Chicago, IL and Grand Haven, MI
Our annual summer visit to Michigan landed us back on the beach we love: North Park Beach in Grand Haven, just one mile from my parents’ condo. Before we spent the days soaking up the sun in the waves, we met my brother’s family in Chicago. We’ve already visited many of the beautiful spots in Michigan, so we ventured out of the state and explored the Windy City.
Staying in a hotel just north of the Chicago River allowed us the opportunity to walk almost everywhere we wanted. With the exception of the kids’ first Uber rides to and from the aquarium, they hiked about five miles each day.
Friday night, we ate pizza at Lou Malnati’s and enjoyed the Ice Cream Museum where each room offered a unique ice cream flavor including ‘hot dog’ flavored ice cream.
Alarms woke us up Saturday to ensure we made our 9:00am Shedd Aquarium ticket time. The dolphin show and the shark tank were our favorites. We walked Michigan Ave. with special stops at the Harry Potter store (more than once) for the kids to indulge in the movies we became obsessed with over the summer. To top the afternoon off, we walked to the John Hancock building for 360 degree views of the city and it did not disappoint. Before parting ways on Sunday, we stopped at the iconic ‘Bean’ that offered unique reflections of the beautiful Chicago cityscape.
While most of our trips are nature focused, it was fun to show the kids big city life while catching up with family.
Our next few days in Grand Haven with my parents were spectacular; we went to the beach three days in row!
Thanks to the Madsens, the kids and I went tubing again this year; Miles intentionally let go of the handles and flipped off the back. He loved it! We were able to see my aunt and cousins again as well.
Ella requested that we pick blueberries again and of course we spent a day walking the ‘downtown’ shops. I do not enjoy shopping but I do love picking something out at Marushka (a local clothing store with unique, hand designed drawings on their shirts). We stopped at the kids favorite toy store and at Oddside’s for beers and Scrabble with lunch delivered from the Toasted Pickle. Yum!
Each summer we visit, we do something different yet keep traditions. The kids love playing in the waves. Unlike our recent visit to Newport, these waves were much smaller and much warmer. This year, they both swam out to the buoys themselves multiple times and were comfortable enough in the water to be enjoying the waves without me! They both left saying, “I want to move to Michigan.” Until next summer!
