Days 69-75, Playing Catch-up, part 3

From the country to the city, we next journeyed to the Chicago suburbs to spend time with Mike's maternal side of the family.  Having never traveled to Chicago before (except for O'Hare airport), I was so excited to take in all the sites and to finally spend time with the legendary Zayner/Hernandez families.  Having heard so many stories, it was great to meet everyone and put faces and personalities to names!

Mike's mom is originally from the South side of Chicago, and lived in a predominately Lithuanian neighborhood.  Since the Zayners are 100% Lithuanian, and Mike half Lithuanian, it was great for both Mike and I to experience more of the culture.  The neighborhood has changed, yes, but there is still such a strong cultural presence.  We ate a delicious, potato-filled, dinner at Grand Dukes, saw the house Mike's mother grew up in, the schools and church that the Zayners attended and even visited the Lithuanian cemetery where I finally met Mike's grandmother, Bernice, who I've heard was quite the lady.  

Day 69: Summit, IL.  Uncle Ted & Mike at a traditional Lithuanian eatery.  

Day 70: St. Casimir Cemetery, South Side Chicago.  Meeting Mike's grandparents.

We then headed into the big city.  I've always wanted to visit Chicago, having heard so much from friends and of course, Mike's family. The city surely didn't disappoint!  It's gorgeous and surprisingly quiet.  Compared to other big cities we've visited recently, Chicago is so calm--no honking horns, no yelling, it's actually quite serene.  Plus, with the beautiful Lake Michigan just blocks away from the heart of the city, it really is unlike most large metropolises.  And there is so much to do!  We only spent a couple days exploring, so what we did see was like a teaser, but we had very full days: the Willis Tower (more commonly known as Sears Tower), the Art Institute of Chicago, a White Sox game, walking around the financial district, the Magnificent Mile, Millennium Park, and even a walking tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's famous Prairie-style architecture....

Day 71, #1: The Ledge at Willis Tower, Chicago, IL.  A pane of glass protects you from 1353 feet from the sidewalk--one of Robin's most nerve-wracking experiences! 

Day 71, #2: The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL.  One of Robin's favorite pieces of art!  "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of  La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat.

Day 71, #3: Buckingham Fountain, Chicago, IL.  You can't help but hum Sinatra's "Love & Marriage"...

Day 71, #4: White Sox game, Chicago, IL.  Hanging out with the cousins at their beloved "Cell".  

Day 72: Oak Park, IL.  The Frank Lloyd Wright tour.

Day 73: Relaxing with the family. Mike's Uncle Ted and cousin Amanda and her family. 

Day 74: South side of Chicago, IL.  We explored the local Lithuanian museum.

And as all good things must come to an end, we left the big city and headed east towards Mike's cousin's (Amanda's brother, Chris) home in Moline, IL.  Moline is a very cute river town, but it's best known as the home of John Deere.  We took a quick driving tour around the world headquarters, then visited the John Deere Pavilion, which is really a big playground for farmers.  They have a combine and other tractors (sorry I am vague here; from a non-farmer's perspective, I don't know the difference between one tractor from another) in a huge indoor facility that you can "play" in.  Sure the tractors are turned off, but it was crazy to actually sit in such a state of the art piece of machinery; they really are so much larger than you expect.

Day 75:   The John Deere Pavilion, Moline, IL. 

From the Midwest to the Wild West...Part 4 coming soon!