This was a vacation Mom and I have been planning for quite awhile, a celebration of her 80th birthday, a remembrance of Dad, a trip back in time to when she was young. We only had three full days to explore, but it was enough to hit the highlights.
Day 1, Monday – Travel Day: Our flight leaves Portland at 10am, we dropped my car at the long term parking and made it through security with time to spare for breakfast. By 9:45 I’m seated in my very first (and probably last!) first-class Alaska Air seat, and already provided with a free drink. Dang, traveling with Mom is kinda nice!
We arrive in Chicago and pick up our Alamo rental, I got a smokin’ deal through www.rentalcarmomma.com, a luxury for 5 days with GPS for $315 including tax! We also ponied up the $6 a day for the I-Pass, which was just wonderful, so much time saved not having to take the cash lane on the tollways. We settled into the leather old-lady luxury of a Lincoln Town Car and I eased the behemoth out onto 294 heading towards Downers Grove .
Our Hotel is the Holiday Inn Express, an older brick structure that’s a bit dark in the halls and is starting to have a permeating smell of smoke. We chose this one because of its location, and Mom is familiar and comfortable with it. Another plus is the full free breakfast, I love this for money and time savings!
The Lincoln shows off it’s grandma street cred in front of our hotel.
After getting settled, we take a drive around town and visit Mom’s old grade school and the house she grew up in. House prices in this area are astonishing to me, suburbs in Oregon are usually the most inexpensive options, and here they’re insanely expensive if they’re close to a train station.
We have a late dinner at Omega
http://omegarestaurants.com/ the salads are big enough for two meals, so we pack up the leftovers for tomorrow night and head back to the hotel.
Day 2, Tuesday – A date with Sue: Today I’ll be jumping into Chicagoland traffic with both feet, heading into the city for a day on the Museum Campus. We get a decently early start, and are on the road by 7:30, my TGM peeps already gave me the heads up on the traffic situation, so I’m not at all startled when the 290 turns into a parking lot. Following TGM’ers advice, we find the small parking lot between Field and Shedd and we’re only the 3rd car in it! Lots of school and tour buses out front though.
I’d initially planned to rope drop Shedd, but Mom really wanted to spend a majority of our time at Field, so that’s what we’re doing. I’m fully expecting to have her tucker out by 2pm or so, and be ready to head back home, so fitting both museums into the schedule wouldn’t do justice to either one.
Wow, this place is amazing! The massive central space is so beautiful and awe inspiring, and Sue is pretty cool. We start with the Egyptian section, and spend time in that really-old-folks home full of mummies. Next it’s on to the Native Peoples section, I’m interested in this but think I’ve probably seen better since we spend so much time in the Southwest, but I’m wrong. The variety and quality of the artifacts here is just astounding, I’ve never seen the styles in some of these totem and potlatch fetishes, I could spend all day just in this area.
After McD’s salad and the 3D movie, Mom’s got her second wind and we’re ready for time with the big toothed beasties; mega-bear, smilodon and sabre-tooth, oh my!
4pm and Mom’s still going strong. We stay until the lights go out and they’re pushing everyone towards the doors, still wishing we’d had just one more hour here!
We take Lake Shore Drive for awhile, even in rush-hour traffic it’s beautiful, I love the clouds wisping between the skyscrapers – definitely a sight I’d never see at home!
Wednesday, Day 3; Visiting family, those still here and those who’ve left us behind:
I’ll be honest, this trip is a bit melancholy for both of us, four years ago this day my Dad died unexpectedly from an aortic aneurysm. Although she didn’t say so, I think Mom planned the trip for this exact time so she had something else to think about, and someone to share the time with. I’m also happy for the company, and so grateful to have her here and healthy.
Storm clouds and a light sprinkling of rain greet us as we head out to the car this morning. Another early start, we’re on the road by 8:30 and headed to Momence where my Mom’s aunt and grandparents are buried. My aunt never married, she was a wonderful artistic soul who maintained a child’s wonder at the world until the day she died. Diagnosed with schizophrenia in her 20′s, she was able to quell her demons and live a vagabond life, traveling Europe before WWII and singing in the best halls in Germany , Austria and beyond. I remember visiting her as a child and being a bit scared because she was “different”, but also in awe of her because she’d actually seen the Royal Lipizzaner Stallions in Austria ! In later life, she found a home teaching voice, volunteering at a local grade school, and writing beautiful poetry. In a family of accountants, nurses, engineers and bankers, Aunt Jeanne and I were the only “artsy” ones. I do miss her.
Fields of memories flow into fields of corn in MomenceNext stop is Mom’s parent’s grave-sites in Downer’s Grove. I never knew my Mom’s dad, he had a heart attack and died in his 40′s. He and his two brothers both died before the age of 50, all from heart trouble. My Mom knew this might be her legacy, and so was very careful with diet and exercise throughout her life. Two years ago, she started having trouble with angina and finally went into a cardiologist – he forced her to face the fact that she needed open heart surgery NOW. She was feeling so sick and run down that I think she looked at the surgery as a death sentence but it ended up being a new lease on life. I cannot believe what a truly miraculous transformation she’s had – evidenced by this non-stop whirlwind vacation in Chicago ! Standing at her father’s grave, it makes me wonder what would have been if surgery had been an option for him back then – so many things in life are made possible by being born in the right time. Mom was born in the right time.
Driving home from dinner, we’re caught in a massive thundershower – thank god for GPS or I’d still be driving around the Illinois suburbs trying to find my way back to the hotel!
Thursday, Day 4 – The City: Another early morning in the rain, today we’ll be taking the train into the City, just like Mom did when she was freshly graduated from college and working on her own for the first time in her life.
The ride is our portal to the past; 60 years ago, Mom dressed in her only “good” wool suit (bought on sale at Marshall Fields), folding the seat back so she can play Bridge with friends on the train into town. Her first job was at Union Station, she took reservations for trains headed to St. Lois, Denver , Sacramento – places she couldn’t wait to see herself! It was so much fun walking around and hearing her stories, each corner brought back memories I was so happy to hear her share.
We’d thought about using taxis, but ended up buying a day pass for the Chicago Trolley. This worked very well to get us around, but we mostly walked. Rain spit and threatened until 10am, then contrary to weather predictions, the clouds parted and the sun broke through for a beautiful afternoon! We couldn’t have asked for a better day.
Our first stop is Millennium Park , the Cloud Gate surprises me with its ethereal beauty. We take a self-portrait with Chicago ‘s skyline curling towards us like a protective hand.
We’d been up in the Sears (oops, Willis) Tower years ago, so decided to save some time by using the Hancock tower for a city overview. Instead of paying for the observatory, we take the elevator to the 95th floor and the Signature Lounge http://www.signatureroom.com/ for a $6 cup of coffee. The views are beautiful, but the best is from the ladies restroom, no kidding!
After this, we head to the Water Tower and then across the street to the American Girl store. So much fun to see girls and their look-alike dolls in matching dresses, ready for afternoon tea. We hop back on the trolley and loop through town back to Union Station, it’s nearly 6pm and time to hop the train back home. The hotel van picks us up at the train station, and after freshening up a bit, we head across the street to Finlays Grill Room http://www.finleysgrillroom.com/ for a light dinner.
I have the steak chili and a wonderful martini, by the time we’re done eating I’m completely relaxed and ready for bed!
Friday, Day 5 – Home Again! I’m hoping Mom can sleep in a bit this morning, as I know my trip home will be a long one, but she’s up and at ‘em by 7am, so we head down for a leisurely breakfast.
We mess around the suburbs for awhile, gawking at newly-built mansions taking up space recently vacated by stately old (and smaller) homes. After a stop at Oakbrook Mall for lunch, we mosey on towards O’Hare to return the rental car.
We unload the car and hop on a shuttle. As the shuttle is leaving, I look over at Mom and realize she doesn’t have her coat! Aargh! A quick yell to the driver and we’re off the tram and back to the car, where the attendant is smiling and handing out Mom’s coat and a rain hat we’d also left in the back seat. Good grief, it’s a bright blue coat on cream-colored leather upholstery, how could we miss it?
After this, it’s smooth sailing and soon we’re seated on the plane (my last chance to revel in the comfort of First Class) and ready for takeoff. Someone kneels down next to Mom says “Hi Family!”, it’s my cousin Susan, coming back from a business meeting in St. Louis – she’s seated just behind us! What are the odds?
Home again, home again, we touch down in Portland at 7pm, my Sister in Law picks Mom up and I head to my car for my 2 ½ hour drive home over the mountains. As great as the trip has been, it feels just oh-so-good to be ALONE in my car. Oh Joy, Joy, Joy, I love the quiet and the freedom of stopping wherever I want and singing loud and off-tune to the CD.
Although I’m a loner at heart, I do love my mom, and I am so grateful to have had this time together. What a wonderful thing it is, to be at a point in my life where I really appreciate past, present and future, and how glorious to have Mom here to share it with me.
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This little old mining town on Route 66 has grown into a quirky artist community that caters to locals of the four-legged variety. The burros are descendents of miners helpers from years’ past, and now spend time wandering town and begging for carrots. It’s a fun spot and we really enjoyed ourselves. We took Route 66 on the way back and stopped at an old homesite along the way. This was a gorgeous and quiet drive through the late afternoon desert sun.
