Chicago: Travelling with Baby

"Cloud Gate" (aka the Bean) by Anish Kapoor in Chicago's Millennium Park

To the new parent, traveling with a new baby can seem like a huge challenge, but it is more than doable, as evidenced by Leah's experience in the interview below.  I know from experience than in many ways traveling with  baby is easier than with a toddler - a baby is more willing to go where YOU want to go, and is easier to carry around.  There's no real reason to postpone that trip you want to take - it is very much worth getting out there with your baby!  Leah traveled with her family (including about-9-month-old Arlo) from Boston to Chicago and it sounds like a terrific trip.  

You recently spent a few days in Chicago - was this your first vacation with Arlo? 

Yes, it was our first family vacation on a plane! He slept almost the whole way during both trips!

Any special preparations you make for air travel with a baby? 

I read a bunch of blogs about what to bring and about how to travel with the baby, i.e., rent a car vs subway vs taxi cab and the required or suggested accoutrements. After a lot of back and forth, we decided that we didn't feel comfortable riding in cabs without a car seat so we bit the bullet and rented a car. It was a bit expensive but well worth the anxiety and stress we may have experienced had we just decided to chance it in taxi cabs. It also made it easier to get around the city because it was fast and we didn't have to depend on public transportation or anyone else. We also brought our BOB Stroller and our Ergo. They both worked out beautifully.

Tell us about some of the fun things you did on this trip! 

We did a lot of great things. We came to Chicago for a good friend's wedding so we attended that. It was great to show off Arlo to all of our good friends. We also went to the Renegade Craft Fair, explored Wicker Park and downtown Chicago by the Magnificent Mile (where we stayed), went to the Shedd Aquarium, explored Grant Park and the walked along the lake shore, ate a lot of good food and shopped! We also went to Hyde Park to see Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio. I ended up going on the tour alone because we realized how difficult it was going to be for Arlo to be patient for an hour. Jesse walked around the neighborhood and looked at the beautiful houses while Arlo slept in the Ergo. I was the lucky one and got to see that magnificent house!

How did you accommodate the baby’s needs (naps, feeding, things like that)? 

When we were out on the town, he would sleep in the Bob a lot. We also made an effort to bring him back to the hotel after breakfast and let him take a nap. He napped a lot in the car seat in the car. We also were almost always at the hotel by 7 or 8 so he could go to bed at his normal time. Our first night, we walked for about 2 hours and didn't get home until 10pm and he slept in the Ergo. He was fantastic. I nursed him in the Ergo as needed or in the hotel. He enjoyed food at the restaurants as well. I have to say, the Bob Stroller was a life saver and really kept us organized.

Was there anything you tried to do that didn’t turn out so well? 

Not really. Although we left the wedding at 8:30pm because he was getting cranky. Other than that, he was a total champ.

Where would you love to take Arlo next? 

Our next trip will be to Marquette, MI to visit my mom, stepfather and father. I can't wait!!

The Delightful Cephalopodic Playgrounds of Japan

I’m not sure I would plan an entire trip around playgrounds - especially a major trip to a faraway land like Japan.  However, it’s one of the first things I look into whenever we go anywhere - it’s just good to know where we can go blow off steam and run around if we need to.  

Japan looks to have some awfully neat playgrounds worth keeping an eye out for - and a surprising number of them incorporate one of my favorite cephalopods - the octopus!  The play structures, most of which were built by the Maeda Environmental Art Co., are common and are typically found in neighborhood parks - nothing spectacular about these sites.  But sometimes a little stop at a neighborhood playground is just what you need when you’re on the way to something more spectacular!

There's a lot to love about these structures. The organic, amorphous shapes are very conducive to sliding, climbing, and slithering.  The faces of some these creatures are alternately slightly scary, poignant, or goofy.  While clearly octopi, the structures do not demand that the nature of your play be aquatic - they're suggestive but open-ended.  For more examples (and there are many, many more), click here.

Monstrum: Inspiring Playground Design

The Cod at Vejlebro School near Copenhagen

I absolutely love the Danish playground design team known as Monstrum (meaning behemoth or monster).  They are responsible for a gaggle of gorgeous playgrounds across Scandinavia (as well as in the UK), with many in the city of Copenhagen.  Their designs are uncomplicated, but totally inspiring - the colors and forms are beautiful and inviting, and the structures are elegant and solidly built. While they hold obvious appeal for a child, this kind of design is terribly alluring for adults too - I know I’m drawn in just looking at them.  It did not surprise me to learn that the founders - Ole B. Nielsen and Christian Jensen - have a background in theater design.

The Blue Whale in Gothenburg, Sweden

 Spider and Mushrooms in Hillerod, Denmark

The Pike in Annedals Park in Stockholm

We got to play in one of these when we visited Tivoli, in Copenhagen.  “Petzi’s World” (on Monstrum’s site they call it Rasmus Klump Land) nestles in a corner of the park and is filled with delightful structures drawn from the world of Comic Book favorite Petzi (or Rasmus Klump). While kids gave themselves over to play within the enchanted maritime landscape, adults chatted amiably amid sweetly painted structures and sculptural elements (we met a nice family from Greenland).

Rasmus Klump Land in Tivoli, in Copenhagen

At Fælledparken in Copenhagen, the newish playground by Monstrum (completed in late 2011) includes interpretations of five of Copenhagen’s most famous towers: City Hall’s tower, the tower of Our Saviour’s Church (Vor Frelsers Kirke), the Round Tower, the dome of the Marble Church (Marmorkirken), and the Stock Exchange (Borsen) Tower. I love the way real architectural ideas are incorporated into play buildings.

Fælledparken in Copenhagen

This unexpected playscape incorporates a giant roly-poly bug, in part because (in the words of the designers): “it is really a creature we don’t see enough.”  Here and there, interesting facts about roly poly bugs are carved into the wood.

The Roly Poly Playground in Gentofte, Denmark

One dramatic playground illustrates the perils of the Bermuda Triangle, complete with broken ships, airplanes, and a surfacing whale.  Just the place for a child to safely explore some dangerous situations...

The Bermuda Triangle in North Bridge Park (Norrebroparken) in Copenhagen

All of these photos are from Monstrum's own website; I encourage you to visit the site for more pictures and projects!

San Francisco: Dolores Park and the Mission District

During a recent trip to San Francisco, we spent an afternoon in the awfully hip Mission District - lots of great little shops and places to eat, and, despite a great deal of gentrification, still some older places too. My husband was very pleased to see that the burrito joint he frequented during a teenage visit back in the 1980s was still going strong.

We arrived via the 16th Street BART station and walked straight to Bi-Rite Grocery for sandwiches and other picnicky stuff.  Bi-Rite is fashionable and crowded and hectic but is a good source for nice-quality lunch stuff.

For something sweet, I was determined to check out Tartine Bakery, which is just down the street from Bi-Rite. Despite the line (which looked scary-long but moved quickly), I knew this was the right decision as soon as I saw the place - good god, it smelled amazing! I bought some enormous chocolate chip cookies and some petite orange-currant ones (both proved to be delectable). Everything looked amazing.

Then we made out way to Dolores Park.  The park occupies several square blocks and features grassy slopes, scattered palm trees, and a brand-new totally-fun playground. My husband overheard one visitor remark "We came all this way to hang out at the park??" But with children, that's often just what we do. The trick is finding an amazing park like this one, with stunning views, delightful architecture all around, great food spread out on a blanket, and a well-designed play area. We were in heaven!

After getting our fill of playing and lounging and eating, we headed back into the neighborhood and paid a visit to Paxton Gate on Valencia Street. This store is fascinating for child and adult alike with its fanciful collection of taxidermy, pinned insects, fossils, stones, and related exquisite objects.  It is definitely exploring!