Ogrmac

Welcome to the site Jennifer! I have always thought that the fountain would make the best swimming pool, so I have to agree with you wholeheartedly!!

My friend and I rode Vortex today. All was well until we were sitting there waiting to unload. The guy behind us began saying VERY loudly about how "it was such a shame that a girl got her arm chopped off on this ride." I was going to try to correct him, but I figured it would be a lost cause, so I just shook my head and let it go. I gotta give him credit though, that's one rumor I had never heard before.

Great photos! Looks like the 3 of you had an excellent time! I love how you still had to throw in a trip to KI to make the vacation complete. I also had a good giggle at the "money shot."

Congrats on the accomplishment whether or not it is "official". I think I would get bored riding Flight Deck that many times, so you get major kudos from me!

The link worked for me. Fantastic photos! Looks like you had the place pretty much to yourself! That is one place I would absolutely LOVE to visit in the near future.

^ Yes, the splashdown looks rather dirty. I wish they would clean it out, even just a little bit!

I am at 20. Thinking back, I should have ridden it 5 more times yesterday so I could get my 26th ride on my 26th birthday Saturday. I am bringing a couple friends with me and I don't know how they will feel about riding that many times, especially on a Saturday cause I imagine it will not be a walk on...

Thanks Kat (and Oldiesmann)! I never thought about the coasters having horns, but it does make sense that they would.

I bring my nieces (ages 6 and 9) to the park once a year for 2 days. I will say that I probably spend more money in the park those 2 days than I do the rest of my visits combined, not including the price of my pass. The phrase "Families are where the money comes from" does not offend me, because when I come to the park as part of a family unit, I go home broke. If I come by myself, I still have at least some money in my pocket when I exit.

I just couldn't seem to find the right words to describe my feelings on The Crypt. I think this pretty much sums it up!

Andrew- Thanks! Sears Tower and Millennium Park are must-visits for me if I ever go back! KIMan- You definitely need to go there! There is so much to do and see, I think one could spend several days there! AgentSoB- It's very beautiful in the spring, though from what I have heard, the winter is not so pleasant. A plane ride is out of the question for me, so don't feel bad! I imagine that it would be a pretty short flight, but the only way I leave the ground is as long as something attached to my person is attached to the ground. I flew to Atlanta, GA once. I don't think I'll willingly board a plane again, LOL. Oh, and you're welcome! Dvo- I don't know how anyone that lives there can stand the traffic. I was sick of it about an hour after we arrived! It would be a whole new experience to live there, I am sure! Avatar- Thanks! I did have fun but that was mostly due to the kids. They have a totally different way of looking at things that just leaves me awestruck. There are tons of things that I am sure Miss Rae would love, she is at a great age to really have some fun there! HTCO- If it were warmer, I would have been running around in the fountain along with the kids! The funniest thing was that some of them didn't know that it squirted water and they got soaked accidentally because they were standing too close, LOL! Also, Thanks!

AgentSoB, you have upgraded me from Son of Beast hater, LOL. I'll still need to ride it a few more times before I form any more opinions. The fireworks helped me keep my mind off the fact that the lift hill is so huge. Honestly, I think that was part of my disliking of that coaster. If you wanted to hug it, I'd have taken a picture of that too, haha. Those Diamondback photos are priceless to say the least, even the one where you forgot to pose. Excellent trip report, i'm glad you had a nice time. You are welcome to hang out with Robin and me anytime!

5:30 Friday morning came WAY too quickly, but with 4 people in 1 room to shower and eat breakfast, it was a rush to board the bus at 8. First stop: Millennium Park My goofy brother in front of the Jay Pritzker Pavillion, an outdoor ampitheatre that has a state of the art sound system so the people on the lawn hear the concert just the same as the people in the front row. Note the overhead structure with mounted speakers. Heeeeey, a giant shiny bean! Although the official name of this sculpture is Cloud Gate, Chicagoians have dubbed it "The Bean" My reflection and the skyline in the bean: Underneath the sculpture... Very cool! One last photo before we move on: The Crown Fountain, Two 50 foot towers made of glass block with LED screens featuring pictures of Chicago citizens. And they spit water! I have a video of the Crown fountain in action, but I am unsure as how to post it, so it may be added later. After Millennium Park, we went to the Museum of Science and Industry and then to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch before making the LONG drive home. Of course my camera battery died before I could photograph anything at those 2 locations. Finally at 12:30 am, I pulled back into my driveway! Though I was very tired, there was no time for sleep!! I needed to shower and pack for Ride Warriors before leaving at 3:30am!! My final thoughts on Chicago: While we did get to see and do A LOT, it was a bit rushed. We only got to spend about an hour each place we visited, and many of the children left disappointed because they didn't have enough time to explore various exhibits. However, it was a great taste of the variety Chicago has to offer and left many of us talking about a longer, more relaxed vacation there. All in all, it was a pretty good trip, but I have to say... Ride Warriors was better, LOL!

On the way over to Sears Tower it began to rain, so I dug my dollar store umbrella out of my bag. Some helpful advice for any of you planning a trip to Chicago... Chicago is known as the Windy City for a reason. Dollar Store umbrellas turn inside out as soon as you open them. Regrettably, I did not get a picture of this. Go ahead and imagine it though, it's pretty funny. Once inside the Sears Tower, we were packed into an elevator. I am not a fan of heights, and I get a little claustrophobic. Good times!! Actually, this particular elevator took us down one floor to the ticket and entrance area for the Skydeck so I didn't have much time to panic. One group photo and another even more packed elevator ride later, we arrived on the 99th floor. If you aren't tall enough to see over the sign, climb under it! We were told on the bus that this building is called "The Wedding Ring Building" because the top looks like a central diamond with smaller ones surrounding it. Me and Chicago! From the bottom up: Next Stop... Navy Pier: Apparently most of the stores in Navy Pier close at 8pm so we didn't get to see or do much while there. I was even gonna suck it up and ride the giant Ferris Wheel so I could get some pictures for you guys, but it was closed too, So we went out front to wait on the busses. Sammy Sosa lived in the ENTIRE 55th floor of this building: After Navy Pier, we finally headed to our hotel for some much needed rest! Next post: A big shiny thing!

On May 7th, 2009 I awoke to a screaming alarm clock at 4am. After getting ready, I hopped in my car and headed to my brother's house to pick up my niece Chloe, my sister in law Cathy, and my brother Matt. Shortly after 6am we boarded one of the 2 busses carrying TAG (Talented and Gifted) students and their assorted family members. During the 7 hour bus ride to Chicago we watched Wall-E (Which I highly recommend!) High School Musical 3 (Which I don't) and Kit Kittridge (Which I dozed through, so I don't know) We FINALLY arrived in Chicago and headed toward Shedd Aquarium. From this point on, I'll let the photos (and one video) do most of the talking, since that's probably why you clicked on this thread, isn't it? Chloe at some random rest stop in Indiana, just after asking me how much longer it would be until we were there: Lake Michigan as seen from my seat on the bus: In the Revolving door going into Shedd Aquarium: Not sure why these fishes' heads look like this... Sea Dragon: The Sears Tower (I know it's Willis Tower now, but nothing in or on the building reflected this change as of our visit so I refuse to call it that.) seen from outside Shedd Aquarium: The Oceanarium was closed for renovation so we didn't get to see the really cool stuff like whales or dolphins. Oh well, on to the Field Museum of Natural History! Sue, the T-Rex (has a big head and little arms!) Sue's real skull is not on the actual structure because it is too heavy for the supports (600 pounds!) so they keep it in this box: Stay tuned for the next post where I am squished in an elevator with waaaaay too many people!

Ohhhhh, thanks! I googled it to see the artist and wondered why it was slightly hard to find, LOL! I kept thinking "I've heard this a million times so I know it was a popular song." Having the wrong title explains a lot.

Cracking up at both pictures! Nice job guys! I especially love the Mystery Machine one. I agree that it is classic!!

Off the top of my head: "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult "Put Me in Coach" by John Fogerty "Message in a Bottle" by The Police "Streetcorner Symphony" by Rob Thomas and at least a few Matchbox 20 songs, but I can't remember which ones.

Excellent trip report, as always! Robin and I enjoyed hanging out and riding with all you fine folks. I am looking forward to seeing everyone again at Ride Warriors!!

iChase, I don't know the laws or anything, but perhaps a nearby roadside rest stop? You will have restrooms and vending machines close! Or maybe a 24 hour Walmart parking lot? Ogrmac, who has seriously thought about doing the things listed above!

Robin and I are currently looking into reservations right now! We are SO excited for this. We will definitely join up to ride with you guys!

I saw it and almost bought it. Still contemplating that purchase, actually. I really liked it because it looked so different from all the other shirts.

In line for The Beast opening day, I heard this conversation from a few people behind me. Girl: I'm scared. This is going to be scary. Guy: Of course it's going to be scary, it's called The Beast, not puppies and butterflies. Girl: Shut up. So of course I was imagining "New at KI in 2010, Puppies and Butterflies... The Ride!"

It does look a little like him, but I don't think it is. Good picture though!

My photo number was 0802 and I certainly wasn't the 8th train of the day because I rode shortly before noon. Maybe they go up to a certain point then start over or something.