Minneapolis 2024

23 March 2024 - With Felix heading to Europe with his high school German Club, we decided to stick closer to home for our own spring break plans. Iris and I had plans to go to the Mall of America during winter break, but my mom's passing cancelled those. So instead, we decided to take the trip now, one Felix wouldn't miss too much. 

We left home around 9:15 am. We had to make a quick stop in Marshfield for Nick, then we were off. We stopped to charge and eat at Noodles & Co in Eau Claire. The weather was cold (in the 30s) but clear. Once we got near the Twin Cities, Nick dropped Iris and me off at the Trader Joe's in Woodbury while he went to charge the Tesla. We stocked up on food and drinks, then Nick picked us up. We drove to IKEA first, as Iris had never been to one. She was impressed by all the stuff, but we walked out of there an hour later with only a few small things. After that, we checked into our Airbnb in Minnehaha Falls. Iris immediately fell in love with the first floor apartment in the bungalow. It's a quaint 1920s house, and she loves having her own queen-sized bed. After we got settled, we all drove over to see the Falls themselves, because the weather was good today. It wasn't a huge cascade at this time of year, but it was pretty. We then drove up to Surly Brewing Co. for dinner. Despite it being around 4:45 pm on a Saturday, we had to wait a while for a table, much to hungry Iris' chagrin. Once seated, we ordered food and drinks on our phones and had little interaction with waitstaff, which was different. Iris got a burger while Nick and I got grain bowls. We enjoyed our dinner, then headed out. Nick dropped Iris and me off at the Mall of America so Iris could get her first taste of it. We walked about half the mall and just got her a black tank top. She took a look at the rides and made a plan for tomorrow. We took the train back to our rental around 8 pm. My feet were very tired by then, so it was nice to just put on Spaceballs and relax before bed.

Visiting Minnehaha Falls

24 March - Despite my intention of sleeping in, I was awake by 7:30 am. Once everybody was up, we got ourselves breakfast (bagels and cream cheese, with smoked salmon for us). I did some Italian lessons (in preparation for our next trip). We all got ready and walked to the train station around 9:30 am, and then took the next train to the Mall of America. Iris wanted to do the rides right away. We bought some points, then let Iris decide what rides. She chose the Fairly Odd Parents rollercoaster that we could do together. She was nervous, but the line moved pretty quickly and soon we were on. It was a lot of fun, especially because it was just the three of us in the car, which spun on the track. After that, I left them to do a little shopping of my own. Iris rode the Ninja Turtles ride and was in line for another spinny ride when I tracked them down. (I did buy myself a fall/winter coat from Columbia, on sale for $130). Nick and I watched Iris spin around

Iris on the Brainstorm ride

After Iris got off, we were hungry. We went up to the 3rd floor and found a quick ramen place, where we each got different types of ramen and boba tea. Once sated, Iris wanted to see one more time if the high ropes course was finally open. It was, so we walked back across the mall to get in line. She ended up waiting about an hour in a slow moving line (very much testing her patience) to finally get her chance, then spent about 15 minutes actually on the course (there weren't too many elements that made her pause). 

Iris on the highest level of the course

After she was finished, we walked back to the train station and barely caught the next train. It had started snowing while we were in the mall, and it was coming down pretty heavily when we got off the train. We got back to our rental around 2:30 pm and relaxed. At 3 pm, we put on the UW Badgers women's hockey National Championship game versus Ohio State. Alas, they lost 0-1. Iris was sullen because she didn't want to watch the game and was bored. Sigh. 

We made a feast of dumplings from Trader Joe's for dinner. Afterward, we taught Iris how to play the card game Dominion, then watched Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

25 March - We again had a quiet few hours in the morning, working on Italian and eating a light breakfast of scones. It was raining, which made the snow we got yesterday even slushier. We drove over to St. Paul to do the Trapped Escape Room I booked the night before. (We did our first this past fall in the Dells and Iris really enjoyed it, so we decided to do another). We had an hour to do the Wizard's Tower room. We finished in 49:15. :D 

We did it! 

It was about 11 am when we finished. We noticed that there were several Middle Eastern restaurants nearby, so we went to one (Shish) for an early lunch. We got falafel/schwarma/fattoush deliciousness, plus gave Iris her first taste of a Turkish coffee (she wasn't a fan). Once finished, we looked for something to do next. I saw on that there was a waterfall nearby. We parked near the Mississippi River, put on our boots, and attempted to find Shadow Falls. We walked to the edge of the gorge and down the path toward the creek. Thankfully, we were following fresh tracks in the snow so we could tell where to go. Once we reached it, the waterfall was little more than a trickle, but out it was still pretty.

Shadow Falls

Nick wanted to get some work done, so we headed back to the rental. Iris and I hopped on the next train heading downtown to do some looking around there. There were some interesting characters on our train car, but we made it without incident. It was raining harder when we got off the train. We made a nearby Target store our destination, five wet blocks away. Iris found some yoga pants and a paint set. From there, we walked a few blocks back towards the train stop, where I found a crepe shop. We warmed up with some crepes and coffee, and got one for Nick, too. Our Metro tickets were still good, so we caught the next train back to the rental and got in around 3. We spent some time relaxing, then went out to get dinner from Poke House in St. Paul. We brought them back to eat at the rental. Iris's stomach wasn't feeling well, so she waited a bit. After dinner, we played another game of Dominion. 

26 March - We woke to snow. We decided to stay in for a while so Nick could get some work done. Iris and I did lots of Italian and put on a recent UW Badgers softball game. We headed out shortly after 11 to Himalayan Restaurant. We were trying to find an Indian buffet, but, alas, those seem to be a thing of the past, at least around Minneapolis. Anyway, we each got a different thing and made our own mini-buffet of appetizers, noodles, and chana masala. It was very tasty. 

Next we drove through the snowy streets to the Midtown Global Market. I was looking for some spices and hoped to find them there (I did not), but we did buy a few treats for that evening. From there, we went to the Minneapolis Institute of Art. We spent a couple hours wandering through the galleries, looking at the various collections. Iris started feeling a food coma after the big lunch, so we didn't see everything, but the Asian exhibits were interesting.

Tired Iris, pretty pottery

Trying to identify the skyline through the snow

From there, we started our drive to Shorewood, stopping on the way to charge. We arrived at 3:30 pm and spent several hours at the home of my friends Kendra and Paul from high school/college, and their daughter Eleanor, who is a year old than Iris. Unfortunately, Paul was off on a trip, but we had a lovely time catching up with the ladies. We got Thai food delivered and played Midnight Party and Forbidden Island together, before we left around 7:30 pm. Once back at the rental, we started to get our stuff packed up and put on some softball to watch.

27 March - After our last night in the Airbnb, we were up, packed and out around 8:30 am. We woke to a clear, sunny morning, which was a novelty for this trip. We did some charging in Oakdale, then more in Eau Claire, but we were home at 1 pm. It was nice to see the kitties in person (we had peeped in on them with our Echo Show a couple times during our trip, which probably freaked them out) and be back home.

Trip cost: $

License plates: 30 of 51

Milwaukee 2022

 31 March - After doing our delayed "Spring Break" trip in November, Nick and I decided that we would take the kids on a surprise trip this time around. We kept the kids in suspense all the way until Thursday of Spring Break week, when we told them to pack for a few days. They knew we were driving less than a day's ride away, and that it would be new to us. 

We left after lunch and headed south. This spring hasn't been very warm and today was no exception. We stopped at our usual place in Madison supercharger to give the Tesla more battery, then turned our vehicle east. We arrived at our Airbnb in Milwaukee shortly after 4. The kids figured out our destination when the navigation counted down our time to arrival. They were not disappointed. 

We checked into our lovely Lower East Side upper apartment on N Humboldt, relaxed a bit, then headed downtown for our dinner reservations. We found our way to the parking garage I had reserved, and then walked to the Safe House. I gave Iris the code just before we walked in, and it was perfect, her hurried whispering of the pass phrase to the gatekeeper. I'd never been there before, and was delighted to find a theme restaurant that was worthy of the hype. We were seated in a secluded nook and enjoyed our first dinner in Milwaukee by completing the scavenger hunt, eating our spy-themed meals and enjoying some fun beverages. When finished, we were given fake mustaches, which I unashamedly wore while purchasing the spy swag the kids wanted (a stress ball in the shape of a grenade for Felix and a voice changer for Iris). We braved the very short walk back to the car, then back to the rental for the night.

Once in, we got cozy in PJs and played a family round of sheepshead. Iris declined a second game in favor of Roblox, but Nick, Felix & I played Perudo while watching some MST3K. It was a very pleasant evening. More surprises in store for tomorrow!

Agents reporting for spy duty

1 April - We slept in a bit this morning. We decided to head out to get breakfast at around 9. It looked like there were several options nearby, so we walked a bit north and found ourselves on Brady St. Despite it looking like there was more nightlife than morning-life, we found a coffee shop that also served some breakfast (Nomad). Nick and Felix shared a stuffed waffle, Iris got a Nutella waffle, and I got a breakfast sandwich. Good, wrong coffee for the grownups, while the kids got their first lattes. After eating, we walked back to the rental to let the food settle. 

First Lattes

At 10:30, we headed out for our next adventure: Discovery World. The kids enjoyed all the science stuff with which they could interact. Iris liked the aquarium best, while Felix was fascinated by the variety of gears. It crept into lunch time, so we left at 12:30 having been through all the exhibits. We drove back to Brady St, where we picked up some Jimmy John's sandwich to go, and ate them back at the rental. 

The kids enjoyed the Discovery World aquarium

We spent a few hours resting before our biggest surprise for the kids: going to a Bucks game! We parked at the same lot as yesterday, then hurried through the brisk coldness (come on, Wisconsin, think Spring!) to our 4:30 dinner reservation at Mader's. The kids like yesterday's theme restaurant, so we thought we'd try a new theme tonight: German. It also helped that they took reservations and the area was going to get crowded as game time got nearer. We had a very nice dinner. I'm proud of the kids because they each ordered something that was decidedly German and not American. Felix got the Bratwurst and Knockwurst, while Iris ordered the Kassler Rippchen (slabs of salty ham). I got a cold meat and cheese starter which I shared around, and helped myself to some of Nick's Schnitzel and Scallop sampler. He got a tripel for a beverage and then helped me finish off my liter of dunkelweis.

Photo credit: Iris

Sated, we walked the short distance to the Fiserv.Forum for the game. It was pleasant to get inside after standing in line outside for a while. We got there plenty early, giving us time to find our seats (section 109, row 11) and look around. Game highlights? Not many, as the Bucks were crushed 153 to 119 against the Clippers. None of the regular Bucks starters played at all, so we missed out in seeing Giannis, Brooke Lopez, and Kris Middleton play. Giannis was there, however, and was honored during the first quarter for becoming the Bucks leading scorer in team history. Our highlights? A man in front of Felix caught one of the t-shirts tossed into the crowd and gave it to Felix. Souvenirs? I got a nice jacket, Iris a giant pillow (naturally), and Felix a new cap. Other highs? Clearly somebody near us because we smelled weed *a lot*.

Row 11!

One of the few highlights

Felix on the left, Iris in the middle

The game finished around 9:30, so we made our way through the crowd back to the car (the blowout had the upside of many people leaving early), and made our way back to the rental within a half hour. The kids got ready for bed, then we followed suit. Nick and I turned off the lights around 11.

2 April - I woke at 7 (this place has white blinds which don't keep the rooms dark) and rested until 8. Nick and I got up to enjoy a quiet cup of coffee while the kids slept. I did my Duolingo for the day (634 straight days of Spanish!) and relaxed. We don't have plans for the day, just this evening, so we're going to leave it up to the kids as to what we do today. The kids were content to stay in and play Roblox this morning. It was snowing wetly out, so we didn't want to push going out.

We did take them out for lunch near E North Ave at Fusion Poke. The kids shared small sushi rolls while Nick and I got poke bowls. And boba teas! Yum! Thus fed, we took them to our next surprise: a cat cafe! And cue instant disappointment, because we didn't know we had to make reservations and they were booked. 😞 We looked in for a couple minutes, then left. Unsure where to go next, I suggested a bowling alley on the same block. We turned lemons into lemonade by having an enjoyable time bowling a game. We all did... okay. We don't bowl often enough to do well. Once finished, we drove down to the 794 bridge which Felix saw yesterday. Unfortunately, the snow and low clouds resulted in low visibility - we could only see the road and very little beyond that. We headed back to the rental to rest and recharge for the evening.

Bowlin', bowlin', bowlin'

We left at 4:30 and to the parking garage shortly after. Shortly after arriving, I realized I left the phone charging at the rental. 🤦🏼‍♀️ We got lovely Neapolitan pizzas at Proof Pizza. Then we headed back with the leftovers to the rental so I could grab my phone.

Back into the parking garage, we had 20 minutes before our final surprise: a Milwaukee Wave major arena league game against the Dallas Sidekicks. (I had bought tickets for the scheduled Brewers game tonight, but the lockout cancelled the series. Boo.) But it ended up being a lot of fun. We were 4 rows from the field, which gave us a great view. The Wave were playing for a playoff position, so they were in it to win, which they did, 8-2. It was a lot of fun, with nearly constant party hits of the 80s, 90s and today, lots of kids, and giant buckets of popcorn. The game ended at 8:15, and we walked back to the car. We stopped at a nearby grocery store for some ice cream, wine and muffins. 

Our first Wave game

Row 4!

Celebrating the Wave victory!

Once back, we put on the MST3K Channel and played a family game of Chutes & Ladders from the available games (Felix just edged me out). We said good night shortly after that.

3 April - We were up, packed and ready to go shortly after 9:30. We headed out back towards Madison. We stopped at HyVee to charge and grab an early bite for lunch. After an uneventful drive, we got back home to Roary and Robin at 1 pm. The kitties were very happy to see us. 

Afterthoughts:

Iris liked going to the games best, while Felix preferred the Bucks game. Iris now thinks the Safe House is the best restaurant ever. I would definitely recommend a Wave game. Nick couldn't pick a favorite thing. 😀

Superior & Duluth 2021

31 March 2021 - After over a full year of COVID-19 social isolation, cancelations, telework and virtual school, we decided we needed to get out of our house for a few days. Nick and I were vaccinated 10 days ago, so we feel slightly more comfortable about putting ourselves in social situations - but not entirely, which is why I planned a waterfall-hunting trip centered around Superior. Nick and the kids have never been up here, and I was a sophomore in college the only time I visited (and that was only overnight). I found a nice two-bedroom Airbnb apartment and started planning from there. I asked my parents (now fully vaccinated and fully immune) if they'd like to join us, and they rented a hotel room nearby for a few nights. 

We got everything packed and left Rapids about 10:30 Wednesday morning in Nick's Tesla. Low 30s, but mostly sunny and smooth sailing to Eau Claire. Our plan was to supercharge while eating lunch, then get to Superior around 3-3:30. The supercharger had other plans... What should have charged at ~75 kW/h charged at 10, meaning we had to stay well over an hour and a half to get enough charge to make it to Superior. (To kill time, I took Iris on a walk to the nearby mall, buying a pair of leggings and gum for her, and a 5-pack of face masks for me at Old Navy.) It turned out that the charge we got was barely enough. We found a 13+ mph wind from the northwest the entire way, which cut into our power. Initially, we were concerned we wouldn't make it (which made Felix (and us, if I'm honest) nervous), but Nick dropped our speed and we pulled into the Duluth supercharger at 5:20 pm with 8% charge remaining. Whew! We walked a little ways downtown to a quiet Iris pub (the Dubh Linn). The kids played darts and my folks joined us for dinner and a beer. This was our family's first time eating indoors at a restaurant since March 6, 2020. Felix kept his mask on, but it being a large, mostly empty space made us feel better about sticking around and chatting. We left ~7:30, made our way over to Superior, and got into our quaint apartment in a house built in 1911. Got ourselves settled, then relaxed for an hour of MST3K on Netflix. Got us all to bed.

Chilling in our Airbnb apartment

1 April - Never a great night sleeping in an unfamiliar place, but got enough. Woke around 8 am. Attempted to make breakfast (fried eggs, turkey patties, toast), but the electric stove and nonstick pans thwarted us a bit. Made do. Mom and Dad came over and we all got ready and left around 9:45 to start today's adventure. Felix picked Amnicon Falls as our first stop. It was chilly (below 30°), but pure sunshine. We put on our hiking boots and took in the covered bridge and roaring falls. Beautiful! 

Upper Falls at Amnicon Falls

We walked the loop to see the falls, including a fall of ice in one area. The kids were impressed. We could walk on the rocks and be inches from the rapids. Gorgeous to see. Deafening to hear. Mom and Dad brought their walking sticks (forgot ours...). We spent about an hour and a half walking, exploring, taking pictures. Cool to see the ice formations hanging like chandelier crystals above the rushing water.

Family by the Upper Falls

We drove on quiet county highways to Pattison State Park. Our first stop was the Little Manitou Falls. Nice little hike down and around. They were bigger falls, which perked up progressively grumpy Iris. (Nick carried her, which helped warm her cold legs.) 

Next, we drove to the parking lot for the Big Manitou Falls (highest waterfall in the state). Wow, very high and impressive (even for Iris). We saw it from the far side first, then walked over the bridge and to the near-side lookouts. Felix made my heart sing, telling me how amazing he found the waterfalls. :) It warmed up to the mid-30s. We placed an order for sandwiches for lunch(since we were done looking at the waterfalls around 1 pm), then drove up to Duluth to pick them up from the Northern Waters Smokehaus. We took them back to the folks' hotel room, where we ate while watching the Brewers' opening day game versus the Twins. Iris got impatient, so after 5½ innings, we all went down to the pool. We had fun spimming and playing with the kids in the little pool Even Mom and Dad got in briefly. We got out and back up to the room in time to watch the Brewers rally and win the the 10th. Woo! After a quick Kwik Trip stop for butter, we headed back to our apartment. Mom and Dad joined us to watch the UW volleyball team win the Big Ten title, have a snack dinner and play many hands of sheepshead. We also put on some MST3K. Nice evening.

Big Manitou Falls

2 April - We were up and eating breakfast by 9 am (butter today made everything better). We headed over to Duluth for a charge. We had to wait a bit, but got some coffee and split a doughnut while we waited. We were finally ready to go around 10:30. We headed north on highway 61 to Tettegouche State Park. It was in the 40s and windy. We all decided to hike to the High Falls. 1.5 miles from the parking lot. So much mud! It took forever (nearly 2 hours) to walk a mile. Nick and Iris didn't want to go so far, so they went to the Twin Falls instead. 

Twin Falls

We trekked the 0.5 miles to High Falls. It was nice to see, but given the trail conditions, I'm not sure it was ultimately worth the interminable hike. We got slowed so often by mud or ice-covered areas, and there were many, many elevation changes. Drier conditions would have made it easier on all of us, I think.

High Falls

Mom and Dad (who were such troopers) rested at the top of the stairs. Felix and I went up more stairs to the the top of the falls. A little further on, we found a swinging bridge over the river. No one else was around, so it was cool being up there, just the two of us. 

Swinging bridge above High Falls

It was drier on the way back, so we made much better time. We did the return hike in 40 minutes. There was a very cold wind blowing off the lake as we ate a hasty lunch on a picnic table outside the visitors center. My hips ached, but I wanted to see the shore, so Felix and I walked along another path down to a rock-strewn beach. We found some interesting pebbles for souvenirs and I took some pictures. 

View of Shovel Point from the beach access

We joined Nick and Iris back at the car, where they had been watching Netflix while the car was charging (hooray for destination chargers!). We left Tettegouche and headed back toward Duluth. We stopped at Gooseberry Falls State Park with low energy and expectations. Boy, were we amazed. it was very busy (good tip-off). We took the easy walk from the parking lot to the spectacular Middle Falls. From there, we broke into three groups to do the falls loop (a 1.0-mile hike). It was easier with much less mud. Nick went ahead with Iris. Mom took Felix back to the bathrooms before doing the loop, and I hiked with Dad. It was such a nice hike with great scenery that it really lifted our spirits despite the many miles on our legs today. 

Middle and Lower Falls

We ordered pizzas to pick up at 6, then headed back. We took the two-lane scenic route hugging the coast on the way back. Mostly trees and cabins to be seen, but got nice (hazy) views occasionally. Felix is captivated by freighters. We made a quick stop for lotion to ease itchy skin, then got pizzas and a growler of their beer (souvenir!). [While I was waiting, I was approached by a 30ish man in a beret who asked if I was a farmer. I said, um, no. He said that it was kind of hard to tell with our masks on, but I looked like a mushroom farmer with whom he's been communicated. Okay... I told him I was just a tourist and never raised a mushroom in my life, though it would be interesting to try. When I told Nick, he said he was expecting this to end with a cheesy pick-up attempt.] Mom and Dad met us at our apartment and ate with us. We put on MST3K's Mac & Me, which the kids love. They left around 8:45, and the kids went to bed. We didn't stay up much later. I'm going to be moving slowly tomorrow...

3 April - I didn't sleep well, and everyone else rose early too. We made breakfast and relaxed for a while. Shortly after 10, we made our way to the touristy area in Duluth by the harbor. We looked in a few shops in the DeWitt Building. Iris picked out a stuffed animal for a souvenir (no surprise there), while Felix got a little keepsake box with things that we saw on the trip on it (freighter, lighthouse, Gooseberry Falls). We treated the kids to some sweets at a candy store (ordered through plexiglass, no one allowed in the store). Mom and Dad met us there and did a little looking of their Mom's own. She bought two waterfall prints to frame and hang. Once we were done there, we drove over the lift bridge and along the island. We stopped at the park at the end of the road and let the kids run across. It was partly sunny, mid-60s, light wind - pretty nice. It was about noon, so we made our way back t a nearby restaurant away from the touristy ones (The Silos Restaurant). We had some local beers and everyone found something reasonable to eat. And it wasn't very busy, which was nice. Mom and Dad left to drive home after we ate. We headed inland to Enger Park to take in the views. The park was still closed for the winter, so we parked on the shoulder near the park entrance and hoofed it from there. We weren't alone - many other people had the same idea. We saw some nice views of the cities, harbor and lake. 

Enger Park views

We each rang the Japanese bell and we climbed up by the tower. Felix noticed a freighter going from the river to the lake, so we headed back by the rocks to watch it. Over the course of 20 minutes, we saw the lift bridge rise, the ship pass under, and the lift bridge lower. I took a time lapse video to show Nick and Iris (who headed back to the car to get out of the sun). From there, we went to the charging station to fully charge in preparation for our trip home tomorrow. I walked to a nearby game store and bought a new family card game and a variety of dice. Once we were done, we headed back to our apartment. It was about 4 pm. We spent a quiet rest of the day there. The kids played in the backyard, we tidied up, and we played a round of the new card game (Guillotine). We ate leftover pizza for dinner and watched the Brewers game before bed. 

4 April - We got up around 7:30 am, got ready, got our car packed and were on the road by 8:10. After a quick coffee stop on the way out of the area, we had an uneventful drive to Eau Claire. Nick dropped Iris and me off at Walmart so I could get some groceries, and went to supercharge, which worked much better today. It took only about 30 minutes to charge enough to get home and pick us up. It was fair and warm (mid-70s). We should be home shortly after 1. We're all looking forward to seeing the kitties. 

What did the kids think about the trip:

• Iris: It was one of the best trips because we spent more than two days there. The only thing she didn't like was our apartment was old. "It felt like sleeping in the '90s."
• Felix: It was great. He liked seeing the views of the lake and the waterfalls.

Chicago 2019

27 March 2019 - We decided to stick a little closer to home for the kids' spring break this year. We left at 11 am on this Wednesday, taking Nick's Tesla, Felix (9.5) and Iris (6.5) to Chicago for the first time. We stopped in Madison to take a break and get a short charge. The weather was good and the traffic was as expected. Iris needed a bathroom break approaching Milwaukee, so we made a quick stop. Our interim destination was Oak Creek. We stopped at a super charger and killed time with nachos and beer at the Water Street Brewery across the street. Traffic picked up approaching Chicago. We got to our thole (Hampton Inn in N Skokie) around 4:15. Nick and Iris swam briefly. After they came up to the room [2 room suite] and god ready, we drove to Wheeling to visit with Kyle and Delphine and 2.5-year-old Louison. It was so nice to visit with them. Kyle & I (and Nick) reminisced about our college days, talked about our lives now (esp. Delphine & me) and politics, of course. They ordered Lou Maneti's Chicago-style pizza for dinner. Had an aperitif before dinner while chatting. We left around 9, when the kids petered out. They were very good playing with Louison before she went to bed. Got back to the hotel with a game plan for tomorrow. All to bed around 10:30.

Cara, Delphine, Kyle, Nick

Iris, Louison, Felix

28 March - I've had a cold for a week that's turning into a sinus infection. That led to me getting only a few hours of sleep (that, and a wiggly Iris in the bed). We got up early-ish, ate the hotel breakfast and drove downtown, arriving at our parking spot at ~9 [reserved via app the night before]. It was a nice day, good for walking around. Our lot was down by the river, so we walked from there to the Hancock building. Iris wanted to lead the way, but it was unnerving, as we didn't trust her to stop at intersections. We were among the 1st people going up to the 94th floor (360Chicago tickets). It was hazy, but we could still see a lot. The kids liked the view, although Iris didn't have the patience to stay there long. We were up there about an hour before we left. I made the mistake of presenting my photo ticket and felt guilted into buying a $25 family green screen photo. Cute, but not worth the $. Rooking mistake - I obviously need to travel more. :D We walked back down Michigan Avenue to the river and down to Millennium Park. Felix wanted to see the Bean while we were here. It was busy, but we got some good pictures. It was 11:30, so we headed to find lunch. We stopped a very French cafe nearby. Felix & I got savory crepes while Nick and Iris got sandwiches. At least we also got 2 macarons each for the $70 the meal ended up costing us. It was delicious, but I guess I have yet to learn my limits on foods now that I don't have a gallbladder.. The kids were done with the trip downtown after lunch, so we walked back and retrieved our car. We stopped at a supercharger in a parking structure for ~30 minutes and "watched" the Brewer's Opening Day opening innings. We drove past Wrigley Park, just to, then headed to the hotel. I was very glad to get there. Once I felt a little better, we all went down to the pool. We had it all out ourselves to start. Iris and Felix were doing flips off the edge. After about an hour, Iris flipped a little too close to the edge and whacked her head. She seems okay, but they were done swimming after that. We all cleaned off and spent some time relaxing. We drove across the highway to the outdoor mall there for dinner at Noodles & Co. Yeah, it's a chain, but I wasn't feeling well and the kids would eat it. It worked out. It also got chilly as we walked through the mall. The kids played in the kids' playground while Nick and I looked at some housewares. We purchased some awesome crystal cordial glasses at Crate & Barrel, which we put to use back in our hotel room with the bottle of port we brought. We all relaxed - everyone's a bit tired.

Looking South

Looking North

Bean-y Family

Teslas are pretty cool

Claiming dragon heads at the mall

29 March - We had a better night. We slept in a little bit, then headed downtown. We got there and parked ~9:45. It was chillier today (high ~50°). It took about 30 minutes to walk from our parking spot on E Madison to the Shedd Aquarium. We walked along the quiet lakefront. We were glad the wind was at our backs and the sun was out. It didn't take long to make our way in the building, but it was already pretty crowded - so many strollers! We took our time and walked through most of the exhibits. Iris had less interest than I thought she would. :/ We took a brief lunch break, watching the dolphins swim. That helped Iris get a second wind, as did playing by the penguin exhibit. We went into the Underwater Beauty exhibit, where we ran into the Bronsons (minus Rachel). Had a nice, brief chat, buffeted by passersby. Saw a couple tanks of jellyfish (my highlight). Nick was partial to the Amazon tanks and watching the diver feed the Caribbean reef fish/sea turtle/rays.The kids proclaimed nothing was their favorite, because they liked everything. Well, that's good. We finished up there after shutting down the kids' requests for overpriced-yet-worthless souvenirs. We picked their spirits up with doughnut holes and our energy level up with coffee from Dunkin' Donuts on the way to get our car. It was ready & waiting, so we got out of downtown. I asked to make a stop at Target, where I bought cold medicine and replacement shoes. We were back in the hotel ~3. I rested and read while Iris watched American Ninja Warrior. Nick and Felix watched some sports. We went back to the Westfield Old Orchard Mall for dinner, this time at Epic Burger. The kids enjoyed the play area again, and after dinner, Nick and I went back into Crate & Barrel. No purchases today, though. Got back a little before 7. We all took it easy. I even took a bath. Too many aches and pains! Nick and I relaxed with port while Felix started reading Harry Potter #4 and Iris went to bed.

Outside the Shedd, looking north

Jellyfishies!

Waving at dophins

30 March - We slept in until nearly 8 am. We ate breakfast and drove straight to the Museum of Science and Industry. Hooray for "lighter" Saturday traffic! We got to the museum and parked ~ 9:45. The Bronsons were the first people we saw when we entered the main area (ha!). We got our tickets and headed in. It was pretty quiet to start. we went through the Science of Storms and transportation exhibits first. Iris loved all the hands-on stuff. Felix was entranced by the giant model train. We walked through the Streets of Yesterday, then made our way to the Giant Dome Theater, where we saw a 20-minute show about Tornado Alley. After that, we took in a few more exhibits: planes; an exhibit about bodies; ships, race cars & bicycles; a cool whispering gallery; glaciers/ice. Then it was time for us to go through the Mirror Maze. That was pretty cool. I got separated from the others and got some cool pictures. The exhibit was ultimately about patterns, and pretty cool. We exited in the design lab, where we let the kids get a top that was assembled on a conveyor belt in front of us. Iris's failed the quality control check (broken top) and we had to restart. It made for a cool souvenir with their names and today's date etched on it. It was 2 pm, they'd seen enough, and we hadn't had lunch. We left, driving to a supercharger in Skokie. Only ~40° and windy - brrr! We ate lunch at a Buffalo Wild Wings while the car charged, then picked up some dinner for later at a nearby supermarket (frozen pizza for Iris, sushi for the rest of us). Headed back to the hotel ~4. The kids played with their tops, Nick & I packed up for tomorrow and relaxed.

Enthralled

Future Iris/

Which way to go?

Motion capture of my kids who don't stop moving

31 March - Iris & I were up around 7. We got ready and got a bite of breakfast while the boys got ready. Once everyone was ready and fed, we packed up and left Chicago for Milwaukee. We stopped in Oak Creek to charge. The kids were a bit squirrelly. After enough sipping coffee at the Meijer and trying to distract them, we got back on the road and headed to Miller Park. We parked ~11:15 and found Mom & Dad, who got there earlier. It was only in the 30s and very windy. Brrr! We were forced to tailgate until they opened the stadium at 11:40 (oh no, not a bloody mary!). After we finished our beverages, we joined the line of others desperate to get out of the cold. We picked up our Jesus Aguilar bobbleheads and found our seats. It was early and fairly quiet, so we got our lunches. The once who served me was very new and it showed. Oh well. We had seats in section 223, row 11. Nice view. Christian Yelich hit a home run in his first at-bat. Kind of quiet for the Brewers until the 8th, when we pulled to 3-4 against the Cardinals. In the 9th, Yelich drove in 2 runs to win! Woo! We took both kids to a Brewers game last summer. This time, we 1) saw a Brewers home run, 2) saw a Brewers win, 3) stayed for the whole game, and 4) let the kids do the base-running afterward. Since we had to wait for traffic to clear anyway, we waited in the long line that snaked through and outside the stadium. Felix had to be talked into it, but ultimately did it. Looked like fun! We went back to Mom & Dad's car as traffic continued to disperse, until a policeman on a motorcycle encouraged us to leave. :D We got on the road and should make it home by bedtime (hope I'm not jinxing us by writing this).

Chilly tailgating

Dad, Felix, Nick, Mom, Iris, Cara

Iris's new buddy, Bernie

Kids rounding 3rd

Total trip cost: $1,559,51
{transcribed 2/3/2020}

Orlando 2017

26 March 2017 - Nick, Felix (7.5 yrs), Iris (4.5 yrs) and I drove through dreary, rainy, gray early spring weather from Rapids to Milwaukee for the first leg of our spring break trip. This adventure has been Mom's idea since last year, and they left last week to drive down and meet us in Orlando. We got to the Best Western by the Milwaukee airport a little after 3. After we checked in, we went down to the hotel pool and swam for about 45 minutes. The kids really had fun; especially Iris jumping in a lot. We got pizza from Domino's for dinner, all while listening to a smoke detector in the hall chirping until they finally fixed it. We all went to bed early.

27 March - We got up early and got breakfast. Managed to get a shuttle to the airport when they told us none were running. Got to the airport about 8:20 for our 10:35 flight. It didn't take long to check our bags and go through security. Killed time at the gate. {A friend of Iris's from the Y/preschool, Leigh, was also on the flight with her family, so that helped having them play together while we waited.} The kids did pretty well on the plane. {The Southwest attendants gave the kids First Flight certificates and plastic wings. :) } We got on our shuttle and to our hotel by ~3:30 local {kids did not like the long wait for the shuttle...}. We're in adjoining rooms with the folks at Disney Pop Century resort. The kids were anxious to go swimming, so we all went down to the pool It was low 80s and a bit windy. It was pretty fun to play together. After we swam for a bit, cleaned up at the room. Mom & Dad went out. We ran into some frustrations getting food at the hotel. The kids stopped listening, which got frustration also. We took a walk and saw an alligator. We got back to the room ~9 ET. Put the kids to bed, then went to M&D's room to talk and have some drinks.

Iris and Leigh

28 March - Between the late night, kids wiggling (each of us slept with a kid), and Nick snoring, 7 am came early. I got dressed, got some coffee and we had breakfast in the folk's room. We got ready, donned light clothes, put on sunscreen and got in line for the shuttle to the Magic Kingdom. Once on, the ride took about 20 minutes. It was packed. So many people! It took quite a while (~30 min) to actually get in the park. The kids were pretty amazed. Our first top was the Barnstormer ride. A nice, warm-up roller coaster. Iris loved it, Felix not so much. {Iris announced it made her "privates tickle".} We went on the Haunted Mansion next. Iris kept her face hidden most of the ride. We used a Fast Pass on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride (5 min > 74 min!). Felix loved that. I saw Iris and Grandma enjoying it, too. We went on the royal carousel (the kids took the biggest horses), then decided it was time for a break. {We went into the Castle Costuming shop, where Iris got "pixie dust" (glitter) sprinkled in her hair to bring her good luck for the day.} The six of us ate lunch at Columbia Harbour House. After that, the park was still so busy and the weather was sunny and high 80s. We took a cruise on the Liberty Square Riverboat. Felix and Iris were apprehensive about the loudness of the boat's horn, but it turned out to be not too bad. Iris decided she was too scared to go on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, so Grandma took her to the Tiki Room. (the wait for the Magic Carpet ride was too long). Nick, Felix, Dad & I went on the Fast Past line to BTMR. Felix & Nick rode in front of Dad & Me (like old times :) ) That's my favorite ride. we had to wait a while in the heat for Mom & Iris to join us and for our next Fast Pass time on Splash Mountain. We reached the line and Iris started freaking out that it was too scary for her, so Mom took her out of line, but suddenly Iris decided she was going to be brave after all. They got on a few logs back. We enjoyed it - nice, cool and damp after. Iris was smiles after, although it did "scare her privates." My brave girl. We got the kids their promised ice cream afterward. We were all hot and had sore feet, so we waited and got on the WDW Railroad back to Main Street. We were going to hit up the shops and go but we realized the parade was about to start, so we found a spot to sit. We waited and waited, and the kids got bored, so we headed to the Emporium to find the sword that Felix wanted for a souvenir. They didn't have it, and the parade was passing. Felix and I left the others and headed back to Fantasyland to go to the Castle Costuming and get his sword, fighting through the crowds. Headed back to meet the others and went back to the Emporium to buy Iris a Frozen light-up wand and a plastic bracelet. We left the park then and went to wait for a shuttle back to the resort. There was a bus there, but someone on the bus must have suffered a cut, so paramedics were there. That took a while then the ambulance and bus left. Then it took a long time for a new shuttle, then a long time to get back. ~1.5 hrs all told. :P  That really tried the kids' patience. Finally back, had a beer and snacks before all going to the pool So refreshing. Swam for ~30 min, then went back to the room and ordered room service pizza. Mom & Dad ran out for provisions, and I took the kids down to the playground for a bit to wait. Finally had dinner ~7:15. Talked about the day. Listened to some Moana. Watched some Chopped. Kids to be ~9. I took them out on the balcony to watch  the fireworks. More magic from Iris's pixie dust. :) Stayed up talking to the folks.

Iris's first roller coaster: The Barnstormer

Getting sprayed in the back at the Haunted Mansion

Small kids, big animals

Getting pixie dusted

Iris hiding in Mom's lap (back right)

Parade float

What could possibly go wrong?

29 March - We took it a little easier this morning. All got ready and got in line for the shuttle to Animal Kingdom around 8:40. It was much less chaotic getting into the park. Another hot, sunny day. Once we got in, we got the kids set up to start collecting Wilderness Explorer badges. We walked int Africa and killed a little time before it was time for our safari. I'm not sure how much Iris saw or liked it {she was sitting with Mom}, but we saw lots of animals, including 3 baby giraffes, a baby elephant, some white rhinos, and ostrich eggs. The kids learned how to play drums when we got off. Next we took the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch. The kids were a bit (well, a lot) more whiny today than yesterday, but that improved. Felix got into the spirit of collecting badges. After that, we took the train back into Africa and found it much more crowded than before. We walked over to Asia and stopped for lunch. Nick and I got falafel and samosas. The kids and folks got regular burgers, nuggets, etc. It was hot & sunny as we ate. Good thing our next Fast Pass was for the river rapids ride. Iris loved that, and I got refreshingly soaked. The kids were antsy to do the Boneyard playground, so we headed there next. I think all the grown-ups were feeling the effects of so many steps. Nick and I left them playing to ride on Expedition Everest. That was a fun coaster. We returned to find the kids still running around in the playground. We got them moving by offering to pick up souvenirs before we left. Felix got a large leopard (which he calls a cheetah), Iris got a smaller baby cheetah. Felix also got a crystal. We headed out of the park, caught the shuttle back right away and were back in the room by 4 pm. I have major pinky toe blisters, alas. Had a beer and some snacks in the room. We all went down to the pool for another family swim. If felt good, but it was clear we grown-ups were getting tired. Left after ~45 min. Went back up to the room to get cleaned up. We left the kids with the folks around 6 and went over to Disney Springs. We got to Morimoto Asia a bit before our reservation time, so we got drinks at the bar (I had a delicious coconut aloe mojito). Once we were seated, we waited ~50 min in anticipation for the sushi and sashimi pagoda we ordered. Finally, it arrived - two levels of ocean delight. :) Spicy yellow tuna roll; tuna, yellowtail, shrimp, sockeye salmon and some kind of snapper sashimi; a rose made from tuna "petals"; strips of snapper, yellowtail and lionfish; scallops in limes; oysters in 2 varieties each; a whole chilled lobster. Nick went so far as to rip the head apart so we could try the green brains. Um, muddy-tasting. After that feast, we walked next door to an Iris pub, Raglan Road. It was packed and there was band playing, but we managed to find two seats at the bar by the stage. A miracle! I had some Bushmills on ice and Nick had a coffee porter. We watched the band and the Iris dancers through the end of the show. We were about to leave when we discovered we could get a drink to go. We took one and walked around the complex. We got an English toffee bar at a candy shop. Saw as much as we needed to, then headed back to the hotel to talk with the folks a bit. The kids, apparently, were good. Went to bed ~11.

On the safari

At Animal Kingdom

Enjoying the water rides

SO MUCH SEAFOOD!

30 March - We slept in a bit, then got ready and packed everything up. The kids were brimming with energy in our snug little room. They played together with their new jungle stuffed animals. Mom & Dad went go to pick up a rental car so we could all travel. The kids got antsy. Eventually, we all left and headed to Disney Springs. We went to the Disney Store (lots of stuff, but very little Moana stuff), and the Lego Store (managed to walk out empty-handed). We ate lunch at Raglan Road. Iris threw a major tantrum on our way out of Disney Springs, because she didn't want to try using the bathroom. mom & Dad took the kids and we went separately up to Grandma Maxine's and Dennis's house in Weirsdale. This is really non-touristy Florida here. We got the grand tour and relaxed. The kids immediately went swimming while the adults chatted. {Iris got out of the pool for a break, took off her floaties, then jumped in. Dad caught her flailing and pulled her out. She remembers it vividly 3 years later, making a brief report on it this year in 2nd grade.} We visited the horses, I took a rest. We also could see a SpaceX launch from the backyard - caught a glimpse of the rocket as it rose and its vapor trail. The kids really liked that. We all went swimming together in the late afternoon. Had burgers and fries for dinner. Got the kids to bed ~8:30. We stayed up until 10:30.

Lunch at Raglan Road

At Grandma's & Dennis's

Visiting the horses

Enjoying the lanai

Watching the SpaceX launch

31 March - We slept in a bit, had a lazy morning. The kids swam before breakfast. After that, they were anxious to go visit the three horses here. They couldn't wait to go riding. Iris, Felix and I took turns riding around the yard. No one else wanted to get on the horse. The kids went swimming once more before lunch. By 1 pm we were packed up and on our way back to Orlando. The folks took the kids again, so it was a quiet ride for us. We got to our rather run-down hotel for the night around 2:50. We relaxed for a bit, then the kids when swimming in the small hotel pool. Iris got a rather big owie on her leg jumping in too close to the edge, but she shook it off. They swam until 4, then we got them cleaned up. Iris was very much in a hurry to go to dinner, but we had to settle her down because the restaurant didn't open until 5. We went to the Bauern-Stube, a German restaurant ~5 min away. That was definitely an unusual experience - we were the only people there until after 6. It was good in that we didn't have to wait too long for the food, and the kids weren't bothering others, but it was still strange. In any case, it was quite a change of pace. I got the Holstein Cutlet with spatzle and red cabbage. Iris got a brat, Felix got chicken cutlets, and Nick got rouladen. Mom got a cut of pork and Dad got a sausage sampler. Good beer with the heavy meal. We returned to the hotel and relaxed in the room while the folks attempted to return the rental car. After Iris's tantrum (she wanted to sleep on the tiny pull-out sofa, but we didn't want her falling off and hitting the coffee table), we put the kids to bed and stayed up late talking (and in Nick's case, drinking) in the folk's room. We didn't get to bed until after midnight and all of Iris's wiggling kept me from sleeping well...

A different kind of ride

Little dudes

Prosit!

1 April - ...making me a very crabby, on-edge Mama. I snapped at everyone as we were getting ready, eating the crappy hotel breakfast and having our shuttle to the airport delayed. I calmed down waiting with the folks for the shuttle to return and take us at 9:30. Still plenty of time. Got to the airport ~ 9:50, then stood in the long line to check our bags. The kids were difficult then, but improved going through security much quicker than anticipated. Nick took the kids to the gate while I got an iced coffee at Starbucks. We quickly learned our flight was delayed an hour because of a nor'easter in New Hampshire. More sitting, more waiting. We ate lunch at the gate (Chipotle for me, McD's for the rest), which helped kill time. They started boarding pretty quickly - too quickly for me, since I realized right after we found seats that I left my pone at the charging station. I might have freaked out a wee bit, but I got an attendant's attention and they got it to me right before the door closed. Whew! I sat with Iris who was excited to have a window seat again. She watched Moana on her tablet and I read and caught up in this journal. We landed around 2:30, deplaned, caught our bags, and waited about 15 min for a shuttle. Once we got back to our car, we took the kids to a Culver's because they had handled all the traveling fairly well. The ride home was long. We took 41 to 10, not our usual route. I ordered pizzas on the way, which were delivered about 10 minutes after we got home at 6:30. We had a "cat pizza party picnic" in the basement. The kids went to bed well. Nick and I were falling asleep by 9:30. Nice, long memory-filled trip.

Waiting to go home

Favorite Memories & other observations:
* Iris getting pixie dust in her hair - which made everything from seeing bonus fireworks to the sparkles on Lake Michigan "more magical".
* Felix's face after the thrill rides. He developed a quick appreciation.
* Iris saying those same rides "scared her private parts," but she decided to go on Splash Mountain after her initial cold feet.
* As much walking as I do, it wasn't nearly enough to prepare for our park days.
* But I will never go to a park in a Rascal, because WHY?! Those people were in the way everywhere! Same with strollers.
* High 80s and partly cloudy felt pretty great.
* It's worth paying a little extra to avoid staying at a place like that Quality Inn on McCoy.
* Our Disney Springs night. So much good stuff!
* We have lots still to do the next time we go back. :)

5 months after the trip...

{transcribed 1/30/2020}