We Heart Chicago

Chi-Town.  The Windy City.  Chicagoland.  No matter what you call it, this beautiful city was the site of the Mangiaracina's most recent weekend events and let me tell you, it delivered.  Summer in Chicago is an amazing thing.  Because the winter is so brutal, when the weather warms up, everyone comes out to play.  And I mean everyone.  The city was swarmed with tourists and locals looking to soak up the sites, the festivals and all the wonderful tastes that this great city has to offer.

The reason to our trip to Chicago last weekend was 2-fold.  My enhanced role as Meeting Planner at TIA prompted the trip as I was charged with running a conference taking place at the Hard Rock Hotel.  The real reason for the extended visit, though, was to spend time with Aunt Suzy and finally meet her beau, Ivan.

I'm not gonna lie.  I was nervous about this trip.  Not only was it 4 nights away from home with a 16 month old, it involved a plane ride and that scared the bajeezus out of me. I did my homework and bugged everyone I knew to get tips and tricks on keeping an active toddler calm and happy on a flight. I didn't just pack A mommy bag...I packed THE mommy bag.  A bag filled with things to keep our little man busy and not crying as we made our way to Illinois.

The morning of the trip, we woke up to buckets of water falling from the sky.  It wasn't just raining...it was teeming! Grandma and Grandpa Q. were joining us on the trip and arrived in time for the taxi to whisk us away to Dulles airport.  We had lots of stuff, but we also had lots of hands so we managed to check-in and go through security with ease (A-Mazed!)

We were a bit early so we had a lovely breakfast and took advantage of an empty terminal and allowed James to run around to his heart's content.  Tire him out!  It worked because by the time we were boarding, the kid was sleeping.  He actually slept until 10 minutes before landing when he discovered the window shade and thought it was the coolest thing EVER.  He also had a great time harassing Grandpa who was sitting in front of us.

The first flight was a huge success - WE MADE IT!!!  Aunt Suzy and Uncle Ivan were there to greet us along with every other person who owns a car in the city. My goodness - traffic is HORRIBLE in that town!  A 20 minute ride took over an hour, but it was okay.  We got to take in the sites and James was content in his car seat as Daddy fed him snack after snack.  We made it to Aunt Suzy's place where we enjoyed a delicious lunch and played bubbles in her backyard.  James also tried to befriend Sophie who really had zero interest in this new little person invading her space. :)

Later that day we checked into our home away from home (Hard Rock Hotel), freshened up and headed to Lou Malnati's for some deep dish pizza.  We have had deep dish in the past and were not really fans, but Lou's pizza was different. It was more of a medium dish pizza and was YUM-MY!  James started the meal with some Mother Goose Club on You Tube and then decided to entertain all of us with his antics.  Kid LOVES a crowd. Lucky Ivan was thrusted into the chaos that is dinner with the Quartuccio/Mangiaracina family.  He held his own and actually enjoyed it.

Day 2 started early in the Hard Rock Hotel which, in my eyes, is an oxymoron.  Early and Hard Rock typically don't mix. But we powered through, got some eats at a local coffee shop and set out to meet the family at the Lincoln Park Zoo.  In addition to James' first airplane ride, he also was treated to his first bus experience as we made our way through downtown Chicago and over to the zoo.  I forgot the special kind of characters you encounter on a city bus on Saturday morning!  

The Lincoln Park Zoo is a gorgeous place to visit while in Chicago and the true beauty is that it is free. It was a warm, but comfortable day so the animals were out and ready to be seen.  We saw everything from zebras and giraffes to monkeys and kangaroos.  We missed the sea lion show, but saw them lounging in the cool water.  The polar bears were in hiding but we did manage to see an Andean Bear.  We skipped the reptile house (James had a bad experience when Reptiles Alive visited his daycare), but we did take a trip to the Amazon where we saw all kinds of fish, adorable meerkats and sleepy hippos.  It was an amazing visit that ended with a trip around the Lincoln Park Zoo boardwalk and a gigantic farmer's market.  James had a great time and I think my favorite moment was when he made friends with the bronze baby monkey.  Grandpa made a friend too!

We ended day 2 with a visit to the Bean in Millenium Park and a delicious dinner in Aunt Suzy's neighborhood.  Back at the hotel, we said good night to the beautiful Chicago skyline.

Sunday was another early morning but that was because we had another fun-filled day ahead of us starting with a family breakfast at Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe.  If you live in Chicago, go here for breakfast.  Their menu is HUGE and the food is awesome.  Grandma and Aunt Suzy gave Ed and I the meal off and entertained the little man while we ate.  Apparently, refilling the sugar container is the best fun that a boy can have! 

After breakfast, we headed to Chicago Children's Museum on Navy Pier.  There really are no words to describe how excited James was to run around this place and play with all the great exhibits.  We started in their newest exhibit, Ready Pet Go! and then made our way through the fire house to the WaterWays water room.  This area was a BIG hit - especially when Daddy made the big water fountain explode with water.  After a full on drenching and a change of clothes, we hit the dinosaur expedition and then Kidstown where he was able to drive in a car and shop (aka smash is grocery cart into anyone in his way) in the grocery store.  Our day ended in Treehouse Trails where James was treated to time spent on a really fun slide.  

I can't get over how perfect this museum was for James.  Within minutes of leaving, the kid was out cold.  He played HARD! We took advantage by taking a stroll on Navy Pier to take in the sites.  It was a gorgeous day so the views were amazing.  The beer also helped us truly enjoy the experience. :)

It was a great day that ended with some shopping on Michigan Avenue and dinner at the Weber Grill restaurant.  Aunt Suzy treated Grandma and Grandpa to tickets to "Million Dollar Quartet" that night which they thoroughly enjoyed.  Another great day in the Windy City!

The final two days were a little more low key - especially for me since my conference started and I had to work.  Ed and James spent the day with the family in Aunt Suzy's neck of the woods.  They hit the park and enjoyed some time in the sprinklers and on the swing.  They made me jealous all day long by sending photos and videos like these:

The trip was amazing not only because it was filled with lots of firsts for James (first plane ride, first bus ride, first Children's Museum, first time meeting Ivan, etc.), but because we all were able to spend some quality time together as a family.  Poor Aunt Suzy always is the one getting on the plane to come east to see us so it was nice to switch things up a bit and go to her.  She has really made a great life for herself out there and although we hate that she is so far away, we are really proud of everything she has accomplished.  And hey, who doesn't love Chicago ~ especially in the summer!

Bethany Beach 2013

Last week, the Mangiaracina's hit Bethany Beach for some fun in the sun and even though the sun was in hiding most of the time, we certainly managed to have some fun!  The Quartuccio's have been hitting up Bethany each summer for several years now as outlined here here, here and here.  We Mangiaracina's plan to keep the tradition alive and this year had a toddler to share some new beach experiences with.

Last year, James was only 3 months old when we were in Bethany.  He slept most of the time, as most infants do, so he missed a lot of the true "beach experiences".  That all changed this year.  From feeling sand for the first time to having ice cream as a morning snack, James took advantage of all the cool things that come with a vacation at the beach. Here is a day by day recap:

Day 1:  The Arrival
It was a cruddy, rainy day so after we arrived, we unloaded the car, fed James some lunch and headed to Harris Teeter to stock up on groceries for the week.  The best part of the trip was that the man behind the deli counter let James and Ed sample all kinds of meats and cheeses.  It was like having a second lunch!  James is a big fan of sitting in a shopping cart, so it was a grand old time.  After a nap, we headed up to the Bethany boardwalk for dinner at Bethany Blues where James indulged in some yummy cornbread, pulled chicken and mashed potatoes (current favorite food).  The best part was that his meal was served on a frisbee which we are now in possession of.  The night ended with a bath (fun) and about an hour's worth of crying about sleeping in the pack n play (not so fun).

Day 2:  Pool Day

We woke up to an overcast sky but were determined to hit the pool.  James went to the pool one time last summer, so he was a pool novice.  After some morning playtime with Mommy, we headed out and set up camp by the kiddie pool.  The water was cold so it took a bit to get James on board, but after a few minutes, he was splashing like a pro.  He even had a cool floaty to show off in!

After our cloudy pool time, James took a much needed nap before we headed up to the beach to "test the waters" and by "waters" I mean "sand".  James had never felt sand and before we made the move to spend a day at the beach, we wanted to see how he would react to it.  He liked it!  The faces he made as he submerged his toes in the cool sand were priceless.  

We wrapped up our time at the boardwalk with a go on the swing.  It's amazing how in years past we never noticed that there was a play ground smack in the center of Bethany. Funny how kids change pretty much everything.

The evening of day 2 ended with a BBQ and some deer watching outside the front window.  Lucy was sure she would get them this year. :)

Day 3: Outlet Shopping

It poured buckets of rain all day on day 3 so we decided to head to the outlets for some retail therapy.  The highlights of the day include my getting 2 pairs of Cole Haans, Ed finding the coveted Converse sneakers he has been searching for and James playing hide and seek with his sippy cup and the gate.

Day 4: Beach Day and Ocean City

This was the big day. The day that we would hit the beach with a toddler for the first time.  We did everything right.  We packed up the cooler with toddler friendly snacks and drinks.  We had an umbrella and a sheet and towels and sand toys and even a kiddie pool for James to play in since we figured the ocean was both too cold and too rough.  Apparently, this was not enough to make for a smooth trip to the beach.  

Upon arrival, James decided he would like to taste the sand.  As expected, he did not like it.  He was fascinated with it though as well as the ocean water.  But not when it touched him.  When it touched him, he freaked.  It was Mommy's job to fill the bucket with cold ocean water.  I'd fill it, he'd dump it and we'd start over again. This occurred probably 77 times during our 90 minute stay.

About an hour in, Ed's pump decided to malfunction so he had to head back to the house.  In the time he was gone, the umbrella flew away, the blaring sun made an appearance giving me an outbreak of hives and James smeared sand in his eye leading to a mid-morning melt down.  By the time Ed came back, James and I were ready to go.  So that was it.  A whole 90 minutes was spent at the beach.  We decided to celebrate our first beach experience (even if it wasn't a smooth one) with ice cream and shopping.  Isn't that what you do on vacation??

Since it was a sunny day (and we weren't sure if we were going to get another!), we decided to take a drive down to Ocean City to show James the boardwalk.  He liked it!  We took in the sights, indulged in an Orange Julius (love those!) and let James loose to explore.  The evening ended back in Bethany with a delicious crab leg dinner at the Blue Crab restaurant. James dined on spaghetti and put on a show for the lovely waitresses who got a big kick out of him.

Day 5: Happy Birthday Ed

June 12th marked Ed's 35th birthday and because he is a child at heart, he woke up early to get his presents. Well, James woke us up early, but Ed wasn't upset about it. :)  Can you guess what gift would cause a facial expression like this:

That's right.  An iPad mini.  Something that he has been wanting for a long time.  James and Lucy saved all their pennies so they could garner an expression like this from their Daddy.  Here's a happy guy!

We had a whole special day planned for Ed so after presents, we got dressed and headed to Rehoboth Beach where we had a delicious breakfast at the Corner Grille (awesome Greek diner - head there if you are in Rehoboth!) and surprised Ed with a bike rental for the 3 of us.  Ed loves him some bike riding so we strapped James into a child seat and hit the streets of Rehoboth.  My favorite part - seeing James in a skull and bones biker helmet while napping in his seat.  Priceless.

After our ride, we headed back to the house for lunch, hit the pool and stayed in for a steak dinner.  The original plan was to go to Dogfish Head for dinner, but James was not having it.  He had a full on melt down after waking up from his nap so we knew we needed to stay in.  

Day 6: Lewes Beach

Both Ed and I are blanking a bit on what we did this day. We know we had lunch at Dogfish Head since we weren't able to get there the night before.  We sampled some new brews (a Sixty-One for Ed and a Namaste for me) and left with a bottle of Noble Rot for later that night (big fans of craft beers!).  After lunch, we took a drive to nearby beach town Lewes.  We had never been and heard good things so we figured why not. The town is essentially one long block of cutesy stores and restaurants. We, of course, found the ice cream parlor and the toy store. It's what we do. :)  James had a ball playing with the Oball display.  

Day 7: Homeward Bound

It was time to head home after a fun-filled week of sand, sun, ice cream, shopping and no sleep.  It was nice to get away, but let's be real.  Vacationing with a toddler is not really relaxing.  I think I referred to it as a change of scenery which it truly is.  There are still naps and melt downs and early bed times.  He is still a curious little critter and into everything - especially new kitchen cabinets filled with all kinds of fun stuff.  He kept us on our toes constantly and the sleep deprivation did not help, but we managed to have a great time.  We know that next year will be even more fun as James continues to grow and understand the world around him. For now, we have more great memories of Bethany Beach to add to the roster.