Chicago Letter

Dear Parents,

The time has finally arrived.  Chicago, here we come Saturday, May 16th!  The agenda for the day is as follows:

We will leave Avilla School at 7:00 a.m. for Chicago.  We are leaving at 7:00 because Chicago is an hour earlier than us and the museum does not open until 9:30.  You may want to arrive around 6:45 or a little earlier to be sure you are here on time.  We will take a rest stop at a service station on the way.  You may want to consider grabbing a bite to eat at the service station or pack snacks because we will be eating lunch late.  Our first stop is the Museum of Science and Industry.  We are scheduled to arrive around 9:30.  The museum offers a wide variety of exhibits.  Some of the exhibits include a fairy castle, space center, a coal mine, U-505 submarine, trains, ships, toymakers and more.  Some of the newer exhibits are an additional price to walk through.  Another option at an additional price is going to an Omnimax movie.  There are two movies playing while we are there.  One is called “Journey to Space” and it plays at 10:00 a.m.  The other movie is called “D-Day: Normandy 1944” and it plays at 11:00 a.m.  The movies are about 40 minutes long.  You can purchase tickets at the museum.  You can also view additional information about the movies and the exhibits online at http://msichicago.org/.  We will depart the museum around 12:30. 

Next we will be heading to Lincoln Park Zoo.  You can eat your sack lunch on the bus on the way to the zoo or there is a picnic area to eat at when we arrive.  If you choose to eat on the way, you are welcome to enter the zoo upon arrival.   We should arrive at the zoo around 1:00.  There are many indoor and outdoor exhibits.  Please dress appropriately since we will be doing some walking outdoors.  Some exhibits that you may be interested in are the polar bears, chimpanzees, gorillas, wolves, and much more.  There are rides available for a price such as a safari ride, carousel, and paddleboats.  We will leave the zoo around 3:00.

Last, but not least, we will go downtown to Michigan Avenue to shop and take in the sights.  We will make a decision when we get there as to how long we will stay on Michigan Avenue.  (It will probably depend on how tired the adults are!)  Usually we spend about an hour and a half.  Then we will head for home.  We will stop at an exit that has several fast food restaurants to choose from.  Please remember that times are subject to change depending on weather and traffic.

Also, just a reminder that is okay to bring food for breakfast, but be careful how much you drink.  The bathrooms on the bus are great but shouldn’t be overused.  You are responsible for any games, books, or devices you bring.  Remember that you will need money to pay for your dinner and any souvenirs.

I hope this will help make the day easier and fun for you.  See you Saturday morning, bright and early, rain or shine!  Remember to dress in layers, because Chicago is the Windy City!  We can always take jackets off if it becomes warm.  We will have an itinerary to give you the morning of the trip attached with maps of the museums and highlights that you may be interested in seeing.

                                                                                                            Mrs. Collins

Mrs. Stine

                                                                                                            Mrs. Kerr