So Lynne and Matt noticed a few of you may be coming to the wedding from out of town. Actually, Lynne addressed invitations to 19 different states and three countries (including the U.S.).And while Lynne and Matt are sure that you would - if possible - prefer to spend every waking second basking in the rays of love that will be bouncing off their wedding, there's a chance that could overwhelm you after a few hours.
So when the basking is over, you might want to actually see some of the local hangouts. Here's some suggestions:
Sports fans could catch a Cubs game. (Sorry, the 2005 World Champion White Sox are out of town!) Tickets could be hard to get (try StubHub, maybe?). The Cubbies have 1:20 p.m. games vs. the Giants on Friday and Sunday, and the latter is "Cubs Blue T-Shirt Day." Can't go wrong, there.
Or, if you prefer cheaper, Minor League Baseball, you could catch the Kane County Cougars, which is less than 30 minutes from the reception site. It looks like they've got a 6:30 p.m. game Friday night.
Of course, there's the big NASCAR race, in Joliet - about an hour away. That could be fun. Or not.
If you're looking for something funny, Second City is where many Saturday Night Live alums got their start, including John Belushi. And Zanies has locations both in Chicago and St. Charles, which is about 45 minutes from Naperville.
Even closer, in downtown Aurora, the Paramount Theater often has some good shows, although they haven't posted the July schedule yet.
The River Walk in downtown Naperville is beautiful or if you need some shopping the Westfield Fox Valley mall is less than a half hour away. (Woodfield's a little more than an hour.)
Locally for kids, Catigny isn't too far - about 15 minutes from the hotel - and it's beautiful there. Or, the DuPage Children's Museum is about 10 minutes from the hotel. It looks fun. SciTech in downtown Aurora is a good time.
Or maybe: the Brookfield Zoo. Or the Field Museum. Or the Sears Tower. Or the Shedd Aquarium. If the BodyWorks exhibit is still at the Museum of Science an Industry, that's worth checking out - right Mrs. Valenti? The Art Institute is nice for visiting the folks pictured above on your left. Who knows - maybe Uncle Steve or Kevin will give personal tours at the Adler Planetarium. Navy Pier is a big tourist attraction, but other than the Ferris wheel Matt says it's vastly overrated. Six Flags Great America is probably the closest amusement park, but it's pretty far - more than an hour's drive. Those will all be pretty crowded in the summer.
The Chicago History Museum has some fantastic tours of the city, although not all their schedules are up yet. If you get the chance, Lynne and Matt definitely recommend Millenium Park. If you haven't seen the bean, it's a must-do.
There's lots of golfing in the area: Cresscreek Country Club. White Eagle. Tamarack Golf Club. Naperville Country Club. Arrowhead. Luke Babler will be teeing it up at the Phillip's Park course.
For places to eat, Walter Payton's Roundhouse is about 30 minutes away, and very nice. Boston Blackies in Naperville is supposed to be good. And the hotel has a restaurant, too. Plus, there's 50 million chain restaurants in the area. Anything you can think of - it's a short drive.
For a bit cheaper, there's also an AMC movie theater not too far away. (Look under "Chicago - West" then "Cantera") It's less than five miles probably. Wall-E will be out by then. Could be good.
With all that to do, how could Lynne and Matt ever be bored?
If you need any other suggestions or directions drop Lynne or Matt an email. (Or maybe someone will post other ideas below.)
We'll try to post this again a little closer to The Big Day.
