Where's Willow? Chicago (Day 3)

We woke up extra early today to make the trek downtown. It's a lot easier to travel downtown by train than to drive. This is the Orange line train station by Kedzie street.

This is the rail map of Chicago.

Willow and Holly's first time riding the CTA train!

After a quick ride on the train, we went to see the Willis tower, better known to Chicagoans as the Sears tower. We did not get a picture of the outside, because it's hard to get a good angle when you're so close to a 108 story (1,451 foot) skyscraper! This is a picture of a model comparing the Willis/Sears tower to other buildings across the world. 

"On a clear day, you can see up to 50 miles." Today was somewhat cloudy, but we were still able to catch some stunning views of the city. 

 The Willis/Sears tower is currently the second tallest building in the U.S. Here are Willow and Holly at the top of the tower after a short (minute and a half) elevator ride. 

From here you can see Lake Michigan.

The Western side of the building features a few glass boxes overlooking the city streets. Here are the girls standing on "the Ledge."

 Can you spot the tiny cars way down below? That's a long 1,353 feet down!

 The soaring heights left us with a bit of an appetite, so we decided to make our way to Garrett popcorn. This is one of the top popcorn chains in Chicago. 

Look at all that popcorn! The Chicago mix, which is now being called the Garrett mix, consists of caramel and cheese flavored popcorn. Delicious!

Willow standing next to a giant Garrett popcorn tin. Sorry, Willow, but that's not real popcorn!

A few blocks away, Millenium Park is a great place to get some fresh air and check out some modern art.

 "Cloud Gate," affectionately known to Chicagoans as "the Bean," is at the center of Millenium Park. Willow thought the reflection of Chicago's skyline looked amazing within the Bean/Cloud Gate.

 View directly behind the Bean/Cloud Gate. 

Willow wanted a picture of herself with the whole Bean/Cloud Gate. 

 Willow and Holly looking very cool standing fairly far away from the Bean/Cloud Gate, haha. 

Now off to AGP to meet Grace!

 American Girl Place Chicago stands out at the Water Tower Place in downtown Chicago.

 We checked out the new Pizza Party set, which is adorable! Holly can't wait to bring this one home soon. Willow said she much preferred the deep-dish style pizza of Chicago, but wouldn't mind trying this one!

Willow and Holly finally got to meet Grace, this year's GOTY. 

Here are Willow and Grace side by side. Our trip back South was a quiet one. After such a busy day, Willow and Holly wanted to get home and unwind. Tomorrow we will be going outside of Chicago and seeing a different side of Illinois.