Tales From the Road

Traveling can be exhausting, to say the least. Sleeping away from home only exacerbates the situation; then, there's eating away from home. With all of those negatives to consider (did I mention driving in traffic?), one has to wonder why we even leave home at all. I am questioning that item even now.
It is now Monday evening, and we have been in Chicago since Friday: not all that long as far as time goes, but plenty long enough for me on a couple of fronts. Sitting in stop and go traffic for more than an hour when I had to "go" in more than a casual way portended some less-than-pleasant moments. Fortunately, the traffic moved just quickly enough for me to spot the portable bathroom in a park before, well, before what parents call euphemistically an "accident."
Parking on the streets in Chicago is also designed to instill a kind of madness in those of us who generally can park just about anywhere we want to at any time, barring legal restrictions. There's something less than green about driving around for 20 minutes, only to spot a parking space on a street seven blocks from ones destination. Could the excitement that abounds in the city lure me from my "rural" home surroundings? Not likely. However, there have been compensatory items.
Not far from our temporary abode with our son and daughter-in-law is Lakeshore Drive which follows the contours of Lake Michigan and features a bike/walking path with extends for many miles...some say all the way to Indiana. Of course, the gonzo bikers tend to dominate the path by zipping along at 30 mph while the more pedestrian of us choose to take our time and look at the sights. My sweetie and I biked downtown to Millenium Park, had a hot dog, splashed in the fountain a bit and watched a parade from Chinatown before heading back. It made for a pleasant afternoon though there was a slight temptation to stop at Navy Pier to ride the giant ferris wheel (on my part only).
We earned our keep by painting a bathroom and offering suggestions on parenting for the upcoming parents. My main suggestion was that I really had no idea how we'd done anything, but I did volunteer to make a changing table.
Our vacations usually feature two things: exercise and food. This was no different. I've eaten hot dogs in several places (the best from a stand in Millennium Park and the worst by far at the Cubby Bear bar adjacent to Wrigley Field: seriously, the bun was so stale that one could have used it to discipline an unruly child by swinging it overhead in a threatening manner...and the fries were almost warm. sad)
Of course, we got to our favorite Scandinavian restaurant for cinnamon rolls, Jamb Juice for our favorite smoothie (rated the LEAST healthy by Men's Health Magazine), bakery from a Swedish bakery in the neighborhood and Garrett's popcorn, my personal favorite being the Chicago mix.
Actual meals? not so much.
Miles and miles of additional walking justified all the caloric input (or was it the other way around?) At any rate, back home tomorrow, sleeping in a familiar bed and having an actual meal will be quite comforting.
One of us did some shopping,too, with birthday money, but spent too little of it.
There's no place like home.