The Choo Choo Restaurant

What can we say about The Choo Choo restaurant in Des Plaines? TAKE YOUR KIDS THERE. It an old-school diner, with a model train that runs around a track and brings out the food. Our child sits in the booth and watches in amazement as the train comes around. Can it get much better than food and trains?

The restaurant is tiny. There are several booths and counter seating, so get there early. As in, “before it opens early” to guarantee yourself a seat next to the tracks (or any seat for that matter). Avoid school holidays and weekends if possible. The hours of the restaurant, which is cash only, are Saturday to Wednesday, 10:30am until 3:00pm, and Thursday and Friday 10:30am until 8:00pm.

In addition to the model train there is one free “train-like” ride in The Choo Choo that kids can go on over-and-over to their hearts content. They just sit in it and it rocks back and forth. Basic fun for little ones.

The food is great, greasy diner fare. Yummy cheese burgers, fries, hot dogs, grilled cheese, and milkshakes. If you’ve been reading the previous blogs you know we care about, and prefer, healthy food choices and The Choo Choo restaurant has a few — veggie burgers and grilled chicken. But we’ve never tried them. This place is such a guilty pleasure for us that we use it as an excuse to deviate from our depressingly healthy eating habits. Worth every carb and calorie.

For our kid, the absolute final cherry on the cake at The Choo Choo is dessert. It’s a cupcake with a train whistle on top. Brought to him on a model train. What could be better?

Our child’s Grandma and Grandpa make this a day’s activity by taking him to The Choo Choo on…the train. The restaurant is located a short walk from the Des Plaines Metra stop. Probably not a good a idea in the horrifically cold weather we’ve been having, but brilliant when the weather is nicer.

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Larry and Donna

Mom Says: Go early, but even if you have to wait a bit, it is so much fun. Parents should splurge on a cheeseburger and fries, it’s worth it.

Dad Says: I recommend getting the cupcake as an appetizer.

Posted in Food | 79 Comments »

Monkey Island

Two weeks ago we investigated Pump It Up, the wonderful world of inflatable jumpies and how phenomenal a party can be where you jump, dive, and roll knowing you will land without injury. This week we review another amazing playland of air called Monkey Island. Monkey island is extraordinarily inconveniently located in Melrose Park on 15th Street and Bryn Mawr. But you don’t actually enter on 15th street, you enter on 17th street, which of course makes perfect sense. However, Monkey Island is conveniently located next door to a laser tag facility so if you have older and younger kids you can divide and counquer. Monkey Island is $4 for adults, $8 for children.

Monkey Island is an enormous warehouse with 6 inflatable play grounds including a 2 story slide, obstacle course, Diego jumpy, Curious George slide, a tiny inflatable town for little people (equipped with inflatable police car, fire engine, boat, and helicopter), and an inflatable climbing volcano with dinosaurs; a play kitchen area with stuffed animals; a velcro jump platform where you can put on a velcro suit and stick to a wall; and most importantly a 5 story climbing maze with slides to get back down to the bottom.

The climbing maze really sets Monkey Island apart from other inflatable party places. It is extremely large; just as safe as the inflatable areas; parents can stand in the middle and you can see the entire maze and track your kid the whole time; and parents can fit in the maze and help their kid climb to the top and slide to the bottom.

Monkey Island differentiates its design from similar venues in that it is one large play warehouse. Whereas most inflatable gymns are sectioned into several different rooms, Monkey Island has decided on one enormous room. Though there are small party rooms where you can host birthday parties, all of the entertainment is in one really large warehouse that parties and open play share. This means that there is open play all day, everyday, which is really nice when compared to Pump It Up. We played at Monkey Island on a Saturday from 11am until 3pm, which seemed to be a bit of a peak as more and more birthday parties came through the door. At one time, we estimated almost 300 people in the place. There were no lines at any of the equipment and the place continued to seem pleasantly sparse.

We would make a few recommendations to Monkey Island to make it almost perfect. First, though its a small charge for adults, most of their competitors don’t charge for adults. Second, move the dining and lounging area into the middle of the warehouse. If it was in the middle, parents could literally camp out (leveraging the free Wi-Fi access) and be able to keep an eye on all of their kids. Currently, the dining area is up in the front of the facility and the climbing maze blocks your view to the rest of the warehouse. Third, just try to fake having something other than junk food would be appreciated; maybe a little fruit, a blueberry muffin, or even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich could help make the visit that much better. They do not allow outside food or drink. (This is expecially annoying, because you’re there for so long you really do need to eat while you’re there.)

Monkey Island is about 20 minutes from Chicago and with all day, all week open play time, it is an exhausting day for kids and parents. Long naps for both parents and kids are guaranteed following MI. The open warehouse format gives kids plenty to play with and allows parents to keep an eye on kids without always having to constantly scale an infatable mountain. If you can find it, try Monkey Island and you won’t be disapponted.

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Larry and Donna

Mom Says: This is a great place. If it was in the city I’d go there all the time. The addition of the climbing maze allows children to play for a long time, they don’t get bored just doing jumpies. It’s great for really new walkers all the way to school aged kids. Sneak in your own healthy snacks.

Dad Says: The pizza is passable but could use some help. Since there is really nothing within miles of MI you are really locked into their food. From an exercise perspective, teach your kid to get to the top of the large twisting slide in the climbing maze. Some of the “floors” in the climbing maze are just slightly too high for a typical 2 to 4 year old to push themselves up. They need to brace their foot against the netting of the maze to boost themselves up.

Posted in Venues | 116 Comments »

Chicago Auto Show

If it has wheels, an engine, or wings, and drives, flies, or floats, kids will love it. Both boys and girls like Thomas the Train and can play with matchbox cars non-stop. The Chicago Auto Show is meant to be an easy way for adults to browse each manufacturer’s new product line for the year, but can also be a great way to spend the morning with the kids if they love playing in cars.

First, we recommend getting to the show right when it opens, at 10:00am. Or, if you have flexibility, go during the day on a weekday. On the weekend, the show turns into a mob scene right at 12:01pm. When there are this many people, it is hard for your kid to play in the cars that they want due to the lines of actual buyers - and of course other kids. If you get there at 10:00am you’ll also have the benefit of parking close to the show. The best parking option is the lot attached to McCormick Place West. If you are going south on Lake Shore Drive, get off at 31st street, pass the first sign that says “Auto Show Parking”, and go to the next street, Martin Luther King Drive North. This takes you right up to the event. If it’s already filled, the first parking lot, on Moe Drive off 31st Street, is not too bad either. It’s a manageable walk or you can take the free trolley right up to the door. Either parking lot will minimize the amount of walking in freezing weather. Don’t worry there will be plenty of walking to do at the show which charges $10 for adults, $5 for seniors, $5 for kids 7-12, and free for kids under 7.

The attraction of the show is, of course, the cars. If your kid doesn’t like to sit in front of a steering wheel, pretend to drive, play with all of the buttons, and open every single compartment, this show isn’t for them. However, if a car is just another piece of playground equipment, the Auto Show is pure entertainment. Trucks are so big these days, that even getting in the front seat is like climbing a mountain. The new touch screen pads adds another level of fun as maps, cities, radio, and climate control systems flash on the screen.

The great thing about kids and cars is that they really don’t discriminate on price or possibly even style. They can have as much fun in a Ford Focus as a Mercedes S class. It is more about shiny colors and a fun dashboard that has a lot of buttons to push. Our kid’s favorite cars to play in were the Ford Mustang, Lexus ES, Toyota Tundra, Dodge Minivan, Mini-Cooper, and Scion. Though he considered the $140,000 Mercedes SL Roadster interesting, he found the dashboard confusing and not enough compartments and cup holders to open and close.

The one rule that they enforced was that there must be a parent in the car with children. For your kid’s sake and to keep it interesting for adults we recommend the following configuration: let your kid sit in the driver’s seat, one adult in the passenger seat, and one adult outside the driver side door. This way, you can spend some time in the different cars yourself. You can also monitor the buttons your kid presses since some of the cars have the radio turned on and your kid will find the volume button sooner or later. The adult by the drivers side door can also keep a watch for other kids and adults who want their turn in the driver seat. This can be a lesson in sharing at first, but there are plenty of cars to play with.

Another tip is that you should try to steer your kids toward the manufacturers you would like to see. Most likely they are indifferent to the type of cars so you can influence the direction of the wandering. We would recommend you start on the side where you see Toyota and Ford up front. This side of the show also has BMW, Honda, Bentley, Mini-Cooper, Mercedes, Porsche, Audi, Lincoln, and a small exotic sports car section. Disappointingly, Maserati, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Fiat, and Aston Martin did not display this year so there is a small exotic section with only two Lamborghinis (no Gallardo), two Lotuses, and an Aston Martin Vantage.

Our kid loves all things transportation oriented and the Auto Show is enormous fun for 2 hours. He slept extremely well after two hours of walking, climbing, driving, and jumping. We also found the show to be more kid friendly this year with better and more selection of food. But most importantly, it really seemed that the brands’ representatives had a better attitude. Last year, we remember getting sneers from people who thought we were taking up space from real buyers. This year, we felt like the manufacturers had come to grips with the fact that some people are there just to have some fun.

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Larry and Donna

Mom Says: Go early and leave when it gets crowded. Food choices in the exhibition area are limited to pizza, hot dogs, burgers, ect. Just outside the exhibit there is a food court with more variety and a sit-down “nicer” restaurant (no children’s menu). Definitely use the coat check. For $2.00 per coat it’s well worth not hauling your family’s coats all day.

Dad Says: It was disappointing to not have some of the exotic sports cars there, but here are my picks: Mercedes CL series (my top pick and a surprise as I typically don’t like Mercedes), Toyota Tundra, Audi R8, BMW 1 and 6 series, and the Bentley Continental GT.

Posted in Venues | 73 Comments »

Week 2.5 - Special Alert Hannah Montana Movie

Week 3 - Hannah Montana and Mily Cyrus Best of Both World’s Concert in 3D

February 1 was the worst snow storm of the season, over 900 schools cancelled schools in the Chicagoland area and we are on our way out the door to go see the new Disney movie, Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus, Best of Both Worlds. We had to get there over an hour early and wait in a roped off maze (true to Disney tradition) because it is a sold out show. The good news is that the show’s run has now been extended an extra week to February 15. If you have girls, you know this is a must-see and you equally must order tickets in advance — approximately $15 a person.

When was the last time you heard an ampitheater of little girls giggling, cheering, singing in unison? Even my grouchy 4-year-old is clapping her hands. The movie glimpses Miley’s family life, as well as her life as rocker Hannah Montana. The girl has talent. She writes some of her own songs, she sings very well without the magic devices of the recording studio, and she can move. I’m so glad we came…the place resonates with happiness. Every girl there - and some of them are high school age - knows she can be all she aspires to be. Hannah/Miley is proof!

Hannah’s stageshow includes a full cast of dancers, a la Madonna, circa Blonde Ambition. The choreography is simple enough to inspire your girl to cut a rug, but flashy enough to include some moves you shouldn’t try at home (including a lift during “I’ve Got Nerve.”) If the dancing doesn’t impress you, surely the laser show and pyrotechnics will. Your ticket price includes all the frills of a Kiss concert, sweetened up for your baby girls.

The Jonas Brothers make an appearance (and if you don’t know who they are, you aren’t alone…suffice it to say they are, in the words of my niece, Yum-Me,) and they, too, know how to entertain.

Miley sings, as both Hannah and herself, all the Montana favorites, including her theme song, “The Best of Both Worlds.” I am by far most impressed with the song she wrote for her late grandfather, “I Miss You”, which she performs (in bare feet, with acoustic guitar) alone on stage. A slide show of photos of her and her pappy runs on the screen behind her, and clips of her teaching the song to father Billy Ray (”Hey, you’re not bad,” she tells him,) are both tender and entertaining. “See You Again” was an incredible performance, both vocally and physically. Some of the other songs she sang: Nobody’s perfect, Life’s what you Make It, Girl’s Night Out. She did not sing “Ready, Set, Don’t Go”, the current Miley/Billy Ray hit.

Although Miley asks for “mommy” when something at rehearsal doesn’t go her way, she is far from spoiled. She relents when she should, which is refreshing, given the disasters the Spears girls have become. Additionally, the audience learns of the effort required to put on a show of this caliber. “You mean she’s been practicing this show for months?” my 6-year-old asks. She’s worrying less about her dance recital now. Here’s to hoping Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus remains such a positive role model for our daughters.

As for the 3-D aspect, this movie would’ve been just fine without the occasional microphone stand jumping toward the audience, but the kids seemed to enjoy it. At several points throughout the show, girls are seen reaching to grasp Hannah and the Jonas Brothers’ outstretched hands.

http://imdb.com/title/tt1127884/

Penny

Mom Says: Well worth the ticket price and the wait, Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: The Best of Both Worlds Concert 3-D was an enjoyable way to pass a snowy afternoon, especially for girls too young to attend an actual concert. A great opportunity to bond parents with daughters, and to whet appetites when the live concert tour comes back around! If you’re on the fence, get yourself to the theater for the few showtimes still available. If the week of showtimes is over, pre-order the DVD…and of course there will be a DVD. Disney doesn’t do anything halfway. All-in-all, a very inspiring and uplifting event!

Dad Says: With football over, you’ll have fewer excuses to sit around and watch TV without being bothered. Let the girls wait in line and watch Miley and you can rent violent movies at home.

Posted in Movies | 74 Comments »

Pump It Up

Welcome to Week 2 of the Crazy Kids Blog where we answer the question, “What will I do with my Kids today?” This week we review Pump It Up, the Inflatable Party Zone. Most kids discover bouncies/jumpies or whatever you want to call them at block parties, carnivals, or events at schools. It has always amazed us that they can jam 10-20 uncoordinated, flailing kids in these things and rarely does anyone get seriously hurt. Pump it Up has made a business out of these things by putting many different inflatable contraptions in a huge room and providing party facilities.

We have partied at the Glenview and Chicago locations. At Glenview, a party cost between $185 - $295, in Chicago, $250 - $395, depending on the size of party and day of the week. Balloons, pizza, drinks, and goody bags are additional. You can bring your own cake. Glenview offers pop-in playtimes on Tuesdays 9:15 to 10:45am and Wednesday 1:45pm to 3:15pm which costs $10/kid. Chicago has a lot more pop-in playtimes, Monday-Friday mornings and Wednesday afternoon (check website for exact times) and costs $10/kid. Both locations have plenty of parking, and we love the fact that they do not charge for adults and play pretty good music in the playrooms.

Both locations (and presumable all locations) have about the same equipment though they may vary a little. One noteable exception is that Chicago has a room dedicated to very young children. You’ll always find your standard bouncy with a basketball hoop on either end, small sildes (probably 10 feet high), large slides (25 feet high, not for squeamish parents) and obstacle courses. There are other smaller slides and little toys on the ground like ride-on cars and trucks. Most likely, you will find that your kid loves this place. Where else can you jump, run, and fall without getting hurt?

And parents like it to. Most parents are roped in by their kids to climb and slide with them. You will be very surprised at a what a workout it is. The first two times down the slide is easy, but on ride 22, you’ll start to feel it in the legs and shoulders and you’ll start to dread the words, “Again!”. If you can, tag teaming with your spouse is the way to go. Between the two of you, you may have enough energy to keep up with your kid.

There isn’t much to criticize about Pump It Up, this is a well run and very fun place. The Glenview location should figure out how to have more open time, but now that they are open in Chicago, we don’t miss it as much. The parties feel really expensive, but with better pizza, we’d feel better about the price. The major inconsistency that we have seen at both locations is the amount of equipment you get to play with during pop-in playtime. At parties, they let you switch rooms half way in so you get some new equipment and its like the party starts all over again. But during pop-in, we have been there when they give you access to two rooms and times when you only had access to one. Of course, you don’t know what is going to happen until you get there.

Bottom line is that Pump It Up is great. We may go as far to say that the Chicago location is the best $10 value for a couple of hours of entertainment. Your kid will laugh, fall, run, scream, and nap well. There are many other locations in the Chicagoland area that you can find on their web site.

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Larry and Donna

Mom Says: During the winter, Pump It Up is an absolute life saver. It’s a great place for the kids to get exercise and burn off extra energy. Pump It Up is super-clean, safe, and friendly. I also love it as a go-to activity year round. We’ve already had 2 great birthday parties there and our kid won’t let us even consider another venue for the next one.

Dad Says: I really like Pump It Up because there aren’t many rules, so you can really go crazy. I recommend sliding down head first, teaching the kids to bounce on their butt at the top of the slide and tumble down (don’t let Mom see), or climbing up the slide to surprise them at the top and then sliding backward with your kid. However, the pizza is very disappointing and must be improved. I would say the pizza is one step above Tombstone (though Chicago is getting a new pizzeria next door) and needs some attention.

Posted in Venues | 80 Comments »