Chicago

Arrived at Union Station on time from Royal Oak, MI.  After exiting the train and before we left the station, we purchased the CTA's three day visitor pass which allows you unlimited access to all public transportation for 72 hours.  It was 12 dollars per person and well worth the investment.  The vending machine accepted cash or cc, we used a cc.  You do have to purchase one pass at a time however, so I was a little nervous that the cc company might be suspicious about multiple purchases, but there was no problem.

Headed outside Union Station to catch the bus to our hotel.  Although our bus was northbound, in the downtown area it loops around so after waiting on the n bound side for a few minutes, we crossed to the southbound side.  Unlike Detroit, the bus stops are not just marked "bus stop" but list the bus numbers that travel that route.  

The bus took us directly to our hotel, Days Inn Gold Coast.  While not a 4-star hotel, the hotel was located directly across Lincoln Park, at the corner of Clark & Lincoln.  The room was clean and we got a suite with two queen size beds and two bathrooms for $116+.  The room also had two air conditioners.  One was a little weak so it took a while to cool off the room but after closing the drapes on our way out in the morning to keep out the sun, the room was fine.  We also requested a refrigerator which was free of charge. Since our goal was to not spend much time in the hotel but truly explore the city, we didn't need any special amenities; we were not disappointed. 

Once we arrived, and began to unpack, I noticed I had forgotten a prescription medication.  Since I have my scrips filled at Walgreens, we walked to the nearest Walgreens (3 or 4 blocks) and I asked for a refill.  Although they said the wait would only be 10 minutes, they were open 24 hours so we told them we'd come back, later.

We continued our walk through Old Town (spectacular) and walked all the way to Ed Debevic's.  Our visit there was hysterical.  If you are taking someone to Ed's its much more fun if they do not know what to expect.  My 13 year old son, was unaware of their reputation of surlyness and insults, so it was a riot.  At one point, one of the staff stopped by and asked how everything was, my very irritated son said, "Everything's great but the service".  During the meal, a couple of servers got up and table danced to a Blues Brothers tune.  When the bill arrived and we were discussing the food, service, and tip, our son said, "Don't leave them a good tip, they were mean to me.".  It was at that point we decided we had to tell him that was part of their schtick.  Instead of being upset, my son really got into that, so as the severs would come by and comment, he'd give it right back, which made it even more enjoyable.   When we asked our son if he'd come back again, he said yes, but only after practicing some wise cracks.There's a gift shop however, we didn't purchase anything. 

We took the Brown EL back from Ed's to the hotel exiting at Sedgwick so we could stop by Walgreens and p/u the scrip.  We also purchased some water, milk, and pop (soda) to stock the fridge along with some breakfast bars.

We went back to the hotel and crashed for the rest of the evening....