Today I took the kids to The Choo Choo Grill. It is an authentic 50's diner in Des Plaines. If you sit at the counter, an old Lionel model train drives around a track and brings you your food. The gentleman sitting beside me grew up in the neighborhood. He told us all about the history of the place. It opened in 1951, the same year as the first McDonalds which opened just down the street! The owner thought the golden arches were no competition for him. Even the McDonalds guys did not believe they would surpass Choo Choo's business! This place is local favorite. The food is good, and the novelty of the train delivering it was even better.
We drove over to the original McDonalds, which is now a Museum. It was closed. Apparently it is only opened seas
onally. Then we took off for The Chicago Botanical Gardens, more specifically the Model Railroad Garden. (Yes, I always do like a theme.) This is a portion of the gardens that closes at the end of October, so we wanted to make sure we got there before they close it down for the year.
The exhibit has working model trains, miniature representations of America’s best-loved landmarks, and small-scale gardens. I'm a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, so I enjoyed the replicas of several of his most famous buildings, including Fallingwater in Pennsylvania, Taliesin in Wisconsin, Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio in Oak Park, IL. Here you can see Max by his favorite, the miniature Wrigley Field. 
3 comments:
April, you deserve mother of the year. The most Spencer gets out now-a-days is when we have to go to the store! He would flip out to see the McDonalds. He loves saying "burger" lately. Kinda funny.
You are the best mom. I don't know where you get the energy. I'm exhausted just getting my two buckled up in the van.
i do love those botanical gardens. sometimes i wish i'd had a car in chicago to go to places like this more often. looks like you had a fun time!
Post a Comment