My Trip to Chicago!

As some of you know, I recently went to Chicago with my dad. It was extremely exciting, a bit nerve racking, a grand adventure and, a little eye opening!:)


My little journey started on a breezy Sunday afternoon as my Dad and I waved good-bye to my momma and my four siblings. I was very excited but my spirits were slightly dampened as I left my family and our beautiful little farm. I had never been that far away from my family before and I certainly was going to miss warm weather and bare feet!


Daddy decided he was going to make me direct him all the way from our house to the hotel in Atlanta. I had never done anything like this before and I wondered if my dad really needed help or if he was just trying to divert my attention from back home to what lie ahead. Either way it worked, the farther we went the more excited I got! In between directing daddy I discussed one of my favorite books with him, "America's God & Country" an encyclopedia of quotations. I read to him some quotes from our founding fathers then devoured the wise words of one of my most cherished role models Abigail Adams. So needless to say the time flew by and we reached our hotel at about 9:30 pm. And for those of you wondering... I safely got us to our destination without getting lost!:) Our hotel was located right by the Atlanta air port so that we could easily get to the air port on time the next morning.

As I climbed out of the car my jaw dropped and continued in that position for most of our trip. Daddy often laughed and said I looked like a baby that had just tasted its first ice cream cone!

Here is what the Atlanta hotel looked like.

I immensely enjoyed my ride in the glass elevator!

I got to sleep a whopping 5 hours before I was awakened by daddy and had to quickly dress and rush downstairs to check out. I had to stifle a chuckle when we got to the desk, for the dear lady was snoring away! By the time we left the hotel it was around four in the morning.

When we arrived at the air port I was starting to get excited and sick all at the same time. For you see dear readers, I had never been on a plane before. I was amazed at all the hustle and bustle that surrounded me as we checked our luggage in. I think the most unpleasant part of the air port experience is the scanning area. I had forgotten to wear stockings so had to pitter patter along in bare feet until they were quite sure I was not a threat. lol!

When we boarded the plane I was in stitches. I had always wanted to fly, but as I sat in the plane I would have given anything to walk to Chicago. As soon as the plane backed up and began to rumble its way to the runway, I quickly forgot about walking , my will that I had forgotten to write in case my plane crashed or I had a heart attack in mid air, or the fact that my stomach had successfully tied itself in a knot. My nose was completely glued to the little window as my eyes soaked in the pure excitement of the moment.

Here are some pics!

I landed safely in O'Hare exactly 2 hrs. later. My emotions were in full swing as I walked around the worlds largest airport! There were so many different ethnic groups and languages swirling about me as my dad and I pushed through the crowd to collect our luggage. It was one of the busiest places I had ever seen.

Once we had gathered all our luggage daddy and I hurried to hail a cab. My posh life was just beginning! :) I had never been in a taxi before, so of course I had daddy take my picture!

The driver asked, " Where to?" and my dad said the Drake hotel! Off we went at a speed my mother would have deemed quite ridiculous! lol. "The Drake" was built in 1920 and is located down town Chicago on the Magnificent Mile. I could hardly wait to explore it. As we sat in traffic, I tried my best to see the tops of the huge sky scrapers we passed. Even though our taxi driver was dull as a door nail I had a blast. When we arrived at the Drake I felt like a queen as an older gentleman dressed in a smart looking hat and a long, dark ,wool coat, with brass buttons opened my door and helped me step out. He grabbed our luggage in what seemed like one giant sweep ( which was quite remarkable for my suit case alone had everything but the kitchen sink in it!:) After I had pinched myself enough times to insure that I was not dreaming I walked into what was the grandest hotel I had ever seen! Here are some pictures...

I spent the majority of my mornings in the hotel room while daddy went to his meetings and in the evening we explored as many different places as we could. Some of the places I visited were the American Girl Place, the John Hancock Observatory, the Navy Pier, and Bloomingdales!

Though I enjoyed my little trip in the big city of Chicago, I would never trade it for my peaceful rural life style. Well, I do believe I have rambled on far enough. I hope you enjoyed reading.

Much Love & Many Blessings,

~McKenzie Elizabeth~

*For those of you reading, do you enjoy city life or country living? I love hearing from you all!