We started our recent North American/Great Lakes holiday trip in Chicago, the hometown of my brother and his family and one of our favorite American cities. My brother, his wife, and the girls pulled out all of the stops to make our visit fun, of course! Shortly after arriving on Friday, we attended E's summer camp choral concert. 
We knew we'd enjoy seeing her perform, but we didn't expect to enjoy the entire concert as much as we did! 
You can see from the video below that the kids were really talented (yea!) despite the fact that they were singing that song I'll forever associate with the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates World Series victory over my beloved Baltimore Orioles (boo!):My brother the amateur chef started us off right the next morning with an alfresco brunch:
which was followed by some competitive backyard soccer:
and a Yahtzee tournament:
On Saturday night we tailgated before the Chicago Fire MLS team's match versus Monterrey, Mexico. 
My brother displayed brand loyalty all the way: 
The stadium was great for watching soccer, 
and our seats were in the front two rows 
so we had an awesome view of the field: 
But next time, remind me to sit BEHIND my brother so that his highly annoying horn isn't blasting right in my ear! (Is it really necessary for "little" brothers to spend the extra effort to really annoy their sisters?)
On Sunday we took the train from their picturesque village on the outskirts of Chicago: 
downtown to attend the annual Taste of Chicago festival. 
There were food booths from lots of local restaurants lining the streets, 
and we grazed our way through town. Who can resist freeze-dried popcorn on a stick? 
We walked to enjoy the sights of Chicago, 
then boarded a boat like this one 
to see the city from the water (the best perspective possible!) The tour guide on the boat mentioned that we might get a little wet...and almost immediately after I took this photo of the city skyline from Lake Michigan: 
we were drenched by a wave. Oh yeah, a "little wet"! 
Luckily it was a sunny day so we dried completely during the course of our cruise on the river:
That night, the last of the trip, we were treated to yet another gourmet meal whipped up by my brother: 
It's always fantastic to see him and his family, and this trip was no exception. We loved it!
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