Hypothetically Traveling: Chicago

A girl's gotta dream, right?

One of my favorite things to do is to dream up little vacations. I say little because normally I look pretty close to home. Sometimes my vacations actually happen, and sometimes they stay in folders under Favorites in my computer. But I never know when I might have the time and resources to take a little trip, so I like to be prepared with some ideas...just in case.

So today I thought I'd show you one of my hypothetical vacation ideas.

Destination: Chicago

Let me make it clear this is not a vacation I'd take by myself. I'm not that much of a city girl. But I do think it would be fun to take a few days (with a friend) and head to the Windy City.

Given that the very idea of driving in Chicago traffic makes me...faint...I would prefer to arrive on a train! This is actually something I've done before. When I was in junior high, my parents and I rode the train from Indianapolis to Chicago for a day during spring break. I loved the train. And it would be so nice to not have to worry about keeping track of a car...parallel parking a car...paying to park a car. I love tours. I just love getting an overview of a place. So, what better way to get an overview of Chicago than...the double decker bus tour? I've never ridden on a double decker bus, but doesn't it look fun?

And of course, you can't go to Chicago without stopping for a while at the Skydeck of the Sears Tower (or whatever it's called now). I've also been here before, but I definitely want to go back. Though I'm generally not a fan of heights (my hands are getting cold just thinking about it) the view out of this thing is definitely magnificent.

Something else I've never done but think I would love...is a dinner cruise. And if I did this little hypothetical trip in the summer, they do fireworks cruises at night. Oh my goodness. Yes please!

I love a zoo!! Have to visit my people! Okay just kidding. But I think it would be great to visit the zoo and see what sort of great pictures are to be found here.

This may surprise you (Phats, especially) since I'm not generally known as a sports lover, but it has been a longtime dream of mine to go to a "real" game. I don't care what sport, I don't care what team, I don't care what stadium. I just want to go to a game. So if I'm in Chicago, I figure it would only be logical to visit Wrigley Field and watch the Cubs. (And honestly, if I had to pick sport/team/stadium, this one would be in my top five. For real.)

I know, you're probably saying "Better start saving your pennies if you're going to do all this stuff!" I know. You're right. And lodging is never at the top of my budget when I travel. But part of the Chicago experience, for me, would need to include at least one night in a hotel with a view. The rest of the time, I can stay in some little place out of the way, but one night, I want to look out over the city lights...just to say I did.

As I stated in the 100 random facts about myself a while back, I have never ridden a Ferris Wheel and someday want to do that. So if I went to Chicago...and just happened to be near this one....

So there you have it. My hypothetical Chicago vacation. If you're an expert on the Windy City and have any additional suggestions for me to put in my little folder...let me know!