Chicago

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We left Graceland and drove on to Mt. Vernon, Illinois for the night. We worried about crossing the Mississippi River again after crossing and re-crossing in Memphis because we kept hearing about how high the river was in Missouri and Illinois. We didn't notice any high water in Cairo, IL where we crossed again. Of course it was getting pretty dark and ignorance is bliss...

We drove from Mt. Vernon to Schaumburg (NW Chicago suburb) for the next two nights. Since it was a fairly short drive we got there early and had time to settle in and go out for a proper dinner. We decided to go to Lou Malnati's - a local pizza chain - to have real Chicago deep dish pizza. Reviews were mixed...the boys were not too thrilled...Elena, Brenda and I thought it was pretty good! The crust was thick and crunchy at the same time and the sauce tasted very fresh and not too spicy. We also went over to the Woodfield Mall which was right across from our hotel and walked around a bit (and spent a bit too).

The next day we drove into Chicago to visit the Museum of Science and Industry. Awesome! This is a place that could take you days to fully explore and we had basically one long afternoon. Lots of interactive displays and very interesting sections. I'm glad we chose this museum of the three we considered.

Our impression of Chicago...Having been to NYC (and being from there), the city part did not impress. It is OK I guess...The people seemed more unfriendly than NY (and we're spoiled in Texas) and in general it was underwhelming. Very strange traffic situation for us...We drove into the city from the suburbs at 11:30 AM to avoid morning rush and were stuck in terrible traffic the entire way UNTIL we got into downtown. Then on the way out of town at 5PM we sailed to the suburbs without slowing down...

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Photos

Taste Testing
All three kids got the chance to participate in the taste exhibit. Evan lucked out...he got to taste the bitter one!

Beat the Robot
Elena and Evan are trying to beat the robot in the classic shell game. Guess who wins?

More Robot Fun
Easton got to put his photo in the robot display.

Green Smart House
This is a fully built house that uses the latest smart and green technology. Awesome!

Thrilled to Pose
In the dairy farm section we couldn't resist posing the kids. Try getting all three to smile at once...impossible.

Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
Beautiful! This is what a museum is supposed to look like!

Chicago Skyline
From the car as we were driving up Lake Shore Drive.