A few weeks ago we went out to a no kids, grown up dinner at Allium in the Four Seasons hotel downtown. The address for the hotel is 120 E. Delaware Place and that is where the entrance is but it is basically located on Michigan Avenue across the street from the Hancock Building. The restaurant is a bit more casual than what used to be in this space but it is still relatively fancy (you should dress up and probably not bring your kids) and expensive. The restaurant is on the same level as the hotel lobby, which is a few stories up. We took the train but I believe there is valet parking if you drive.
Most of the menu is made up of small plate type items, with a few entree sized items also included at the bottom. We ordered a bunch of small items to share and were super full and satisfied at the end, however our waitress acted like it was a little strange that we also didn't order from the entree section. She is maybe used to people who can afford to sample a lot of food without eating it all, which is not really in our budget. We shared a crab special, the cheese lavosh, cheese curd mashed potatoes, and the short rib sliders. This was plenty of food for us. Everything came in a good size portion, actually much bigger than we expected and that you find at other small plate restaurants, and was really delicious. The cheese curd mashed potatoes were especially yummy. Allium has a nice selection of wine, beer, and cocktails. When we went out, I wasn't drinking alcohol so I was very happy to also see several non-alcoholic options on the drink menu. I had a made in house soda that was really good and didn't make me miss a glass of wine too much.
Desserts continue the small plate theme with lots of cookie/candy options. Our waitress talked us into getting a bunch of desserts to share. We ordered the donut holes, peanut butter sandwich cookies, red velvet cupcake, and pretzel caramels. In addition, since it was our anniversary, they brought us a piece of chocolate cake, on the house. After a big meal, we finished maybe half of the desserts and took the rest home to enjoy the next day. As with dinner, everything was really good but if I was going to order just one dessert next time it would be the pretzel caramels.
Overall we had really nice evening. The food was great and we were able to sit next to the window for a nice view of the street below. The dining room seems a little overly formal and the bathrooms are kind of hard to find but we were definitely comfortable. The restaurant is fairly large but the tables aren't jammed close together to try to maximize the number of people they can get in the room. We would definitely go back without our kids for another special occasion.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Once Upon a Child and Freecycle
I have finally gotten around to the enormous task of sorting and getting rid of all of my daughters' baby and toddler clothes. I've mainly used freecycle (www.freecycle.org) to pass these items onto families who could use them and keep them out of the waste stream. Freecycle, if you've never used it, is a really great organization that allows people to give away just about any item (except for food) to anyone who is interested and willing to pick up. Clothes are generally something that is easy to give away to friends and family or a charity but there are often lots of things that you are not really sure who would want them that usually ultimately end up in the trash. Freecycle helps you find a recipient for these items. Based on my observations, just about anything that is offered eventually finds a home. Freecycle is also a great place to find something you might want for free. Everything that I have given away I have left on my porch so there is no actual face to face interaction with the person picking up. They don't need to come into your house or speak with you so it feels a little bit safer than something like craigslist.
We did have a few things that were a bit nicer that I wanted to try to get a little money for such as fancy holiday dresses and winter coats. We decided to take them to the store Once Upon a Child. There are multiple locations of this store throughout the suburbs with the closest one for us located at 4616 N. Harlem in Harwood Heights. For other store locations and hours check their website www.onceuponachild.com. When we walked into the store we were immediately directed to the drop off location where I filled out a form and someone took our box to sort through. We were there around lunch time on a Saturday and were told it would take about 30 minutes to look at the clothing we had brought. They staff said we could either look around the store during that time or that would give us a call when they were done. The girls had a really good time browsing in the store especially in the toy section. We had to remind them that we were there to get rid of stuff not add more to our house. Most of the items in the store seemed to be in pretty good condition. In addition to clothes and toys, Once Upon a Child also buys and sells a wide assortment of baby gear, shoes, and books. When we were there they had a large number of Halloween costumes for sale.
From our box that we brought in, the store bought about half of the stuff for about $36. We were satisfied. It ended up being more money that we thought we would get and definitely more than we would have gotten for that stuff at a garage sale.
We did have a few things that were a bit nicer that I wanted to try to get a little money for such as fancy holiday dresses and winter coats. We decided to take them to the store Once Upon a Child. There are multiple locations of this store throughout the suburbs with the closest one for us located at 4616 N. Harlem in Harwood Heights. For other store locations and hours check their website www.onceuponachild.com. When we walked into the store we were immediately directed to the drop off location where I filled out a form and someone took our box to sort through. We were there around lunch time on a Saturday and were told it would take about 30 minutes to look at the clothing we had brought. They staff said we could either look around the store during that time or that would give us a call when they were done. The girls had a really good time browsing in the store especially in the toy section. We had to remind them that we were there to get rid of stuff not add more to our house. Most of the items in the store seemed to be in pretty good condition. In addition to clothes and toys, Once Upon a Child also buys and sells a wide assortment of baby gear, shoes, and books. When we were there they had a large number of Halloween costumes for sale.
From our box that we brought in, the store bought about half of the stuff for about $36. We were satisfied. It ended up being more money that we thought we would get and definitely more than we would have gotten for that stuff at a garage sale.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Novelty Golf and Games AKA the Bunny Hutch
Over the long holiday weekend we decided to get in one last summer activity and went miniature golfing at the Bunny Hutch, located at 3650 W. Devon in Lincolnwood. The Bunny Hutch offers two 18 hole miniature golf courses, batting cages, game room, and snack stand. We went to play miniature golf and had a really good time. Each hole has a theme and moving parts or some kind of tricky component, which kept the kids engaged and wanting to see what was at the next hole. We decided it would be best not to keep score since my kids are not the most coordinated (although my older daughter did get a hole in one) and had never played miniature golf before. At 3 years old, my younger daughter was probably too young to play but she still was completely engaged the whole time and hit the ball around at least a couple times at each hole. I'm not sure if we just got lucky, but it wasn't very crowded when we were there and we didn't have to wait at any holes, although the people behind us did have to wait for us. It was also fun to do an activity where both the kids and adults could participate.
Price changes depending on what day and what time you go miniature golfing but it ranges from $7-$9 per person for one of the 18 hole courses. They are open 7 days a week from April to mid-October. Check the website for exact hours: www.noveltygolf.com. There is a big lot out front with plenty of parking. The Bunny Hutch is a great way to spend one of the remaining beautiful days we have left this fall before winter sets in.
Price changes depending on what day and what time you go miniature golfing but it ranges from $7-$9 per person for one of the 18 hole courses. They are open 7 days a week from April to mid-October. Check the website for exact hours: www.noveltygolf.com. There is a big lot out front with plenty of parking. The Bunny Hutch is a great way to spend one of the remaining beautiful days we have left this fall before winter sets in.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Family Vacation - Mackinac Island
We recently got back from the last of our summer travels before school starts - a trip to Mackinac Island. We wanted to go somewhere that we could drive to, somewhere none of us have been to before, and somewhere that would be relaxing. We thought Mackinac Island would be perfect since there are no cars allowed on the Island, lots of horses, and cooler weather than we've been having this summer.
The drive is approximately 7-8 hours, depending on where in the City you are leaving from and traffic, to get up to either Mackinac City or St. Ignace, the two cities where the ferries depart for Mackinac Island. We spent our first night in Petoskey, a vacation town located at the top of Lake Michigan, to break up the trip a little bit and to be able to go to the beach. We were there for less than 24 hours but were able to take in the amazing views and have a good fish dinner.
The next morning we drove up to St. Ignace, which is about an hour from Petoskey. We chose to take a ferry from St. Ignace because the girls wanted to drive across the Mackinac Bridge (Mackinac City is on the Lower Pennisula side). There are three main ferry companies and they all leave from both cities. All three ferry companies, Shepler's, Arnold Transit, and Star Line, seem to be pretty interchangeable. The prices, schedules, and departure locations are very similar. I suggest buying your tickets online before you leave, where you can get a bit of a deal. Kids 4 and under are free and we were able to find a deal for 2 adults and 1 child for $48. These are round trip tickets and include handling of your bags from the ferry to your hotel once you reach the island. All of the ferry companies offer free parking at the dock. The ferry ride is about 30 minutes. The girls really enjoyed it. It is a very scenic trip.
On the Island there are lots of hotel choices ranging from very expensive to affordable. We stayed at the Harbor View Inn, which is located along the main road a little ways away from the bustling downtown area. It was perfectly nice, clean, and included a very good continental breakfast every morning.
After our exciting ferry ride to the Island and checking into our hotel, we decided to walk up the Grand Hotel to look around. The Grand Hotel is the most famous hotel on the Island. It was featured in the movie Somewhere in Time and claims to have the largest wraparound porch in the world. If you are not staying at the hotel you have to pay $10/adult to see the hotel and grounds. It is not a formal tour and gives you access to just about anywhere you want to go besides the guest rooms. The hotel is pretty historic and despite the steep price to see it we all had a good time looking around. The girls especially loved running around the grounds. When we walked through the dining area they were serving afternoon tea and it looked really amazing.
The next day we spent some time at Fort Mackinac. It is located right downtown. The Fort was built around 1780 and was interesting even for our daughters. Since this year is the 200th anniversary of the war of 1812, in which the Fort played a role, there were lots of interesting events scheduled such as a rifle firing demonstration, music presentation, canon firing, and children's program where a costumed guide explained what it was like for children at the fort and let them play with toys from that time period. We were actually quite surprised by how much the girls enjoyed the whole experience.
The one other big activity that we did, besides eating too much fudge and ice cream, was to go for a tour of the island in a horse carriage. The tour doesn't go completely around the island but through it. It is a mostly scenic tour with some commentary on the history of the Island and some of the landmarks you pass. I didn't think our tour guide was awesome but overall it was an enjoyable ride. Many people see the island on bike and my husband and older daughter did rent bikes for a short ride but given the age of our family and biking ability seeing the Island by carriage was our best option. If your kids are old enough to ride 8-10 miles on their bike I would probably skip the carriage ride and go by bike. You can rent bikes of all sorts for different durations just about anywhere.
There are lots of dining options on the Island ranging for very good to completely touristy. There were two restaurants that we ate at that were standouts for us: Mary's Bistro and the Cudahy Room at Inn at Stonecliffe. Mary's Bistro is located right on Main Street. There is indoor and outdoor seating and we were able to sit outside and watch the boats going in and out of the harbor. The signature dish is spit fired chicken, which is quite good. The restaurant has a kid's menu, is quite casual, and very family friendly. The Cudahy Room is a bit more formal and pricey. It is located in the Inn at Stonecliffe, which is located on the western side of the island a good distance from the downtown area. The Inn at Stonecliffe was about 2 miles from our hotel and we were planning to take a horse carriage to get there, which we thought would only take about 15 minutes. That was a big mistake. We found that if you want a private carriage, you need to request one about 30 minutes in advance and then it takes another 30 - 40 minutes to ride out to the restaurant. We got lucky and were able to grab the last seats on a shuttle going to the Woods restaurant, which is located right by the Inn at Stonecliffe. Even though it is a long ride, it is a scenic one and really a great way to spend an evening. The menu at the Cudahy Room includes fish, steak, and chicken dishes and there is a children's menu. The restaurant is a little fancier than where we would normally take our kids, however it didn't seem like a big deal that they were along. The food was really good and we had a very nice evening.
Mackinac Island was a great place for us to vacation. It was extremely family friendly and completely relaxing. Ever since the trip the girls have been asking when we will go back.
The drive is approximately 7-8 hours, depending on where in the City you are leaving from and traffic, to get up to either Mackinac City or St. Ignace, the two cities where the ferries depart for Mackinac Island. We spent our first night in Petoskey, a vacation town located at the top of Lake Michigan, to break up the trip a little bit and to be able to go to the beach. We were there for less than 24 hours but were able to take in the amazing views and have a good fish dinner.
The next morning we drove up to St. Ignace, which is about an hour from Petoskey. We chose to take a ferry from St. Ignace because the girls wanted to drive across the Mackinac Bridge (Mackinac City is on the Lower Pennisula side). There are three main ferry companies and they all leave from both cities. All three ferry companies, Shepler's, Arnold Transit, and Star Line, seem to be pretty interchangeable. The prices, schedules, and departure locations are very similar. I suggest buying your tickets online before you leave, where you can get a bit of a deal. Kids 4 and under are free and we were able to find a deal for 2 adults and 1 child for $48. These are round trip tickets and include handling of your bags from the ferry to your hotel once you reach the island. All of the ferry companies offer free parking at the dock. The ferry ride is about 30 minutes. The girls really enjoyed it. It is a very scenic trip.
On the Island there are lots of hotel choices ranging from very expensive to affordable. We stayed at the Harbor View Inn, which is located along the main road a little ways away from the bustling downtown area. It was perfectly nice, clean, and included a very good continental breakfast every morning.
After our exciting ferry ride to the Island and checking into our hotel, we decided to walk up the Grand Hotel to look around. The Grand Hotel is the most famous hotel on the Island. It was featured in the movie Somewhere in Time and claims to have the largest wraparound porch in the world. If you are not staying at the hotel you have to pay $10/adult to see the hotel and grounds. It is not a formal tour and gives you access to just about anywhere you want to go besides the guest rooms. The hotel is pretty historic and despite the steep price to see it we all had a good time looking around. The girls especially loved running around the grounds. When we walked through the dining area they were serving afternoon tea and it looked really amazing.
The next day we spent some time at Fort Mackinac. It is located right downtown. The Fort was built around 1780 and was interesting even for our daughters. Since this year is the 200th anniversary of the war of 1812, in which the Fort played a role, there were lots of interesting events scheduled such as a rifle firing demonstration, music presentation, canon firing, and children's program where a costumed guide explained what it was like for children at the fort and let them play with toys from that time period. We were actually quite surprised by how much the girls enjoyed the whole experience.
The one other big activity that we did, besides eating too much fudge and ice cream, was to go for a tour of the island in a horse carriage. The tour doesn't go completely around the island but through it. It is a mostly scenic tour with some commentary on the history of the Island and some of the landmarks you pass. I didn't think our tour guide was awesome but overall it was an enjoyable ride. Many people see the island on bike and my husband and older daughter did rent bikes for a short ride but given the age of our family and biking ability seeing the Island by carriage was our best option. If your kids are old enough to ride 8-10 miles on their bike I would probably skip the carriage ride and go by bike. You can rent bikes of all sorts for different durations just about anywhere.
There are lots of dining options on the Island ranging for very good to completely touristy. There were two restaurants that we ate at that were standouts for us: Mary's Bistro and the Cudahy Room at Inn at Stonecliffe. Mary's Bistro is located right on Main Street. There is indoor and outdoor seating and we were able to sit outside and watch the boats going in and out of the harbor. The signature dish is spit fired chicken, which is quite good. The restaurant has a kid's menu, is quite casual, and very family friendly. The Cudahy Room is a bit more formal and pricey. It is located in the Inn at Stonecliffe, which is located on the western side of the island a good distance from the downtown area. The Inn at Stonecliffe was about 2 miles from our hotel and we were planning to take a horse carriage to get there, which we thought would only take about 15 minutes. That was a big mistake. We found that if you want a private carriage, you need to request one about 30 minutes in advance and then it takes another 30 - 40 minutes to ride out to the restaurant. We got lucky and were able to grab the last seats on a shuttle going to the Woods restaurant, which is located right by the Inn at Stonecliffe. Even though it is a long ride, it is a scenic one and really a great way to spend an evening. The menu at the Cudahy Room includes fish, steak, and chicken dishes and there is a children's menu. The restaurant is a little fancier than where we would normally take our kids, however it didn't seem like a big deal that they were along. The food was really good and we had a very nice evening.
Mackinac Island was a great place for us to vacation. It was extremely family friendly and completely relaxing. Ever since the trip the girls have been asking when we will go back.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Memory Lane Stables
As I've mentioned a bunch of times, my older daughter is obsessed with horses. For her birthday we wanted to do something related to horses but she's at kind of a tricky age. At six years old she is a little bit young for horseback riding at most places but she is also getting kind of old to ride a pony around in a circle. We decided to take her out to Memory Lane Stables for a pony ride and she had a really great time.
Memory Lane Stables is located at 8290 Kean Ave. in Willow Springs and offers both horseback riding and pony rides. The pony rides are approximately 1 hour long and involve the parent pulling the horse (kind of like walking a dog) through a scenic forest preserve while the child rides. This is so far superior to your kid riding a pony in a small circle. My daughters actually felt like they were riding a horse. My six year old was the perfect age and absolutely loved the whole experience. My three year old also had a great time but she was a little small for the ride. They suggested that we pay to have an employee come along with us so that someone could pull her horse and someone else could walk beside her to make sure she didn't fall off the horse. It cost us an extra $5 but was definitely comforting in the beginning and once she got used to riding I was free to take a bunch of photos and enjoy the walk.
There is a small parking lot in front of the stables and then you walk right in to sign up for a ride. You don't have to make advanced reservations but I think they may only take cash. A one hour pony ride is $15 per child. Before it was time for our pony ride the girls were able to hang out in the barn and pet all the horses, which they enjoyed tremendously. The stable is open 7 days a week.
Memory Lane Stables is located at 8290 Kean Ave. in Willow Springs and offers both horseback riding and pony rides. The pony rides are approximately 1 hour long and involve the parent pulling the horse (kind of like walking a dog) through a scenic forest preserve while the child rides. This is so far superior to your kid riding a pony in a small circle. My daughters actually felt like they were riding a horse. My six year old was the perfect age and absolutely loved the whole experience. My three year old also had a great time but she was a little small for the ride. They suggested that we pay to have an employee come along with us so that someone could pull her horse and someone else could walk beside her to make sure she didn't fall off the horse. It cost us an extra $5 but was definitely comforting in the beginning and once she got used to riding I was free to take a bunch of photos and enjoy the walk.
There is a small parking lot in front of the stables and then you walk right in to sign up for a ride. You don't have to make advanced reservations but I think they may only take cash. A one hour pony ride is $15 per child. Before it was time for our pony ride the girls were able to hang out in the barn and pet all the horses, which they enjoyed tremendously. The stable is open 7 days a week.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Urban Belly
We're always trying to find restaurants that serve adult food where it is not that big of a deal to bring your kids. Urban Belly is one of those restaurants that we really enjoy going to. The restaurant is located in a strip mall (so keep your eye out or you will walk/drive right by) at 3053 N. California. The food is Asian fusion, I guess, and the menu is made up of dumplings, noodle dishes, and rice dishes. The dumplings are really good. We like the ones with duck and pho spices. What we really go for, however, are the noodle dishes. One order is plenty of food for my husband and I to eat so we always have a hard time deciding what to get. Usually we end up with the rice cake with chicken, mango, and Korean chili sauce but we've tried just about noodle dish and they are all good. The food is a bit spicy, however, for small children. The restaurant offers one kid's option, a noodle bowl (you choose the type of noodle) in a very mild, non spicy but also very delicious broth. My older daughter loves it and always eats just about the whole thing even though it is definitely big enough for a couple of kids.
There is a small parking lot in front of the restaurant. Inside the restaurant, all of the seating is at four large communal tables. You are supposed to order at the counter first and then sit down. Wait staff will bring you your food and bus your tables when you are done. I wouldn't say the staff is the friendliest I've ever seen but they are not rude and the food more than makes up for it. Urban Belly is open from 11 AM - 9 PM Tuesday through Sunday.
There is a small parking lot in front of the restaurant. Inside the restaurant, all of the seating is at four large communal tables. You are supposed to order at the counter first and then sit down. Wait staff will bring you your food and bus your tables when you are done. I wouldn't say the staff is the friendliest I've ever seen but they are not rude and the food more than makes up for it. Urban Belly is open from 11 AM - 9 PM Tuesday through Sunday.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Chicago History Museum
The Chicago History Museum, located at 1601 N. Clark, currently has a Magic exhibit that is a lot of fun. The exhibit is smallish with a short movie to watch and two rooms with local magic and magician related memorabilia. The best part, however, is that there is a magician who performs at the entrance of the exhibit. Every week there is a different magician. See the Museums website for a schedule of who will be there when (chicagohistory.org). We went back a couple times to see the magician perform while we were at the museum and every time he was doing different tricks that were really entertaining and totally engaging of the audience. We all had a good time and the girls loved when they got to be involved in the tricks. The magicians are at the exhibit daily from 11 until 3 during the week and until 4 on Saturdays and Sundays.
In addition to the Magic exhibit, the Museum has a lot of other interesting permanent exhibits. My favorite room has a bunch of very elaborate dioramas showing big events in the history of Chicago, such as the World's Fair and the Great Fire. The girls really liked an exhibit called Crossroads of America that included an old subway train you can walk through. In addition, there is the Sensing Chicago exhibit, which is more hands on, allowing kids to add toppings to a giant stuffed hot dog and smell different scents in the City and guess what they are.
The museum is free for kids 12 and under and $14/person for adults. Street parking can be tricky in this part of the City but there is a parking lot located at LaSalle and Stockton. It's just a short walk to the museum. Parking will cost you $9 at this lot but you have to make sure you get your parking ticket validated at the Museum to get this price. The Museum is also not too far of a walk from the Clark and Division stop on the Red Line. There is a cafe located inside the Museum that offers breakfast and lunch.
The museum is enjoyable in itself but if you have a child who loves magicians I suggest catching the Magic exhibit, which will be at the Museum through September 3rd.
In addition to the Magic exhibit, the Museum has a lot of other interesting permanent exhibits. My favorite room has a bunch of very elaborate dioramas showing big events in the history of Chicago, such as the World's Fair and the Great Fire. The girls really liked an exhibit called Crossroads of America that included an old subway train you can walk through. In addition, there is the Sensing Chicago exhibit, which is more hands on, allowing kids to add toppings to a giant stuffed hot dog and smell different scents in the City and guess what they are.
The museum is free for kids 12 and under and $14/person for adults. Street parking can be tricky in this part of the City but there is a parking lot located at LaSalle and Stockton. It's just a short walk to the museum. Parking will cost you $9 at this lot but you have to make sure you get your parking ticket validated at the Museum to get this price. The Museum is also not too far of a walk from the Clark and Division stop on the Red Line. There is a cafe located inside the Museum that offers breakfast and lunch.
The museum is enjoyable in itself but if you have a child who loves magicians I suggest catching the Magic exhibit, which will be at the Museum through September 3rd.
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