I graded all day Thursday but still have a day's work left. Thursday night I couldn't bear the sight of it one more minute, and at 11 pm bought Amtrak tickets to Chicago for the next day. I phoned DD's school in the morning to say she wouldn't be at there, bundled us up, packed coupons, train snacks, my Art Institute membership card, and we were at Union Station by 12:30.
We headed straight for Macy's, got a beeper for the Walnut Room restaurant even though they said it would be a two-hour wait. Off we went to the Christkindl Market, where DD swooned at the glass ornaments, had a piece of strudel, finally chose a white owl ornament (because it looked like Hedwig from Harry Potter) and enjoyed a fabulous hour there. Our beeper buzzed by 2:30, and we had a delicious lunch at a table with a great view of the spectacular decorated trees. The Christmas fairy came by, sprinkled DD with fairy dust as she marveled over the store, the lights, and the Christmas overload of it all. We took pictures by the trees, shopped a little, and had dessert at the Chicago Magnolia Bakery cafe before heading to the Art Institute for the Chagall windows and a few Impressionists, a walk on Michigan Avenue, and wound up at the Cloud Gate with carolers at 6pm. They lit candles, we sang, and when we decided we needed to head to the train station, my darling started to cry because it was all so wonderful, she didn't want it to end. When we got home at 10pm, she ran in the house to tell her father we were going to make a tradition of it and she wanted to do that same trip every year for the rest of her life. Take that, evil grading! I defeated you and refused to let you eat my life. I'll deal with you tomorrow when I obliterate you for good for the rest of 2011!
Teacher Plays Hooky
December 19th, 2011 at 05:36 am
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Popping in to read blogs - SOOO glad that I found your post! Reminds me that these things that we do DO give our children wonderful memories. Sounds like the birth of a tradition! We're heading down by train (Metro, not Amtrak) on Friday to go to the top of the Willis Tower (almost typed Sears-oops) and to ice skate in Millenium Park. Have a wonderful season, see you in 2012!
December 19th, 2011 at 02:39 pm 1324305557
What at the AI, did you see the Thorne Rooms? I did that with my girls and their friends last New Years Eve. They still talk about that.
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December 20th, 2011 at 01:23 am 1324344218
Are you in Ann Arbor? I used to take the train to Chicago occasionally when I lived there, and my favorite-ever memory is of one such trip (by car, that time, and not by train) taken in a snowstorm the day after Christmas. It was also, like yours, a magical day.