![\"Emily](\"http:\/\/www.relishments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Emily-at-the-bean.jpg\" "\\"Emily")
<\/a><\/p>\nThings I hate about airports, generally and O\u2019Hare specifically<\/strong> Things that were awesome about our flights<\/strong> Decisions I might choose to make next time I travel to that area<\/strong> Chicago style foods we made sure to eat<\/strong> Chicago attractions we made sure to visit<\/strong> Facts I learned over the weekend<\/strong> Books I added to my \u201cto read\u201d list over the weekend after seeing them in stores<\/strong> Purchases we made with the rationalization that it was just past our 10 year dating anniversary, almost Brian\u2019s birthday and almost our 5 year wedding anniversary<\/strong>
\n1. The \u201churry up and wait\u201d mentality…be early so you can wait in line for security so you can hurry to your gate so you can sit for the remaining 45 minutes so you can hurry to get in line to board 30 minutes before take-off during which time you will sit on the tarmac.\u00a0 No, thanks.
\n2. There is a serious lack of signage at O\u2019Hare for the rental car locations.\u00a0 We probably spent at least half an hour wandering around O\u2019Hare trying to figure out how to get to the rental car place, were given unclear\/incorrect directions multiple times and when we finally got there had to wait almost another hour because they were so backed up due to everyone\u2019s flights being delayed on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\n1. No major flight delays, just an hour for arrival and half an hour for departure.\u00a0 I can live with that.
\n2. Even though our flight to Chicago was only 2 hours long, there were TV shows (Beat Bobby Flay and Shark Tank) available to watch.\u00a0 Yes, please.<\/p>\n
\n1. Flying into Midway.\u00a0 I\u2019ve flown through O\u2019Hare multiple times before and it was the best deal, but we were not impressed.
\n2. Skipping the car and using public transportation, though we did drive around a very nice Nissan Frontier for the weekend and I\u2019m not sure how we would\u2019ve worked out the South Bend end of the trip without it.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
\n1. Stuffed pizza from Giordano\u2019s, which we ate at 10:40 at night after we finally arrived at O\u2019Hare and found our rental car.\u00a0 Thank goodness the people at the Rosemont location were incredibly friendly and didn\u2019t seem to care that people, including us, were there after closing.
\n2.\u00a0 Chicago-style hot dogs.\u00a0 I don\u2019t care for ketchup and after a busy morning at the museum we were so hungry.\u00a0 We purchased our dogs from a food truck just outside the Field Museum and they really hit the spot.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
\n1. \u201cThe Bean\u201d
\n2. The Field Museum, which was my primary motivation for wanting to go to Chicago.\u00a0 It was even better than I could have dreamed; the place is huge!\u00a0 We checked out the Chicago World\u2019s Fair exhibit<\/a> and all the other things we could fit in before we felt overwhelmed.\u00a0 I may have an obsession with Sue, the Tyrannosaurus Rex.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
\n1.\u00a0 Studebaker cars were manufactured in South Bend.\u00a0 And you can have your wedding\u00a0at the museum.
\n2.\u00a0 Chicago is on central time.\u00a0 I always forget this.\u00a0 Adding to the fun, South Bend is on eastern time.\u00a0 Math is hard.<\/p>\n
\n1.\u00a0The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story<\/a>
\n2. The Lions of Tsavo: Exploring the Legacy of Africa’s Notorious Man-Eaters<\/a>
\n1.\u00a0 Spending $25 on a package of mini Vosges chocolate bars<\/a> in O\u2019Hare
\n2.\u00a0 Taking the trip, in general, which included direct flights (see my feelings about airports above), hotels, meals out and the like.\u00a0 This basically concludes the travel portion of our summer.<\/p>\n