as we waited for our train and even more so after we got on. We sat on the upper level and they could go down the stairs, cross the aisle, go up the stairs, and sit across from us...way cool!

Just outside Union Station we stopped to check out the Chicago River before walking a few blocks to the 'L' station.

This day was just as exciting for me as it was for the kids because public transportation is so foreign to me; I've never had access to anything other than my car. We were ready to ride the 'L'.

We quickly realized that taking public transportation involves walking...LOTS of walking!

Our next ride was a bus. The trains we rode were nearly empty, because of the time of day we were riding them, and our good fortune continued as we boarded this bus. The kids had a blast hanging onto the straps as the bus swayed and stopped several times on our way to Navy Pier.

I already posted about Grandpa's birthday lunch at Bubba Gump's. After that we walked along the pier, always finding ways to amuse ourselves. It was such a beautiful day to be outside in the city.

This fabulously joyful sculpture of children playing was across the street from Navy Pier. I loved that a section was left open for Rich and our grands to join the fun!

From Navy Pier we walked to Michigan Avenue near the Chicago River which was quite a hike after all we had done so far.

This walk was well worth it though; as an extra birthday treat for Rich, we wanted to see the controversial 26 foot tall statue of Marilyn Monroe that has been there since July. The kids were much more interested in watching activity on the river while we watched people's reactions to the statue and waited for a chance at a photo.

There was one remaining mode of transportation on Grandpa's itinerary...a taxi. Dylan was a bit disappointed that it was just a van instead of a yellow cab but we were already on our way by the time he mentioned that.

We arrived back at Union Station in plenty of time to pick up snacks and drinks to refresh ourselves on the train.

In only one day, the kids had become public transportation pros, making themselves quite comfortable on the ride back to the suburbs.

Lovin' Life ~~ And This Perfect City Adventure