American Girl Place~Chicago

When I was a little girl I used to drool over the American Girl catalog every time it arrived in the mail. I would circle and re-circle the items I loved, and hope Santa would grant my wishes! One Christmas he did...and I received a Kirsten doll. I cherished her! I kept her on my shelf well into high school, until one day it was time to pack away my dolls...and I saved her in a box with the hopes that I would be able to one day share her with my little girl.

American Girl has grown A LOT since I was little. There are many historical dolls and dolls that look like you. They even have a line of baby dolls. Samantha received one of these Bitty Baby dolls for her 2nd birthday, and they have been buddies ever since. Samantha is now excited when the catalogs come in the mail. She loves going through page by page and picking out things for her baby "Addy"...

Two weeks ago my mom and I took Samantha on her very first trip to the American Girl doll store! I must admit...I think I was more excited than Sam! But...then again...she didn't really know what was in store for her!

She had her very first ride on a train...

Her first trip downtown!!! This included her first taxi ride! She was pretty upset that our cab was white instead of yellow, but she got over it when she realized she didn't have to sit in a car seat!

It was "Bitty Baby Day" so there were special activities going on for preschool age girls and their dolls. There were crafts, snacks, and a circle time where they learned little songs and fingerplays for their dolls!

The store itself was a bit overwhelming to her. It was really crowded, and a lot of the displays were over her head. She had fun looking at all of the historical dolls, and picking out a few new outfits for Addy to take home.


We ate at Gino's East for lunch! YUMMY!!! Sam loved all of the graffiti all over the walls, and she was such a good girl while we waited about an hour for her first Chicago deep dish pizza!

On the way back to the train we decided to walk. It was a little over a mile, but she didn't complain ONCE! She just kept looking up at all of the buildings and commenting on how tall they were! We walked over the Chicago River where she even saw a water taxi!

When we got on the train she decided to change Addy into one of her new outfits. It was SUCH a fun day, and we are hoping to make it a yearly trip.

When we got back to Nana's house I decided to pass along my Kirsten doll. I know she is in good hands, and I know we have many more years of American Girl doll fun!