You can go home again!

Both sides of our family have long and deep ties to Chicago. My Great-Great Grandfather, George B. Swift was in fact the mayor of Chicago around the late 1800's. Dan's earliest memories of Marshall Field's (now Macy's but always Marshall Field's to us), were the windows at Christmas and buying his 1st cub scout uniform there. When Nick was young we would go ice skating across the street on State Street at the outdoor rink. It is no longer there--things do change. We decided to re-live some old traditions and start some new ones. We spent a couple of nights at the Palmer House which is a gorgeous 135 yr. old hotel downtown (now owned by Hilton). The ceiling of the lobby is covered with original Italian murals. No acts perform in the Empire Room anymore but the walls are filled with pictures of the "greats" who performed there 30-60 years ago. Sinatra, Burns, Youngman, Lewis, etc. all greeted us. Walk out the front door and you'll see the old Carson Pirie Scott Building (currently under renovation). Look to the right and you'll see the historic elevated train ( the "El" to the locals). We went to the Museum of Science and Industry to see the Christmas trees from around the world. The exhibit has been there every Christmas season since WWII. Grace loved the interactive exhibits. Dan and I have been going to that museum since we were little kids. My Great Grandparents used to live on Hyde Park, just a block away. Chicago has great shopping--one of the many things we miss about the area. No trip to Chicago would be complete (at least at Christmas time) without a trip to Marshall Field's and a look at the story in the window displays. This year it was "The Nutcracker." It was adorable as always. We didn't stand in line for an hour to eat in the Walnut Room under the Great Tree, we have done that before many times, another Chicago tradition that goes back over 100 yrs. and several generations in our families. Lake Shore Drive, the Field Museum, North Michigan Avenue, the theaters, the restaurants...no matter where we travel or live, this place always feels like home.