By Dylan McDonough
Did you know that Chicago is the third largest city in the United States? My family took a train all the way to the great city of Chicago for my parents’ 14th anniversary and for my 11th birthday. My parents had never taken the train from Grand Rapids to Chicago and Daniel and I had never been on an Amtrak train before.
The ride began very early in the morning at 6:00am. It was definitely quieter than an airplane and the view was better too. The ride ended after four hours when we had arrived at our destination. We began walking to our hotel. We passed by very tall skyscrapers and a library that took up a whole street block. Soon we saw the first sight of our hotel. It towered high above us as if it was holding up the sun. Dad booked us a room on the 17th floor that overlooked Lake Michigan. The view was fantastic!
Once we dropped off our bags we ventured out to the Navy Pier. There is a Ferris wheel in the same spot as the first one ever built by George Washington Gale Ferris in 1893 for the World’s Columbian Exposition. Dad and I had just read a book about the story behind the building of the first Ferris wheel ever built. It is called The Great Wheel by Robert Lawson. Even though it was winter, we got a chance to ride it! The view was outstanding and you could even see our hotel! Although when you are 200 feet in the air and the wind is making the cab shake, it is pretty terrifying to look down!
After the ride, we walked all the way back to our hotel. The cold winds bit at our faces as we plodded along the hard cement sidewalks. We were all exhausted when we finally arrived and settled in for the night in our cozy hotel room. The next day, my birthday, would have even more surprises.
I woke up to a captivating sunrise over Lake Michigan. We could not take our eyes off it for five whole minutes. It was a great start to a great day. Soon we started walking to a restaurant called Yolk. The atmosphere was very cheery inside. The waitress gave me a birthday crêpe that had Nutella inside. For my first crêpe ever, it was very delicious.
After breakfast Dad waved over a taxi cab and we drove off to the Museum of Science and Industry. The last time we went to this museum was on Dad’s birthday two years ago. It was our first time riding in a taxi cab as a family and the driver was from the country of Ghana in Africa!
When we arrived at the museum, the first part we went to was a new exhibit called “Wired to Wear.” It showcased technology that you can wear. One section focused on a device that used “Spidey Sense.” Imagine if you are blind or if you are a firefighter in a smoke-filled room and you cannot find your way out. We got to try out this life-saving device by putting on a vest that had sensors built into it. Whenever you got close to a wall, it would vibrate. With my eyes shut, I was able to navigate the room.
There were lots of other different ideas. For example, there was an inflatable helmet that protects you when you fall, like an air bag. A self-tying shoe was first used in the 1989 movie, Back to the Future II. Most recently, Nike released the Adapt Huarache, which allows the shoe ties to be controlled by Siri.
Another fascinating display had many prosthetic arms and legs. My favorite was a prosthetic arm that was a nerf gun! Try taking that to a party! There was a prosthetic double hand with two hands on it. If you flex the right muscles, it makes the fingers move. One invention I thought was interesting was a “stereo prosthetic leg” with built-in speakers, perfect for a pop star.
Another highlight of the museum for my family was when Daniel volunteered to be part of a demonstration of Tesla’s Coil. Daniel held up a light rod and when they fired the coil, it not only lit up the stick, but it also made Daniel’s Star Wars shoes light up as well. The shoes usually only light up when he jumps. This even surprised the guide!
The rest of the museum was equally interesting but soon it was time to go. When we thought the night was over, Dad took us to a sushi restaurant which is very rare in our family. It was also the high quality sushi. The night ended with green tea ice cream that was surprisingly good. It was a great 11th birthday.
The next day we walked up and down the streets of Chicago going in lots of different stores. We went in a shop called “Dylan’s Candy Bar.” We went in the world’s largest Starbucks with four stories. Daniel’s favorite was the Lego store
that had a model of Chicago built out of LEGOs. After some final exploring, we headed back toward the train station for the ride back home.
As you can see, my family had another great time in the city of Chicago. It held a lot of new experiences for our whole family. It was a trip that I will not soon forget.
