The Sewing Mom

We lived in a suburb of Chicago for over 7 years before moving to Texas. We definitely enjoyed going downtown and loved taking guests downtown whenever we could. While we always enjoyed going to the museums, particularly the Field Museum, we also like doing the more touristy things. One of our most memorable Chicago tours took place while some of my husbands buddies were in town on business.

We met his friends at Navy Pier and decided to take a boat tour of the Lake Michigan. It was a beautiful April day, as long as we remained on land. We were dressed in light weight jackets and pants, but when we got out of the harbor, on a speed boat, we were all freezing! We wound up huddling together to stay warm and every one of us was wishing the boat ride would come to an end. I think at warmer times of the year, this would be a perfect thing to do, but for us, it was the longest, coldest boat ride we’d ever experienced.

After the boat tour, we headed to the giant ferris wheel at Navy Pier. I’m afraid of heights and tend to become dizzy, so I opted to keep my feet on the ground and watched. I don’t know the dimensions of that ferris wheel, but it’s certainly one of the tallest ones I’ve ever seen. My daughter, who was about 4 at the time, completely enjoyed herself and wanted to do it again.

Following the ride, we headed over to one of the tallest buildings in the world, the Sears Tower. Like I said, I’m afraid of heights, but I did go all the way up to the observation deck and got a wonderful view of Chicagoland, the lake, and the shorelines of Michigan and Wisconsin. It’s really quite a view, well worth the ride up the elevator.

While getting around Chicago is pretty easy, I think if I didn’t really know where I was, it would be worth going on sightseeing tours to see the city. Consider signing up for Trusted Tours & Attractions newsletter for more sight seeing information. Sign up now and be entered to win a handheld GPS.

I received an email last week from some friends of ours back in Illinois letting me know they had made plans to go to Mexico in March, asking if we’d like to join them. Are you kidding me? I’d love to go! Unfortunately, the week they are going is the week just before the big regional Destination Imagination tournament. Since my daughter is a member of the team and I’m the Team Manager, I don’t think it would be a good idea to be gone that week. Oh well, another time.

The idea of going on vacation has now been implanted in my head and I’ve found myself checking out many different places. One place in particular that I’d love to go back to is Niagra Falls, Canada. It’s been almost nine years since we were there, but it seems like yesterday. It is one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen. We met my mom and both of my sister and their families up there and it was an awesome trip. My daughter was just 2 years old and I remember going out on the Maid of the Mist boat tour in all our rain gear. My husband was so worried that our daughter would fall overboard. He had a hard time relaxing until we were back on dry land, but I know he was still able to enjoy the gorgeous scenery. There is just nothing like seeing and hearing the power of the Falls.

I went in the tunnels with my niece and nephews and it was amazing coming out behind the waterfall. The sound was deafening but thrilling at the same time. It’s amazing the work that was done to get behind the water. There are so many other things to do there, including another one of our favorites, the Butterfly Conservatory.

While looking for ideas of where to go for a vacation, I’m signing up for the Trusted Tours & Attractions sightseeing tours newsletter. Not only will I be getting the latest tour information, but I will also get a chance to win a handheld GPS. I love winning prizes and this is one I can certainly put to good use!