Day 2: The Zoo

We started our second full day much the same as the first, with a trek down to the continental breakfast area. The demographic on a Monday morning is substantially different than it was on a Sunday morning. There were still a few families mixed in with the business suit set and the kids happily made as many friends as they could.

Then we got ready for the day, walked a couple of blocks, and hopped on the bus for the Lincoln Park Zoo. We were all excited because Auntie was going to meet us there. Mike, Auntie, and I were also excited because it is a free zoo! The ride to the zoo was uneventful and we got a beautiful view of Lake Michigan. The bus stop was right at the zoo entrance and we could see Auntie out the window.

You have to hurry when you get off the bus, so Mike and the kids raced down the aisle to get out. I grabbed the backpack to follow them. Except I didn't follow them. Because the backpack was stuck. Somehow the strap had gotten wedged between the seats and I could not get it out. I yelled for Mike, but he was focused on ridiculous things like not losing our children in Chicago. I was not making any progress, so I kept yelling for him (I was stuck, of course, near the rear of the bus). He finally was like "What?!?!" and I told him the backpack was stuck. He and the rest of the bus gave me quite the look(s). So I got off with the kids and he ran back, assessed the situation, yanked the backpack with all his might, crashed his elbow into the seat in front of him, and exited the bus (thank you very patient bus driver) with the backpack. Then we joined the rest of the bus in laughing at how entirely ridiculous that whole thing was. Apparently you can't take us anywhere!

You'd think the rest of the day would pale in comparison after that adventure, but it was just a lovely zoo. We had so much fun and spent the whole day there. Animal highlights were definitely the lions, the mongoose, the giraffes, the naked mole rat, and the bird whose feather mohawk matched Declan's mohawk hat. Maggie joined us for a little while too, which was a lot of fun, before she and Auntie headed off to some other Chicago adventures while we continued exploring.

The zoo gift shop benefited from the $10 the kids each brought of their very own money for souvenirs. Their backpacks were packed more tightly on the way home as Dec added Ellie the Elephant, Fiona added Samantha the Snake, and Quinn added Scarlett the Baby Seal to our family. Mike and I counted it a victory that none of those new stuffed animals were left at the zoo or on the bus!

We ended our day there by exploring the children's zoo area. We found an indoor climbing structure that is clearly the natural habitat for all three Vs. Then we found an outdoor "unstructured play" area that they also thrived in. Mike and I enjoyed sitting on a bench in the sun and watching them have a blast.

We were a bit worried about the bus and rush hour, so we loaded up after five hours at the zoo and headed back "home." We got there just in time for the complimentary social hour. We had wandered down to snag a free glass of wine, but found quite the spread - including salad, soup, tons of fruit, crackers and cheese, etc. So we loaded up plates for all five of us, let Dec eat his weight in berries and melon, and called it dinner. It was so easy and low key. And the kids loved it because it enabled us to hit the pool that much sooner.

We finished the day with our standard evening routine of pool, showers, and bed - with a few extra stuffies included.