road trip wrap up

A Brief Getaway to the North–Day Three

On the third day of our trip, we set out to see as many things as possible, beginning with the Cathedral of St. Paul in…well, St. Paul! The skyline of the Minnesota state capital is smaller than that of Minneapolis, but I still enjoyed seeing it, and there was something charming and cozy about the city that I really enjoyed!

The cathedral was absolutely stunning…it reminded me of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis in some ways, and was very different in others.

After we toured the whole cathedral, we drove by the Capitol Building:

And then made our way back to Minneapolis, where we found a good view of the skyline:

And a local landmark, the Witch’s Hat Water Tower:

I really wanted to see the Northwestern National Life Building, which is absolutely mid-century marvelous!

We drove around a bit more, and saw the flagship Target store and the Mary Tyler Moore statue, but it was so busy downtown we couldn’t find parking to get out anywhere. Then we stopped at the Basilica of St. Mary. It wasn’t open for tours, but we did walk all the way around it, and it too is a grand and beautiful building.

We stopped by Lyndale Park where we saw some lovely fountains and flowers:

And enjoyed a meal with friends at D-Spot. I had a burger with cheese curds on it, and there were wings with lavender…such brilliant and unexpected culinary offerings!

One more stop at Caribou:

And then a little excitement back at the hotel. Just as Ryan, Turkey, and Ladybug were ready to leave to see the Sonic Symphony at the Orpheum Theatre (the main reason we chose Minneapolis as the destination for our trip), the power went out, and then the fire alarm went off. There were rumors of flames, and I did smell smoke, but in the end, they allowed us to return to our rooms, and the power came back on not too long after. It was a weird time, with a wedding party in full dress and various motorcycle clubs standing around the parking lot (the two main groups staying at the hotel that weekend), and later on the balconies of the hotel, but there was a nice sense of community about the whole thing…I just wish our room hadn’t been on the 7th floor, because that was a lot of flights to climb down in the mostly dark (and then back up again…we didn’t trust the elevator while the power was out, even though it was operating!).

Anyway, they made it to their concert in the middle of the hotel chaos, and I’m told a good time was had by all.

Up next: An early start for a long drive home!

A Brief Getaway to the North–Day Two

We actually managed to sleep in a bit on the second day of our trip, which is pretty much unheard of for us…but that just meant we were well-rested for our visit to the Mall of America!

My first priority was getting Caribou Coffee…I was not disappointed!

A big highlight of our trip to the mall was visiting the Lego Store:

We even got to see a “Space Brick,” built by the ESA from a meteorite:

The m&m’s store was also really cool…it ended up being one of my favorite stops in the mall!

There’s a whole Nickelodeon theme park in the center of the mall:

I think you can find a Dole Whip just about anywhere these days!

It was just so much fun to walk around a thriving retail space!

Before we left, we stopped for boba:

Five+ hours later, we finally made our way back to the car, and decided since the rain had held off, we would go visit the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.

I loved the sculptures and the setting with views of the skyline in the distance!

Up next: A cathedral, a basilica, and a bunch more fun!

A Brief Getaway to the North–Day One

A week ago today, we left for our summer vacation on a journey north to the Twin Cities! We made some stops along the way, starting with Hannibal, MO, home of M*A*S*H‘s Colonel Potter and also known for the antics of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. We took the 244 steps up to the Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse, where we were treated to a phenomenal view of the Mississippi River, and also saw the Tom and Huck statue:

We then made our way to Riverside, IA, the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk…I was entirely too amused by this stop!

After that, we had lunch at Joensy’s Restaurant in Iowa City, a place know for their pork tenderloin sandwiches:

Our final stop before we got to the hotel was in Clear Lake, IA, and the Three Stars Plaza and Surf Ballroom, which is where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson played their last concert before “The Day the Music Died.”

It was a long day of driving, but we finally made it to our destination outside Minneapolis, a very nice Marriott hotel with a gorgeous atrium. After we got checked in, I went for a brief swim, and then we watched the US Swimming Olympic Trials on TV.

Up next…a day at the mall!

Chickadee Thursday

I’ll be doing a day-by-day recap of our recent trip to the Twin Cities starting today, but first, here’s a look at it through Chickadee’s eyes.

On the way north, we stopped in Riverside, IA, to see the future birthplace of Captain Kirk.

We went to the Mall of America:

And the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden:

We toured the Cathedral of St. Paul:

On the way home, we stopped in Madison, WI, and walked around their beautiful capitol building:

And had a meal at Portillo’s!

It was a great trip…stay tuned for the full details!

Markel Family Combo Breaker 2024 Getaway—-Day Seven

Combo Breaker might have been over on the last day of our trip, but we still had a lot of things planned, starting with our first-ever trip to the Chicago History Museum (even I had never been there!). The short film was really good (it made me cry a little when the things I remembered from my childhood were mentioned), and there was one exhibit in particular that I really enjoyed.

After that, we went to Rainbow Cone. I broke with tradition, and tried one of their new sliced creations (the first addition of those since they opened in 1926!), the “Cosmic Birthday” which included Superman ice cream just like I remember from my childhood. Between all of us, we also had a traditional Rainbow Cone, and two of the other three new additions, “Minty City” and “Chocolate Obsession.”

Then we went to the Pullman National Historic Park, a place I’ve wanted to visit for a long time. We had a nice walk around…it’s a really cool place to get a glimpse of history!

The trip home always involves a stop at Wally’s:

And as usual, we went to Portillo’s for dinner, but this time we stopped at a different location, in Springfield, IL. I love how no two of their restaurants look the same!

After that, it was only about 90 minutes to home…we arrived later than we usually do when returning from Chicago, but we had a full, fun day along the way!

Markel Family Combo Breaker 2024 Getaway—-Day Six

After we got the coffee started on Sunday morning (I seriously think we made between 400 and 500 cups a day!), and put out another two cases of water, we went to church at the congregation of my childhood. It was Trinity Sunday, but I was very relieved that we didn’t say the Athanasian Creed, because my feet hurt!

On the way back to Combo Breaker, we stopped by the Umbrella Sky Project in Elmhurst. I’ve wanted to see a display like this for a long time, but it was a bit too literal, as it was pouring rain while we were there! It was still really cool, though!

We made it back to the staff lounge in time to help with lunch (and make more coffee!).

We were done in the staff lounge in time to see the end of the Tekken Top Eight, and after that, we all stuck around for the staff raffle, which was quite entertaining.

We hadn’t all been in the same place at the event until that point, so we finally got our annual family photo…next year, I’m hoping we all get flannels, because I think that would make the picture even more amazing!

It was a great weekend!

Up next…the trip home, with many stops along the way!

Markel Family Combo Breaker 2024 Getaway—-Day Five

Day five of our trip was another busy one, and another one with an early start, as Chickadee and I are were back in the staff lounge helping out (with the rest of the family scattered across the event doing their own jobs again). We didn’t have much time for actually seeing the event, but we did check in at the venue.

And we took a walk through Artist Alley, where I found a cute Yoshi bracelet to add to my stack:

Dinner was a Chicago speciality…mostaccioli!

Late in the day, we finally stepped outside for some fresh air, which was very welcome after a long day in an very enclosed space!

And before bed, we checked in on the venue one last time:

Up next…the last day of the event already?!?

Markel Family Combo Breaker 2024 Getaway—-Day Four

On the fourth day of our trip, the real excitement began, because that was the first day of Combo Breaker!

Chickadee and I spent most of the day in the staff lounge, helping set out food and water and make coffee…lots and lots of coffee. I started the first pots at about 6:15 a.m., and we kept making it all day long!

One of the advantages of being up early to make coffee…we got to take a look at the venue before everything got started:

I continue to be impressed with how well the event treats the volunteers…in addition to three meals a day and plenty of water, there were also lots of snacks to keep everyone going.

We did step away very briefly so Chickadee could take a look at the arcade room, where she tried her hand at Ms. Pac-Man…she’s certainly better at it than I am!

Up next…the second day of the event!

Markel Family Combo Breaker 2024 Getaway—-Day Three

Before we got to work at Combo Breaker on the third day of our trip, Bunny and I went to Westfield Old Orchard shopping center in Skokie to see the Downton Abbey Exhibition, where we got to see props, full sets, and costumes. It was absolutely amazing…details to follow!

When we were done, we stopped to pick up boba before heading back to the hotel.

And then we got to work. Bunny helped Ladybug, Turkey, and Moose with registration, and Chickadee and I helped with the food in the staff lounge.

The two of us did have time for a walk around the hotel and a visit to the hotel lounge we had access to for the first few days of our trip before bedtime.

Up next…the start of Combo Breaker 2024!

Markel Family Combo Breaker 2024 Getaway—-Day Two

The second day of our trip north was one I look forward to all year long, because it’s the day we visited downtown Chicago. This year, for the first time in a long time, all five children were able to go with me, which made it even more fun.

It was not an adventure without challenges, though, because the train line we usually take was shut down due to mechanical difficulties. We were able to make it to another Metra station on a different line in time to arrive downtown more or less when we wanted, so it all worked out in the end.

Taking a different train line meant arriving at Chicago’s Union Station instead of the familiar Ogilvie Transportation Center. I am not kidding when I say the two stations are across the street from each other, so it shouldn’t have been a big deal, but somehow that minor difference was slightly disorienting, as everything looked just a bit off from the other side of the street!

We walked almost 10 miles, seeing everything and nothing in particular, which sounds like a contradiction, but is how we usually do things:

Of course we stopped to feed the pigeons…we stumbled across quite a flock!

It is always a thrill for me to see the lakefront:

While walking the Magnificent Mile, we stumbled across “Flight of Butterflies,” an art exhibition presented by the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Most were outside, but we found one inside Water Tower Place:

This was the first time Turkey got to see the Water Tower itself!

We stopped at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery, where I was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the place, so we left without ordering anything…it was a cool place to see, though!

To make up for our hasty retreat, we stopped at the Ghirardelli store and shared some of their chocolate creations:

I walked down to the Vietman War Memorial:

And then we went to Marshall Field’s…I mean Macy’s.

We tried the new summer varieties at Starbucks while we were there…they were very refreshing!

We were able to leave from our regular train station, which was nice, because we know exactly how to find where we’re going there!

As is tradition, we road on the upper floor on the way home:

It’s always hard to say goodbye to the city!

And we returned to the station we had intended to leave from in the first place!

We ordered pizza from a local place, Moretti’s, that we had never tried before…It was amazing! I especially loved the use of asiago cheese in the stuffed crust!

Up next…a little more fun, and then the beginning of our work!