I decided to take the boys to Chicago on a whim and invited my Mom to come along as well. She is so amazing and helpful and positive and the kids adore her, so it was a no-brainer. Chicago is one of my favorite cities to visit, hands down, because it is so family friendly. The food is plentiful for a vegan as well, and each time we go we find a new amazing spot. This time it was the ice cream parlor "Icream" which flash freezes your ice cream (made with soy milk or cows milk) on the spot. I've never seen anything like it! They used a special machine that smoked and spun and it felt like we were in a time machine and best of all the kids loved it. This vacation was for them for sure ;) The first night we got there we walked to the beach from our hotel. It was small but so cute. That's my Mom below swinging Toby with the beautiful skyline in the background.
The food is one of the main reasons we come here. In Cincinnati, it's not hard to eat vegan when you go out but there definitely isn't a plethora of options like there is here. The Chicago Diner is a must to visit when you are veg. It is the self proclaimed "veggie paradise" where they can make 100% of their dishes vegan. Karyn's restaurants are a favorite also. They cater to the lighter vegan and raw vegan pallet and completely come through on flavor.
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| bi bim bap from Loving Hut |
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| butter pecan soymilk ice cream with chocolate chips and pecans from Icream |
We also went to the Lincoln Park Zoo. I know this is a controversial outing for a vegan and there is a ton of judgement about whether we "should" support them or not. I decided to go because i wanted to see the giraffes and the kids have always asked me about it and i was curious to see their reaction without putting any pressure on them. It was a long hot day but we were adventurous and took the bus, which was a first for the kids and everyone came home with souvenirs.
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| They watched this guy swim around for about 20 minutes and were saddened but amazed. |
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| J measuring to see if he is taller than a polar bear. |
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Toby finally fell asleep with his fingers clenched like a baby.
Our hotel was just a few blocks from Navy Pier which is pretty touristy but they have a gorgeous ferris wheel and some old fashioned carnival rides. We loved being able to walk or take the bus to almost everywhere we went. Millennium park was just about a mile away and it has the most amazing art installation I have ever seen. You have to go at night to the fountain and witness it yourself :) Everytime we come to Chicago, Elijah asks me "What if I could live here when I grow up?". I think we all have a crush on this city...if that's even possible :) |
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| the bigger boys enjoying the flying swings |
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| toby taking a turn at putt putt golf |
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| a moment captured with all three of them |
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| we walked for miles and miles and loved every step <3 |
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