DAY 4: Chicago, Illinois #fiveexplore #roadtripusa2020 #travellingduringcovid19

Day 4 – 20th July

We awoke lazily today to a metropolitan sunrise. A relaxing day devoid of driving stretched ahead of us. Lyra was quietly ecstatic although she would not let on.

We sauntered out of our hotel late morning and commenced a lateral stroll along the streets towards Navy Pier. Alaina walked into a skyscraper but apart from that we managed to arrive on time for our Seadog speedboat tour of the Chicago skyline. We saw two lines in front of us – one had a sign ‘Lakeside Tour’ whilst the other was called ‘Extreme Tour’. The extreme tour had a red speedboat. I was certain that Sarah had not booked the extreme tour.

We boarded the socially distanced boat and sat with one row gap between us and other people. We accelerated into the middle of Lake Michigan and a young lady greeted us by beginning her announcements with a bark. The crew pumped out tunes by Black Eyed Peas and Red Hot Chili Peppers as we bounced over the waves, in that uniquely American way of pumping any attraction with oodles of noise and testosterone (-yeah!). As we ventured out you could see remnants of faraway cities on the horizon. The vastness of this lake was sobering.

We turned back towards the Chicago shoreline and the sight was spectacular. A distinctive array of different buildings varying in height, age and design stared back at us. Two water filters either of us pumped water back into Chicago. If anyone has ever read the recent plight of Flint, I was glad to hear Chicago locals were able to drink water that did not give them lead poisoning. We returned to shore, endured the usual jokes about Trip Advisor and tipping, then grabbed some lunch.

It had been 2 hours and Lyra had not (yet) asked to go back to the hotel. The girls spent a long while in the splash park and Alaina had several incidents of near nudity as she cavorted in the puddles and fountains. Luckily this was not frowned upon by the COVID security people.

We walked back to the hotel. Then walked to the river. Then millennium park. Then Buckingham fountain. Lyra’s face was reddening and her mood darkening. Although beautiful, the parks were laced with well-intentioned COVID spoilers. You could not go near the shiny bean as I had a couple of years ago. The fountain was switched off. It was still enjoyable but akin to showering with your clothes on. Better than not washing, but it could have been more enjoyable.

We decided to delve into the realms of uncertainty and order an Uber with three tired girls in tow. We made it back to the hotel without catching COVID (I think) and then drove North of Chicago to visit an old work friend. We drank beer. The girls played Cornhole. And the evening descended into darkness as planes roared overhead. Driving back into the city we entered a nighttime wonderland of lit up skyscrapers and flashing lights as we wound through the streets.

As I put Alaina to bed, she placed a towel over my head and congratulated me on my girl haircut. I asked her if all girls need to have long hair. She replied, “girls without hair have to be turned into boys!” I made a mental note to remodel her Barbie’s haircut or search for viable female models with short hair.

In addition to this daily blog, you can check out our Instagram feed for more photos and short posts documenting our 2020 road trip @fiveexplore