When we pulled in, it was like arriving at train heaven. The hotel we chose was conveniently located next to the Duquesne Incline, a little train that goes up a steep hill to neighborhoods outside the downtown area. As if that wasn't enough for our little train aficionado, the hotel itself was entirely train themed and located alongside the regular rail lines. I wasn't quite sure what to do when the woman offered us a little gift bag with conductor hats and tickets for a free train ride at the mall across the street. We had a nice meal at Hard Rock Cafe watching a dancing fountain (think mini-Bellagio) and then headed back to get settled in for the night.
The kids settled in pretty well but both were up before the crack of dawn -- a trend that continued the entire 2.5 weeks we were gone. An early morning activity was not a problem though, we hit the Starbucks down the street and then took a ride on the Incline, which runs early to serve commuters. We got a fabulous view of the sunrise from the top.
The next day we headed on to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Along the way, we managed to get pulled over by one of Ohio's finest. I was so nervous my palms were sweating but Vince played it cool and we got off with just a warning. A few minutes down the road we came across another officer and I was sure we were going to be pulled over but somehow, we managed to make it through to Michigan without a ticket.
The third leg of the trip took us to the wedding destination. We were so happy to arrive, it had been a long three days in the car. And, poor Henry, who had diarrhea the entire way, managed to blow out all over his car seat just as we pulled in to the hotel. At least we were there. We were so happy to see everyone, there was palpable excitement in the air. And rain. It rained and rained and rained and rained. You would not believe how it rained. Jess and Ryan had planned all of these lovely outdoor things for the wedding, we just took to calling it the monsoon wedding.
Everything was really lovely, despite the deluge of water. Eleanor made it down the aisle, with a bit of moral support. Henry didn't manage to walk down, but he did look extraordinarily cute in the tux. Jess was radiant and the service, which ended up being held in the barn, was very romantic and cozy. It was such a special wedding for all of us to be a part of.
(Yes, I should have taken the Pirate's Booty out of Eleanor's hand before taking these pictures, but she was not having it.)
After the wedding, we took over Jess and Ryan's place for a few days in Chicago. The weather, after it stopped raining, was perfect and we tore the city up. We saw family and friends, visited all sorts of museums, ate pizza, went to the beach, and generally enjoyed ourselves. The Field Museum was particularly amazing, they have this fantastic kids section that is completely hands on. Henry's favorite was probably Shedd Aquarium, he squealed at every fish he saw. I would guess that Eleanor liked the beach the best (it was hard to get her to leave) but since we have been back she has been talking about the Sears Tower, so it obviously made an impression as well. We also, thanks to Lynda, found this great little diner called the Melrose Restaurant and subsequently ate there several more times -- it was open at the early hours we were up.
The final driving leg of the trip was back to Grandma and Grandpa's house. We spent a couple of nice days relaxing and eating raspberries right off the bushes in her back yard. We also visited Tollgate Farm for a festival they were having and spent the morning doing crafts, picking apples, checking out emergency vehicles and soaking in the sun.
And, since this post is way to long already, I will leave it at that.
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