All-American pit stop: shopping at American Girl Place Chicago

June 30, 2015 By

Francesca Mazurkiewicz is a Chicago-based travel blogger and working mom of two young children. Along with her family, Francesca is out to prove that she can have it all – a family, a career, and a travel lifestyle.

I’m not a girly-girl and never have been. I never played with dolls as a little girl but there is something about American Girl dolls… As a traveler and a history enthusiast, I was drawn to American Girl because the featured dolls represent girls from different time periods and varied cultural backgrounds.

Truly me doll

As a parent, I appreciate American Girl’s messages, books, and activities to help young girls deal with difficult topics like self-esteem and social issues like others spreading rumors. Not only is it enjoyable for the young girls to play with the dolls, but it’s also educational and empowering. That’s a winning combination in any parent’s handbook.

My 6-year-old daughter, Lucia, has become a big fan of American Girl and often asks for new accessories and clothing for her dolls. Recently, the opportunity arose for us to visit American Girl Place in our hometown, Chicago, for lunch and a morning of shopping. I couldn’t pass it up. I decided I’d make the trip to go shopping at American Girl Place Chicago a surprise for Lucia. It turned out to be a success on all levels.

Any young lady interested in American Girl dolls should have the opportunity for a store experience at least once in her life. There are American Girl retail stores in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Orlando, St. Louis, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

American Girl retail stores are worthwhile stops while on a family vacation to one of these cities, and they’ve also become travel destinations all on their own. Since we live in Chicago, an American Girl retail store experience was an excellent excuse for Lucia and me to ride the train into downtown and have a lovely mommy-and-me day.

Shopping:

truly-me-doll
American Girl Place Chicago is located in Water Tower Place on the famed Magnificent Mile. Walking into the store for the first time can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you’ve got young girls to look after. This is why I suggest enlisting the services of a personal shopper. It is a complimentary service and advance appointments are required. Based on what experience the guests are hoping for, the personal shopper devises a game plan and leads the way. Ingrid, our personal shopper, knew that Lucia was to get a new doll and that we had lunch reservations at the in-store café. So we wasted no time in beginning our own American Girl retail store experience!

The first stop was the store’s second floor and the new Truly Me doll display. Truly Me, formerly known as My American Girl, is American Girl’s newly-rebranded line of contemporary 18-inch dolls and accessories. Truly Me allows a girl to create a one-of-a-kind friend through a variety of personalized doll options, including 40 different combinations of eye color, hair color and style, and skin color, as well as an array of outfits and accessories. Ingrid pointed out the dolls that most resembled Lucia: fair skin, no freckles, bob-length blond hair, and brown eyes. Lucia knew right away which one was to be her new friend! Then it was off to find her some new clothes and accessories.

The great thing about having Ingrid join us is that she knew exactly where to find the items that most interested Lucia. Ingrid already knew that Lucia plays soccer and that she loves horses, so Ingrid took us to those sections first. Ingrid also carried our shopping bag filled with items we selected. It allowed me the freedom to browse the items with Lucia and to take all kinds of pictures!

Dining:

American girl doll
The American Girl Café serves brunch, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner, and also hosts private parties. Dining is offered only at set seating times and reservations are highly recommended. We had lunch reservations for the 12:30 seating and it’s a good thing we did; the sophisticatedly whimsical café was almost at capacity. Still, service was professional and efficient. To start, each table is served deliciously gooey cinnamon rolls, followed by a family-style platter featuring soft pretzel baguettes, melted cheese dipping sauce, fresh broccoli and baby carrots, red grapes, and mini corn-dog muffins. Guests then select an entrée from the menu (chicken tenders for Lucia; bleu cheese burger for me), and the dining extravaganza culminates in an adorable and delectable dessert plate. Adults will be relieved to know that beer and wine are available, as well.

Truly Me Signature Studio:

This interactive experience is available at American Girl retail stores in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. Using a tablet interface, girls get to be fashion designers and create custom designed outfits or backpacks for their Truly Me dolls! They choose from several images and patterns and the piece is printed right there at the studio. The pieces the girls design are completely unique; talk about being “truly me”!

Our visit to American Girl Place Chicago was the perfect way to kick off our summer of family fun. Here is some more information to help you plan your own American Girl Place Chicago experience:

  1. I definitely recommend having a plan in place prior to your visit. Have an idea of what you’d like to do and be sure to make advance dining reservations and appointments for a personal shopper.
  2. Water Tower Place is easily accessible by public transportation. The closest Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) “L” station is the Red Line – Chicago Avenue stop. Water Tower Place is also serviced by the following CTA bus lines: numbers 66, 10, 146, 147, 151 and 157.
  3. Parking is available nearby at Standard Parking, 111 East Chestnut, and discounts are available for American Girl Place visitors. Bring your parking voucher and proof of purchase to the American Girl Place concierge desk to receive validation for a parking discount.

Directions:

The American Girl store is located at 835 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL.
Disclosure: our guest reviewer experienced American Girl Place and the Truly Me experience complimentarily, for the purpose of review.

Packing for a Family: Tips and Tricks to Ease the Load

September 9, 2010 By

Packing for family vacation is not for amateurs!

Packing for an entire family can be daunting (not to mention time consuming). First there’s the pre-trip laundry, sorting, and folding. Then there’s the piling of bags in the car or airport security drop-off. And even after that, there’s all the time wasted digging through suitcases trying to find that toothbrush or pair of shoes or jacket you just know is in there…somewhere.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve probably lost years of my life in this manner while packing for a family of five. I’d like to think I’ve learned a thing or two in the process, however. The following are my favorite tricks and tips I’ve discovered the hard way:

Pack an extra bag. It seems counter-productive to pack an extra duffel or pack when you can barely fit everything in as it is, but every natural law of travel dictates that what goes in will not fit back in at the end of your trip. Why? We organize less, fold less, and buy more as our vacation proceeds. Folding an extra tote or duffel in your luggage ensures you have a little more wiggle room (although admittedly more to carry, too) on your return trip. I’ve noticed that CSN Stores has many packable bag options on their site (with stores selling everything from modern bedding to outdoor furniture), one of which I’ll be reviewing here next week.

Keep important stuff accessible. When we road trip, one of our mesh laundry bags does double-duty as a stuff sack for everyone’s jackets and shoes. When they peel and kick them off upon entering the car for a long stretch of road, in the bag they go, stored on the top of the suitcases so as to be easily retrieved when we make a pit stop. Likewise, when we’re flying, those pesky quart-sized baggies stay at the very top of our carry-ons until we’re through security.

Organize clothes by outfit. To make getting out of your hotel room every morning a breeze, consider packing by outfit, grouping each kid’s shirt, pants, underclothes, and socks for each day and placing them in large zip-lock plastic bags or recycled clothing store bags. (This works best for very small children, whose clothes still easily fit in a gallon-sized zip-lock bag.) In the mornings, skip digging around in everyone’s suitcase for a complete outfit and just toss each child the bag labeled with that day’s date. Not only will you save room, but clothes stay cleaner. Plus, you can always find a use for the used plastic bags while traveling.

Pack designated laundry bags and use them. Large mesh laundry bags are less than $5 at most stores and worth their weight in gold. Not only do we use ours for storing bulky items like jackets or towels, but we hang one on the bathroom door handle of every hotel room as a portable hamper. Once you have more dirty clothes than clean, simply designate one suitcase for laundry storage and transfer clean clothes to another suitcase. The best part of this plan: the ease of unpacking when you can toss full suitcases of clothes straight into the washing machine once you’re home.

Think outside the box (or toiletry kit). If you plan to stay in one place for a week or more (think home rentals or Disney especially), skip the individual toiletry kits and bring a portable shoe organizer. Yes, you read that right! (The type that hangs from the back of a closet door.) Place bathroom essentials and beauty accessories in the plastic or mesh pockets, and hang the whole unit on the bathroom door. You save valuable counter space, and everyone can find their toothbrushes, medications, and shaving cream easily. (This tip is a must if you have little girls with tons of hair accessories!)

Do you have a tried and true packing tip? Share it with Pit Stops for Kids readers in the comment section below!

How to Choose the Right Backpack for Family Travel

August 6, 2010 By

I won’t carry the kid, but I’ll carry the pack!

I can’t travel without a trusty backpack, so while on our most recent road trip, I paid close attention to the types of bags and packs other families carried in and out of restaurants, museums, picnic areas, and on hikes and tours. As you’d guess, I saw a vast assortment of styles and solutions ranging from fanny packs to Camelbaks to messenger bags, and for good reason: the family pack is an important and personal choice!

Whether you opt to outfit every member of your family with their own packs or stick to one family pack for which you share the load (our choice), there are several features we’ve learned we can’t get by without:

1. Size matters. You don’t want a pack too big or heavy for the intended wearer. We’re not talking about backpacking here: you only need to carry the essentials. Likewise, not having enough space in your pack means you’ll be spending too much time searching for things squished inside or worse yet, leaving important items in your hotel room or car.

2. Lots of zippered compartments are good for more than just toddler diversion (although it’s good for that, too). A pack with multiple compartments means the difference between finding the sunscreen or the car keys quickly or trying to corral kids in the baking sun or a parking lot (or both simultaneously) while you search. Since we carry one family pack, I also make sure our pack has water bottle compartments.

3. Price isn’t important, but comfort is…and they often go hand-in-hand. I’ve yet to use a cheap backpack that doesn’t hurt my shoulders, neck, or back. (If you’ve found one, please let me know!) Mid-priced packs work great for us. Remember, you can use backpacks for much more than just hiking as a family: we like the hands-free convenience of them on planes, in museums (where permitted), and in the car (slung over a seat back to be off the floor), too.

For more tips on packing and luggage, see the other articles in our Travel Tips section!

Cady Cheese Factory

June 7, 2010 By

Shelves stocked with country goodness at Cady Cheese Factory

126 State Road 128
Wilson, WI

Quick: what’s the first thing you think of when I say ‘Wisconsin’? If you said ‘cheese’ and have plans to drive down I-94, then you’re in luck! Make a pit stop at The Cady Cheese Shop and Factory to samples of over 20 varieties and flavors of real Wisconsin longhorn cheese, shop in their store, and learn about how cheese is made. Located a stone’s throw of I-94, the factory is iconic of Wisconsin’s country charm, and tasty to boot!

From the official website: “Cady Cheese makes and sells over 50,000 lbs of cheese per production day. Stop by the factory to see for yourself how it is made. Enjoy free samples of our many flavors. That’s 100% natural cheese, as fresh as it gets!”

Cady Cheese was today’s stop for Vacation Gals’ ColoradoGal and her family in their first leg of the 1K Country Adventure, sponsored by Country Inn and Suites. 

Date last visited: June 2010

Distance off the interstate: Five minutes off I-94.

Hours:

January 1st – April 30th:
Mon.-Fri. 9am – 5pm
Sat. & Sun. 9am – 5pm

May 1st-December 31st:
Mon.-Fri. 8:30am-6pm
Sat. & Sun. 9am – 5pm

Admission Prices: None.

Food Services: While you could probably make a meal out of the cheeses, candies, and other gourmet offerings for sale in the store, there is not an actual restaurant on the premises.

Bathrooms: Located on-site.

Website: Cady Cheese

Directions: From I-94, take 128 straight to the factory!

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