Traffic pro

When we first sat in our seats at the United Center I immediately noticed the two big screens. On each side of the stage there was a big screen showing everything tweeted @eddieizzard. Twitter on big screens at a show?

What a cool idea! As we sat waiting for the show to begin we got to see what everyone wrote.

It was fun to read as we waited. It also brought the audience closer as they started to talk about the tweets. It took a bit longer to notice what the background was.

Behind the Twitter stream was a changing background. Then we realized that it was actually a video being recorded within the venue. It would zoom in on two people for awhile and then move on to an other area in the audience.

It added to the fun as audience members started a kind of "Where's Waldo" and tried to hunt down who was getting taped at that time. The most fun backgrounds were of people that had no clue they were being shown on the big screen. There were tons of people stuffing their faces with popcorn and pizza.

I think that was the most fun I have had waiting for a show! I was a bit disappointed though. I figured that there was no reason to bring my cell phone along so I could not send anything onto the Twitter screen. :(

Slowly but surely I will finish everything. Life has been very busy though. Today I will do the review on the hotel we stayed in. I usually get paid to do reviews or get something for free but I do bad reviews for free!

We chose the Crowne Plaza Chicago Metro. We picked it solely because it was a short walk from the train station.

I will start by giving you their statement from their website...

Cutting-edge luxury awaits you in our sleek and modern guest rooms and suites, offering romantic views of the Chicago Skyline and an amazing downtown location.

I would say that yes, it looks like it was once a sleek modern hotel but it has not aged well. It has been very neglected. Right away as we entered we found that the "automatic" revolving door stopped being automatic as soon as you entered it. That is when the bellman runs over and helps you push the heavy door so that you can enter.

Check in was very fast since we paid online. I liked the security of not being able to go up on the elevators without using a room key. When we got out of the elevator I found the hallways had filthy carpet. I told myself that it was winter and a Friday so maybe they just could not keep up with vacuuming.

Then we entered our room. I found that the carpet in the room was also filthy. Either they do not vacuum often or they really need to replace their vacuums. I pulled back a curtain so I could hang my coat and I found a pair of someone's socks. This really bothered me. How much cleaning could they have done?

I was also not very impressed with the bathroom. One of the things I love about hotels is the sink and mirror area that is outside of the bathroom. They did not have that. They had a very small bathroom with a sliding glass door. The door sat on track on the outside of the bathroom and overlapped a little. The glass was frosted but still! The one time in life that I do not want to be behind glass is when I am on the toilet!

James had a conference call right away so he loved that they had a desk and wifi. He wanted some quiet so I decided to take the girls to the grocery store across the street. That is when I noticed that they did not even have a little fridge and microwave. As a mom this is a must! Even crappy hotels have them. I quick checked to be sure that there was a coffee maker or someone might die! There was a coffee maker but it was the cheapest most pathetic thing I have ever seen.

The rest of the room looked dirty and old. The bedding and towels were dingy and their signature little red Crowne Plaza pillows had their seams ripped open and frayed. The furniture looked like it was once nice but now the corners are all chipped and broken.

On the plus side the room did have a chaise so my one daughter chose to sleep there rather than sleep with her sisters. There was also a beautiful view from the balcony which we used to keep our drinks cold since there was no fridge.

Will I go back? I would rather not. I will try to look for another hotel that is close to the train station. The Crowne Plaza Chicago Metro could be a beautiful place but it is clear that no one cares to do any upkeep.

The girl's first experience in Chicago was the Ogilvie Transportation Center. As soon as we arrived to the train station they were mesmerized by how huge the place was. We did not have time to spend there when we first arrived but we spent an hour and a half there before we came back home.


The revolving doors that are everywhere in Chicago gave them a problem every time. They would either go too slow or too fast but they always ended up getting dirty looks from other people. Our hotel had automatic revolving doors but they would stop moving the second you got in them. It was always fun to watch the girls as the doors stopped and they hit the glass.

When we went back to the Ogilvie Transportation Center to catch our train home we had plenty of time to check it out. Our first stop was to the book store. The two hour train ride home made everyone want to buy a new book. Then we went to find some dinner.

Unfortunately, we were rushed the entire trip so the only food we ate while in Chicago was sandwiches from the grocery store by the hotel and at the train station before we left. At least the train station had decent food.

There first floor is full of stores and a food court so we all could get different things. My younger two girls got food at the Pizza Hut, James got a huge Italian Beef sandwich, and my oldest and I got Gyros. I really had hoped to go out to eat but I guess that will have to wait until next time.

These pictures are of where the trains come in from the back of the station.

Our weekend trip to Chicago started and ended with a Metra train ride. James did not want to drive in Chicago and I HATE driving in big cities so we decided on taking the Metra.

The closest pick up was 1 1/2 hours away and then the train ride was 2 hours long. It would have only taken us 2 1/2 hours to drive but it was much nicer not driving.

We picked the kids up early from school and headed to the train station. On the way we stopped for some sandwiches and drinks. The two hour train ride went by quickly since we had lunch to eat, iPods, and video games.

The second the kids saw that the train had a second floor they knew they had to be on the top. The second floor was two sides separated by a luggage rack. It was definitely a commuter train. There was nothing pretty about it. The bottom floor looked just like a bus but the top floor was fold down seats lining the sides and much less full.

We pretty much took over one side of the second floor of our train car on the way there and back. We could all sit in a row and stretch out more. It also had a more private feel to it. I did not like waiting in the cold for the trains but it was much better than driving.

Life has been very busy and very crazy lately. I am finally able to get some work done so I can also finally talk about our trip this last weekend. There is way too much to cover so I will have to break it up into separate posts.

James and I have loved Eddie Izzard for years so when we found out that he was doing a show in Chicago we knew we wanted to go. As the day got closer we decided to make it a full weekend trip to Chicago and take the kids.

We had a wonderful time but it all seemed very rushed. We were always on the go trying to fit all of our plans in. We wanted to stay an extra day but James really needed to get back to work. We have all agreed that we want to do more weekend trips to Chicago when we have more time to enjoy it and not be so rushed. James works in Chicago so he has not wanted to go there on the weekend but taking the train made him enjoy it more than he expected.

There is a lot to share about our trip so keep checking back for the up coming posts!

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