Chicago

we arrived in chicago at about 1:30 that afternoon.
we checked into the Palmer House Hotel, the oldest hotel in North America.

we couldn't get our room at first, and we went and visited Eliza and Andrew's friends, Liz and Josh, and their two daughters, and played in a fountain. the fountain was awesome, it was two rectangular huge cement blocks across from each other with pounding water coming out from the top.

ana and allana at the Fat Cat

after that we went to the Bean, a big silver sculpture shaped like a bean.

ana and allana in the reflection of the bean

then we got on the train, went to Liz and Josh's neighborhood, and went to dinner at this cool bar and restaurant called the Fat Cat. 
we came back to the hotel, spread out our sleeping bags, and went to sleep. by the way, the hotel though there were only two people in the room, when there was really six. so whenever a person came to the door, all the kids would run into the bathroom, get in the bathtub, close the curtain, and turn off the lights. it's a very... interesting situation.
in the morning, we all got dressed (eventually), and went for brunch in a place called Mei's Kitchen. mei was really excited about it, because most places don't have her name, the way it's spelled. she made sure to take lots of pictures. the food was really nice too.

soon after, we walked a few blocks to the Art Institute, and spent lots of time exploring the museum, taking turns to choose the exhibits. i would say, if you're in chicago any time soon, check out the museum, it's awesome.
after we went to the gift shop, where the two of us bought postcards, and Eliza and Andrew decides they were going to buy a Calder mobile (not a real one), inspired by the book we just listened to, The Calder Game.

after the art institute, we walked a few blocks back to our hotel, where we relaxed for a few hours.
then we took a 20 minute bus ride to Hyde Park, which ana had been dying to see. we had dinner at Medici on 57th, a place where Barack Obama used to eat, before becoming president. it's mostly a pizza place, and the deep dish was delicious.
the next morning, we got up, and had breakfast at a small little joint called the Depot. it had been on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, a show that the whole family loves to watch. it's in a neighborhood called Austin in Chicago. it's really small, 5 booths, and 10 stools at the counter, where we sat. we all definitely recommend it.
since it was the fourth of july, we couldn't exactly find our way to where Frank Lloyd Wright lived, Oak Park, Chicago. eventually we did, and we saw a bunch of beautiful houses designed by him, including hid home and studio.

when we were done with that, it was off to the highway for us, on our way to the Wisconsin Dells.