Illinois
First time: Fall, 1973?Last time: Spring, 2015
My dad grew up on the south side of Chicago. Save for a few years here and there, I visit Chicago on a yearly basis.
The first trip I remember taking to Chicago was in 1977 or 1978, so I would have been three or four years old. We drove there in my Dad's gray Chevy pickup, and I specifically remember returning to our house in Bethany. We moved to the house I grew up in shortly before I turned five years old, so I know it was before that..
It would be impossible for me to list every time I've been to Chicago. In 1987, my family (along with Jeff) visited Chicago. That was the time I took my Commodore 64 and called Chicago BBSes locally from my grandma's kitchen. In 1992 (I think), Susan and I took a trip to Chicago, our first road trip together.
In 2009, the family and I drove to the Windy City for Grandma O's 80's birthday. Here's a picture of Mason, Grandma O, and me during that trip.
One of our family traditions is to eat at White Castle at least once during every time to Chicago. Here is my dad and the kids in 2010 at the White Castle just down the road from my Grandma's house.
Although my Dad's family for the most part lives in the south Chicago suburbs, we do occasionally make it to downtown Chicago during our trips. During one of our visits in 2011 (we went twice) we stayed downtown at the Hard Rock Hotel. While downtown I took a ton of photos, visited a ton of museums, and ate a ton of Chicago food. Chicago, it's my kind of town.
In the summer of 2013 on our way to Niagara Falls we stopped overnight for a quick family visit and had Chicago pizza.
In 2015 I drove to Chicago to attend my grandmother's funeral. I also drove through southern Illinois on the way to Washington DC for spring break.
Last edited: Summer, 2013