After the Crazy Horse Memorial, we went northeast to Minneapolis. We spent a day there visiting the Mall of America. I didn't take many photos as it was just supposed to be a day to have fun and enjoy the rides.

The most extreme ride there was a Spongebob roller coaster with an extremely vertical (or perhaps even more than vertical?) drop at the start. I went on that one with Aila and Kai a couple of times. The most popular ride at the mall was the swings, which suprised me a bit, but it is great for all ages so that was perfect.

After Minneapolis, we drove to Chicago, and spent two days exploring the city. Well, the kids only had energy for a few hours of exploration each day, but that was enough to get some interesting experiences.

First, we went to Millenium Park where we saw "The Bean" (Cloud Gate). Although Angela had seen it before, it was my first time. I didn't realize how cool the reflections were when you are standing under it (pictured top left).

The park also had some cool fountains (pictured in the centre).

After that, we walked over to the Navy Pier. It took us a while to get there, partly because our path was blocked by a production crew filming "Chicago Heat". We eventually found a way around the TV shoot.

At the pier, the kids were thrilled to find out that they had the same swing ride as the Mall of America (pictured bottom left). They went on the ride multiple times. I sat out on one of the rides... partly because I was feeling dizzy, but also so that I could try to take a photo of everyone on the ride. After several tries, I succeeded!

On our second day in Chicago, we visited the "Sloomoo Institute", which is a place completely dedicated to slime. The kids LOVE slime, and we make it all the time at home. Aila even has special recipes that he has developed.

I was skeptical, but the Sloomoo institute (that's the "slime" name for "slime", where you replace every vowel in a word with "oo" -- my slime name is "Moochooool") converted me into a slime lover. They had all sorts of different slimes that you could touch, and even slime that you could walk on (pictured on the right). At the end, you get to make your own slime with ingredients that you choose. The slime was very high quality... much better than the stuff we make at home with white glue, baking soda and contact lens solution. Unfortunately it looks like their recipes are closely guarded secrets.

If you ever find yourself in a US city with a Sloomoo Institute, I recommend going!

Technical Details: These photos were taken with my Pixel 6 and my 5D Mark II + EF 17-40L.