Last week I left you on Plan C. By the time we actually left, it was Plan D.

We got a call from my father-in-law the morning we were departing for the Canadian wilderness saying “Mom took an ambulance to the hospital at 1:30am, she’ll be fine and there’s nothing you guys can do to help. Figure out another trip and go. Don’t wait.” We didn’t know which way was up. We unpacked, repacked, and left.

We spent the first part of the week with family in Lake Geneva, WI followed by cousin time in Lake in the Hills, IL. The cousins got together, the kids swam, and after everything that had fallen apart, that was exactly what we needed.

I was able (thanks to a supportive and flexible wife 👸) to fit in a few last minute business meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Then we took the train into Chicago.

My kids had never done it before. Wade looked at the skyline and Lake Michigan through the window in awe. We walked the Magnificent Mile, the Riverwalk, and past Trump Tower, which Wade had been asking about since we changed the plan. We stayed at the historic Hilton Chicago. The views from that hotel window were something neither of them had ever seen.

The next morning we went to the Field Museum. Wade loves science and history. When he turned a corner and came face to face with Sue -- the largest T-Rex skeleton ever found -- his hands went on his head and with bug eyes he yelled “WWHHAATT?!?!?”. The questions did not stop for an hour. After that we went directly to the Shedd Aquarium for Elaine, who most likely has a future in veterinary medicine. Dolphins, Beluga whales, otters, a boa constrictor. She pressed her hands against every tank. She was in love.

We walked miles. Our feet paid for it.

Plan D turned out to be the best version of the trip we never would have planned.

My wife and I share a guilty pleasure: fine food and fine dining. Fine and authentic cuisine in Chicago isn’t just good food, its an experience.

We ate at Volare Ristorante Italiano years ago and have talked about it ever since. I knew my wife would love to go back and quietly decided thats where we needed to go. She did not find out until we turned a corner and she saw it in front of us.

A strong marriage is not separate from being a good dad. It is part of it. Your kids are watching how you treat their mother every single day. That dinner was for us, and in its own way, it was for them too.

In last week's newsletter I mentioned I was trying to figure out how to pace a big city day with young kids. Here is what we learned the hard way and what I would tell any dad planning something similar.

Start with the train, not the destination. The train into the city is the event for a kid who has never done it before. Do not rush past it. Let them be excited to see the stops, views, and everything out the window. Let their excitement build as the city starts to appear. For God’s sake….leave the iPads at home! The kids train tickets cost us nothing (thanks to Metra, kids ride free all summer long) and is one of the things they will remember most about the trip.

Give each kid a highlight that is for them. Wade had the Field Museum. Elaine had the Shedd Aquarium. Neither one had to negotiate or compromise on their main stop. When a kid knows they are going to get the thing they care about most, they are patient about everything else. Between the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium we walked several miles. Yes, their feet were sore. Yes, energy ran a little low. Yes, mom gave a few piggy back rides.

Feed them before they ask. In a city you are almost always a long walk from the next meal. We ate before we were hungry at every turn. Nobody melted down. That is not a coincidence.

Let them set the pace inside. Once you are inside the museum, let the kids decide what they want to do. Wade found Sue because he was walking fast toward the back of a hall and I was following him. If I had been leading, we might have gone left. Let them discover something.

End before they are done. We could have stayed at the Shedd another two hours. We left while Elaine still had energy. She took a 10 minute snooze in our Uber ride, and then talked about the Beluga whales and dolphins the entire train ride back. If we had stayed until she was exhausted, that is what she would have remembered instead.

Gear worth knowing about for dads, kids, and the adventures you take together.

Portable Power Banks

Between two kids with tablets and two phones, our devices were working as hard as we were. A good power bank is not optional on a trip like this.

What to look for: at least 20,000 mAh and two USB-C ports so you can charge multiple devices at once. Fast charging (PD 30W or higher) matters when you have thirty minutes at a coffee stop. Anker's product line is reliable, well-priced, and built to take abuse in a bag. Worth every dollar.

We are back home now. Feet sore, minds tired from four versions of a vacation and every adjustment in between.

Most importantly, our hearts are full.

The garage was a pool in Lake Geneva this week, and a train platform, and the steps of a museum, and a hotel window fourteen floors up. The lesson I keep taking from this trip is the same one I wrote about last week: the garage is not a place. It is the intention you bring to the time you have with your kids, wherever you end up.

New content is going up on Instagram throughout the week. Come find us at @garage_ethos if you are not there yet.

See you next Sunday.

Tommy Dad, founder, still figuring it out