I don’t think I have to tell you all where we went wrong with this idea. One night in Chicago? There’s so much we didn’t even get to think about, never mind see. We did our best.
Our first stop, after checking in, was a quick walk around the neighborhood, to find a lunch option, and then head towards Wrigley.
On a whim, we ducked into Doc B.’s Fresh Kitchen. At first glance, it didn’t seem like a great place to take two ‘we-should-be-napping’ toddlers. In other words, it was exactly the type of place we usually pick. One day we’ll learn.
Our (very lenient) criteria thus far has been the high-chairs. If a restaurant has high-chairs readily available, we assume they can handle our kids. Some restaurants have only one left, because the other is being used. They may offer a booster, but we know that two high-chairs does not make a restaurant family friendly. A restaurant with two high chairs simply accommodates children who tag along with other paying customers.
On this particular day, we threw caution to the wind, and waited the extra few minutes for the second high chair. We just couldn’t walk away from that menu.
We were not disappointed. The food was worth every dirty look, and every not-quite-kids meal option. In fact, we didn’t need the kids meals, because our children devoured two orders of guacamole. They were so well behaved. The only near-miss of a tantrum was because they had to share a bowl of guac. Once we gave them each a dish with their portion, they were happy campers again.
I wish I could tell you what TT Dad ate that afternoon, because he found it to be quite delicious. I don’t. I couldn’t tear my eyes, hands, or mouth away from my Backyard Burger. This was the best burger I’ve had in recent memory. Believe it or not, we did sneak a few bites of guac away from the duo, and it was also perfection. Everything that made it’s way to our table found a welcome home in our bellies.
We’ve already recommended this place to anyone headed to Chicago (In addition to the two locations in Chicago, they also have locations in Tampa, Coral Gables, Aventura, and Ft. Lauderdale Florida, Austin, Dallas, and Fort Worth, TX.) and we will continue to do so.
The one and only downside of lunch at Doc B’s was that we were too full to enjoy any stadium food once we made it to Wrigley!
This time, we found our seats before navigating to the First Timer’s Booth for the kids’ certificates- which happened to be very close to our seats, near Gate D. TT Dad splurged on these tickets. We had aisle seats, very close to the action. Sadly, that didn’t seem to help the duo follow along, so we mostly spent time alternating between the seats, and walking up and down the main concourse. They were happy to see the mascot walking around – from afar! I’m pretty sure we were headed back toward the hotel by the 4th inning this time, stuffed mascot in hand.
We went back to the hotel to get our stroller, and took another walk, this time down to the Navy Pier. We spent an embarrassingly long time trying to figure out how to get to the fun stuff from the entry to the parking garage. We walked further and further down the pier, up and down curbs (not fun with our City Select Double Stroller). Finally, admitting defeat, we followed the arrows through the parking garage to find the entrance to the fun side of the pier.
Sadly, we didn’t take the kids to any of the more notable attractions- most were up a flight of stairs, and we didn’t want a repeat performance.
We did, however, grab a light dinner (we were still pretty full from Doc B’s!) from Freshii. It was pretty much exactly what you’d expect. This was not a bad thing. After our snack, it was time to return to the hotel, and snuggle in tight. TT Dad headed back out to pick up some water, snacks, and a treat for our Hotel Date. Extenuating circumstances (being up for almost 2 whole days, sleeping in a car, etc) led to a very brief date, but it was enjoyed by all.
The next morning, we awoke to a floral arrangement TT Dad had snuck in for Mother’s Day.
A quick stop downstairs for breakfast (okay, it wasn’t quick- the kids were HUNGRY!) and we were on our way.