Chicago Girls' Weekend!

     Last month, my mom took the weekend off and came down to pick up her very grateful daughter and take her to Chicago for the weekend (RELATED: Chicago Girls' Weekend Preview).  It ended up being one of my favorite memories, and an absolutely amazing time!
     We went to Shedd Aquarium (Click HERE for pictures!), rode bikes around the city to the zoo and Navy Pier.  We even got to ride the swings, which I have a deep love for.  Ever since I first rode them when I was about six, they make me feel like I'm flying!  My favorite thing we did might have been our first night there, when we bought some Ciao Bella Sorbet, sprawled out on the bed and talked and did a crossword puzzle.  It was some of the best mother daughter bonding we've had since our expedition to Colorado in June (RELATED: A Hiker's Review- Ice Lakes, Ouray, Colorado).  That was the same trip I ran up my first 14er (RELATED: Unforgettable Runs: Handies Peak, Colorado).
     While we weren't climbing, we got some serious cycling in when we biked way past the zoo and had to turn around again to find it.  It was a great way to see the city though: Millennium Park, Buckingham fountain, Lake Michigan and countless other beautiful sights.  Rather than tell you about it, I'll share some more pictures of all the fun we had:

The Tribune building is quite fascinating, as it has bricks/stones  from places all over the world:
the Taj Mahal, the White House, Old Faithful- you name it.

This map is made entirely of money- millions and millions of dollars worth!
It seems like the newspaper industry might need some of that cash right about now...

City view from Navy Pier.  I love this shot!

On Navy Pier

Here are some photos from Shedd Aquarium (Click HERE to see more!)

I hadn't seen Buckingham Fountain before, and was very impressed!

I also hadn't been to Millennium Park and seen the big bean!

After our long day of biking, we decided to take the water taxi back to the hotel.  

Before we left on Sunday, we stopped at the Willis Tower and got a great-- although foggy--
view of Lake Michigan and Chicago.  It was an excellent cap to a (hopefully) annual mother-daughter
fall getaway!