Friday, April 10 | Millennium Park & Wrigley Field
A cloudy morning, a giant silver bean, and a bucket-list baseball game. Day 2 had it all.
We woke up to a cloudy, damp Chicago morning — the kind of day that makes you want to linger over coffee a little longer. But with Alicia’s conference sessions starting at noon, we laced up and headed out to make the most of the morning. Our destination: Millennium Park.
The walk over was a perfect introduction to Chicago on foot. The city has an energy in the morning that’s hard to describe — locals heading to work, the lake peeking between buildings, the grand architecture framing every block. And then, there it was: Cloud Gate — or as everyone calls it, the Bean. No matter how many photos you’ve seen of it, nothing quite prepares you for standing underneath that massive mirror-polished sculpture and watching the city — and yourself — reflected in infinite curves above you. We spent more time there than we expected. Worth every minute.
With Alicia heading off to her first conference sessions, Mark had the afternoon all to himself. And he had exactly one item at the top of the list: Wrigley Field.
Bucket list. Checked. ✅
There’s something genuinely special about walking up to Wrigley for the first time. The famous red marquee sign, the ivy (still dormant in early April), the hand-operated scoreboard in center field, the rooftop bleachers on Waveland Avenue — it all feels like baseball the way baseball was meant to be experienced. The Cubs were hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates, and while the rain mercifully held off all afternoon, the Cubs couldn’t quite pull out the win. But honestly? On a day like this, the score almost didn’t matter.
Mark fueled up with the only acceptable ballpark meal: a Chicago Dog (mustard, relish, onion, tomato, pickle, sport peppers, and celery salt — no ketchup, never ketchup) and a bag of ballpark peanuts. Classic. Perfect. Chicago.
It was a great afternoon. One of those days where everything just clicks — the right place, the right food, the right vibe. Chicago keeps delivering. ⚾
Next up: Day 3 — Pullman National Historical Park
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