Education on Vacation?

  Today we had a bit of education on vacation. Actually, the more I think about it, we have had a little education throughout the vacation. Anyway, today we went to The Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago. While we were there we took in a Myth Busters exhibit. It is based on the guys on T.V. who confirm or debunk myths with Science. This worked out good as it was 99 degrees today. There was lots to see and quite a bit of hands on too. This was great stimulation for the little guy. The older boys played against each other in mind ball. This is where they sit across from each other with an apparatus attached around their head where the most relaxed brain waves win. It's kind of like tug of war but with the mind. We took the CAT (Chicago Area Transit) to the Museum and a taxi back as it was much more efficient navigating rush hour traffic.

  At night we went to the Navy Pier. We were hopeful of fireworks. Although, they do fireworks every Wednesday and Saturday. Guess it wasn't meant to be. However, it was still worth the visit as it's a pretty area. Not to mention I got a good picture of the city from Lake Michigan (One of the 5 Great Lakes). The kiddos have now seen two of them with Lake Erie.

   I was able to snag a picture of the Chicago Tribune building. I am hopeful before we move onward tomorrow that I can get a shot of Union station. Just so I can tell myself I was at the location depicted in the movie The Untouchables. We'll play it by ear. We do need to start making some headway towards California. It's just so hard with so many things to see.
  My post would not be complete without sharing where we ate tonight. We ate at The Billy Goat Tavern, known for a couple of items. One being the SNL skit and The Cubbie Curse which is fitting since we went to Wrigley.
  As I write this the kids are off swimming with the wife and then off to bed to get ready for tomorrow's trek: Field of  Dreams!

Luke informed me tonight that he wants his bedroom transformed into a BUBBLE room as seen on the right.





Oh, I neglected to tell you one of the coolest parts. The kids made their own toy, a spinning top, from assembly to packaging and the robot engraved their name on it. That's a cool keepsake.

Superman in Indiana?

  Well, another scorcher today. Got up to 102 degrees in South Bend. We did make it to Notre Dame. What a beautiful campus. We visited the main building, the church (we couldn't go in as they were having mass) the grotto, the library and the stadium. However, due to the suffocating heat we didn't make it to the bar as hoped to see all the Rudy memorabilia. Although, the kids can say they shot hoops on the Notre Dame Campus.

  So, off to Chicago it was. The traffic is something to write about but not here. We took a cab to Wrigley. I am honored to say I have been on the field at the two oldest ball parks in the U.S. as of this writing. The tour was most informative. We got to go into the box seats, the press box, the visitor and home clubhouses as well as the dug out.

I have pictures of the kids sitting in the chair in the locker of the visitor clubhouse. It was home for a day to so many famous people in the past. It was the last National League Ballpark Lou Gehrig played in. For many years, the Chicago Bears played there. I cannot imagine a football team in that little locker room. Legend has it they use to dress at the hotel before coming over due to lack of room. I think the one thing I found truly interesting was the scoreboard. It is split into three levels. So, you keep score for all games posted on that level you're assigned too. The clock on the score board was added for the football teams as they needed a time piece to keep track of quarters. Being fortunate enough to do both the Red Sox and Cubs tours, I give it to the Cubbies for a much more personable, knowledgeable tour.

  We tried to go to Hotdougs after the tour (told by an ex-local it was good food). We decided to walk from Wrigley and got caught in a down pour. Then, I found out it was only open 'til 4. Our tour started at 5. I guess I should have checked the hours first. Maybe tomorrow. We ended up going to The Capital Grille in downtown Chicago. The food was UNBELIEVABLE. Here I go, talking about the food again.

  On a separate note, I asked Tim to take some pictures around our hotel in Indiana and some of the murals they had of Notre Dame and he came back with this. Yep, there was a Superman appearance. Good Times!

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th America! We celebrated the majority of the 4th in the car. But that's okay, as it was anywhere from 99-101 degrees en route to South Bend, Indiana. We left this morning to Toledo, Ohio. What's in Toledo, Ohio you ask? Well, Tony Packo's Cafe of course. This diner has been around for some time, 1932 in fact. Apparently, it became a frequent stop of Jamie Farr. You would know him better as Corporal Klinger from the M.A.S.H. Television series. My wife was/is a big Klinger fan and she insisted this be one of her stops. So, we went there for lunch. Dale and  I had the Tony Packo's #1 meal which was a bowl of Chicken Chili, a Cucumber salad and a hot dog with their special sauce. And for those of you wondering, it was gluten free! Craig and Luke had Mini Corn Dogs. Although, Lucas couldn't figure out what they were until I cut one in half. Once he realized it was a hot dog, he peeled off the corn bread and was all excited. It was like finding a surprise. Each and every one. Now, why on earth would I go into such detail on our lunch? Well, to show you what Timothy had. It was called a the Bunker Buster or  M.O.A.D (Mother of All Dogs)

He cleaned his plate like he always does. Good little boy! The dogs came with a side of pickles. Um, watch out for those jalapeno pickles? Let's just say we didn't dare eat the Jalapeno pepper after the pickles. To finish off the meal in Fourth of July style, he ordered an apple pie a la mode.

  So, after lunch, we continued to South Bend with every intention to walk the Notre Dame campus and check out the bar where the movie RUDY was filmed. However, about 10 miles out a Ford explorer pulled up to the side of us to inform us that our Car carrier top had come off. So, we pulled over. Apparently the front latch decided to commit harry carrey. So, my son, the Hulk, pulled the car carrier town and put it in the caravan. I had to push the front seat all the way up... and well let's just say that gave new meaning to knees to the chest. So, Dale and I switched roles and I drove the last 10 miles. Tim and Dale then went to the hardware store and got some Bungie cords and we should be good to go. I'll keep you updated.
  Needless to say, we didn't make it to Notre Dame. The hope is tomorrow morning before we head off to Chicago. We decided to eat dinner and go swimming to kill the heat. We finished our night watching the Nathan Hot Dog Eating competition on TV and Joey Chestnut pound down 68 hotdogs. Pass the TUMS please.
  Note: Our Hotel is 3 miles from Notre Dame and they are huge fans. They pay homage down every hall. The 2012 schedule is in our room. If you ever pass through South Bend, I would recommend the Waterford Estates Lodge.
  Good Night from South Bend.

Play me some Air Guitar

  Today we had a short drive which was good in most respects. Although, we know we will have to have that make-up trek soon. The best part will hopefully be a good nights rest. It's been a lot of 12AM to bed which is making everyone, especially Luke a little cranky as he still gets up early.
  We went to the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH. They had a special tribute floor for the Grateful Dead. Even though I have never been much for them or their music, the information and artifacts were still most cool to look at.
   Floor One had all kinds of things: From Censorship (the public rebelling to the early beginnings of rock n' roll with the Elvis hips, to burning Beatle albums in response to John Lennon's "We're bigger then Jesus" quote.) to tributes of all sorts. In one room was the Beatles on one side, Stones on the other with a little Jimi Hendrix sprinkled in. How cool is that? I could go back to that room right now. The clothing, ticket stubs, odd memoribillia was awesome to look at. It amazes me that you could watch the Beatles for a mere $4.50. (No, that is NOT a typo) The biggest thing that stuck out to me was airplane remains from the Otis Redding plane crash.
   We listened to Woody Guthrie "This Land is my Land" and a bunch of other early artists I was completely unaware of like Howlin' Wolf. Tim and I went into this booth of One hit wonders which had such songs as "Mickey," "Pacman Fever," "Nah, Nah, Nah, Hey Hey Good Bye" and the one that was most funny, was Tim racking his head on trying to figure out "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
   However, my most favorite part was the Induction Room where you got to listen to a montage of clips of artists and their speeches. Followed by that was watching a movie made up of inductees from 1986 to present day. I am just glad the Beatles beat the Stones in. Then we got to see all the signatures. Could of sworn Eric Clapton was up there a bazillion times, all worthy of course.
   Pictures are not allowed in the exhibits so, I have just the one of the boys at the guitars. I guess you just have to come out see for yourself.
    We did contemplate going to Jacob's field but its been raining on and off and the whole getting a good nights rest thing.
    Oh, and Priceline was good to us today. We are at quite a swanky hotel. Marble bathroom, Hardwood floors, Automatic doors to our room (which Luke absolutely loves) and Valet parking. Dale and I are a little uncomfortable as its a tad above where we would normally stay but we got an awesome deal... and the boys like it (especially the welcome cookies!!) and after all, its all about the boys.
   Not sure how far we will go tomorrow being the 4th and all but we'll let ya know when we get there.

Thanks for Reading!

**Update: Just watched an excellent fireworks show and lightning too, from our 10th Floor room!

Niagara Falls

  Hmmm... Can you guess where we were today? Niagara Falls would be the correct answer. We were on the US side as none of have passports that are valid. We purchased the Niagara Discovery Pass which got us a trip on the Maid of the Mist to get a nice upfront view of the Horseshoe Falls in Canada and the Niagara Falls of New York. We got a little wet. However, as warm as it was today, it was the perfect remedy. The pass also got us into the Aquarium, Cave of the Winds (A walking tour of the US falls) and The Niagara Discovery center too. I was a little disappointed in the Aquarium. I expected more. I am not sure why my expectations were so high but they were not met. You could skip the Discovery Center and not feel bad. Although, to their credit, the hiking trails were not open as they are doing work on them. Did you know that the American Falls of Niagara was dried out for 5 months in the 50's due to safety concerns?   After spending the better part of 5 hours going from one attraction to another, we grabbed a bite to eat at no other then The Hard Rock Cafe across from Niagara State Park. The food was fantastic. It was great my parents stayed the extra day with us. Sadly, they went home tonight as we ventured on to Pennsylvania. Unbeknown to us, we got reservations at a splashtown indoor water park hotel in Erie, Pa. Off to the Rock N' Roll HOF tomorrow? We'll see but chances are good. However, I am sure the kiddo's will lobby for the water park.

HOF day!

  So, we made it. The Hall of Fame and all its glory! We were in the hall for better then 4 hours. I could have stayed much longer... and definitely can see myself going again as I am now a full fledged member. We started out at the Bullpen Theatre and I choked up. Yup! Definitely in the right place. I truly enjoyed the older stuff. Did you know that baseball use to play with NO FOUL TERRITORY? It wasn't until the late 1800's when all the rules we come to know came to fruition. One of the biggest being, changing the length of the game from the first team to 21 runs, to playing out 9 innings. Can you imagine being at a game that goes until a team score 21 times? The Boston/New York games would go on forever. The other cool thing was how the radio broadcasters would get the morse code signals over the wire and call the game as it came in. I couldn't help but wonder about the picture to the left. So, for those of you have seen the movie The Natural with Robert Redford when there is that seen where Roy Hobbs pitches 3 pitches to The Whammer, I couldn't help but think there was a connection. Also, I know Cy Young was an amazing pitcher but 700+ complete games. Just really hard to fathom. However, the moment that took the cake wasn't seeing all the World Series rings, or all the present day lockers of all the teams with special memrobilia like Schillings sock from the 2004 ALCS, but being able to be a play by play announcer with my oldest son as the color man calling Hank Aaron's 715th home run and getting to keep a copy of our created audio.

  After that, we once again went into a bunch of shops. It's a good thing that I am going on a long trip because I would have spent a small fortune today. We ended our day in Cooperstown eating lunch at the Otesaga Resort Hotel and having a delightful lunch with the family over looking the lake as seen  to the right. We have made it into Niagara Falls and that is on tap for tomorrow. The weather looks to be another fine day.     Oh, and about the bucket, we had to use it. Poor Luke got sick 5 minutes from making it to the hotel. Little guy hasn't slept much. I think its because of all the excitement. I will tell you, I forgot how draining driving can be. However, last night as we pulled into the suite in Cooperstown and Luke started the Crazy Train theme (No Lie), the drive didn't really matter.

Surprise Visit

  So, my parents have decided that they are going to join our weekend in New York. Cool!
  We left an hour behind our intended schedule. Oh well. And then, we forgot a few items. Luckily we were just down the road when the light went off. What did we forget? No necessities, just a bucket in case, well, you know. Let's just hope that doesn't happen. But if it does we'll be prepared.
  Well, we met our parents off exit 6 at the Dunkin' Donuts. They showed up in the snazzy corvette. An hour into our trip, the snazzy corvette got a flat. Not so snazzy. They called for assistance, and with their blessing, we went onward. Nothing we could do as my Dad wasn't going to NY on a spare.

  We stopped at Vermont confections along the way and got a Vermonster (Chocolatey, Almondy, Carmely goodness.) along with some other yummy treats. Then back on the road. Got a call from my Mom that they got home safe and are coming in the Impala. Woo Hoo!

  The drive to Cooperstown was a very scenic drive. My Mom made reservations at this nice little Inn. (The Inn keeper gave us prints that he painted depicting scenes in Cooperstown- Not going to get that at a chain.) The pictures below left shows our room. Due to the late start, the unfortunate flat tire, we have held off the Baseball HOF visit until tomorrow. I mean, my parents have made a valiant effort to come up, so it just doesn't seem right.
  We did go down Main st. and went into a number of souvenir shops, took some pictures of the Hall exterior, visited Double Day Field, and ate at the Double Day Cafe, which was chosen as we were staying in Double Day's Suite.

This is a great start to a great trip!