We were up early this morning to get some things sorted. Turns out that my "easy to refinance online" SIM is certainly easy to refinance - if you have a Social Security Number (yes, I am prepared to admit I did have to Google what the hell it was asking me for when it kept asking for the last 4 digits of my SSN).
Thankfully we found a store for the company and the guy there was fantastic in helping us out to recharge both SIMs.
From there it was into a taxi and back out to the airport to pick up our new rental car. Craig is actually driving a Ford again - a Ford Edge, swanky thing with 'double sun roof" and other whizz bang gadgets. The boys are now excited for the end of Route 66 so they can have the sun roof open. (really, THIS is what they're excited about).
Back to our hotel to park the car and then it was a very late brunch, lunch really before heading to the Planetarium. The boys didn't seem to get much out of it unfortunately, but then neither of them have really been interested in space before now either.
We decided we'd make a quick dash over to see some of Field Museum, knowing it was getting late, but when we got there it turns out they had closed early for a "Members Only Function" that was happening. Bit rude I thought really. Haha.
I will say that the City Pass tickets were brilliant. Even though we only got to four of five of the venues, it still saved us lots of money and, as it turns out, lots of time at the last venue too.
When the museum was shut we thought we'd walk across to the city to find the Route 66 sign to show where it begins. (I managed to find us the End sign - told Craig the one way traffic was going the wrong way) so a street further up and he was a happy boy. Now has photos of him under the sign.
We walked from there to find Lou Mitchell's diner, a bit of a walk and the boys were very disappointed to find out when we got there that it is only open till 3pm. It was around 4 when we arrived.
At least on the way we had passed the SkyDeck which Blake was desperate to go up to so we walked back down to it and headed in. This was the time I can honestly say the CityPass was a time saver. When we got on the elevator to head up the assistant announced that it was an hour and a half wait if you didn't already have tickets. The CityPass counted as a fast pass so within all of maybe five to ten minutes we were on the 103rd floor looking out the windows at the entire city of Chicago. Great views today as the weather was much clearer, other than low cloud or mist that was sitting over Lake Michigan.
We all stood on the see-through floor and got pictures to prove that we'd done it. (Yes, for me that was a BIG deal - heights and I are not friends).
Very cool. Glad we took the time to go.

An early dinner and back to the hotel for hopefully a very chilled night. Off on Route 66 tomorrow!

Interesting points:
- everything is soooo rusted here!
- Lake Michigan is ENORMOUS - seriously even standing at the top of those towers you think you're looking out over the edge of an ocean because there is no other side in sight.
- whilst outer suburbs look so down and broken, from the edge of the lake into the city is really pretty.
-sooo much construction going on in the city - cab driver this morning said when I commented on it "yeah, we have two seasons - Winter and Construction" hahahaa!