Give me 8 hours, I will fill your day

Back to telling you about our little vacation... I know.  I know.  this has been soooo broken up, But I promise to post the rest of it in the next consecutive days so I can move on and tell you all of the other fun-filled craziness that I call life...

On Wednesday morning (Aug10), I wake up and think it must be getting ready to rain... because it was so dark and this is what I see out the hotel window:

Yeah... I'm not used to located my sunshine by bouncing it off of windows...

After I figured out it was actually sunny, we headed down for our continental breakfast.

I had a list of things for us to see and do in Chicago... but I thought we would just pick a couple considering I saw HOW much taxis were gonna cost us from the night before.

Right when we were finishing up, a woman leaned over my shoulder.
"Is this your first day in the city?"
"We got in last night."
"Could you use these??  They're guided bus tour passes.  I have 3 of them. They're good for the next 2 days."


Amazing how God works.
Didn't even have time to ask before He provided.

(I checked later online... the passes were $31.50 each!!)

So we jumped on the bus tour... it took us around to all the places we wanted to see AND taught us about the city. :)

Stop 1 - Willis Tower aka Sears Tower... We didn't go up... we had other places to visit

Stop 2 - The old Chicago Theatre

Stop 3 - Millennium Park - Cloud Gate (This was on my list!!)

Also known as "The Bean"

I love Chicago!!

Then we got an added bonus because an orchestra was playing in the amphitheater in the park.

Stop 4 - John Hancock Observatory

Looking up

Looking down

Pretending to be window washers

Watching the REAL window washers :)

I decided since we had used a taxi, a bus, and our car... that it would be okay to use our own feet to get us to Navy Pier about a mile away.  We got to walk alongside Lake Michigan.  I explained how Uncle Tim was on the other side somewhere looking across at us. :)

We arrived at Navy Pier, but didn't have time for the Children's museum... maybe next time.

We rode the giant ferris wheel. Sam's fear of heights didn't even kick in... much. lol

We hopped back on the bus tour and it took us to see Marilyn...

...and Trump

We pulled out of Chicago at 5:30.  We spent exactly 24 hours in that city... Oh... I am so ready to go back!!!