Illinois Fashion Doll Club Meeting

P: It's time for our meeting...let's go meet the other dolls.
T: Hi! I'm Trichelle and this is Pixxa!
Doll: Nice to meet you!
P: I love your coat!

T: Do you get the feeling that we are the teeniest dolls here?

Doll: We're all different sizes, but we're all loveable.

P: And I love your dress!

P: Well, at least you girls are about our size.

Dolls: Yes, dah-ling. We certainly are.

T: Hi everybody!

T: Hello up there!

Doll: Hello down there!

P: Ahhh...finally, some dollies smaller than we are!

T: Hi cutie! Are you having a good time?

Little doll: (hic) yep!

T: And aren't you just the cutest?

Doll: Thank you!

P: Cuz, you made it!

T: Hey Mila! Good to see you again!

M: Yes, I got stuck in traffic, but wanted to make sure I got here to meet the gang and to hang out with you all again.

T: Mmmmm...refreshments! Pixxa, try this orange cake...it's scrumptious!

T: And I think I'll have a cookie. It's been a long, fun day!

Shopping...at Gigi's and Sherry's part 2

P: Oh she's gorgeous! She's from their private collection. She's not for sale.

T: It's a doll shoppe and museum all in one.

T: Look at these amazing faces.

T: I wonder how many dolls they have.

P: Me too! It would probably take a month to count everything.

T: Big dolls, little dolls, baby dolls, stuffed dolls...

P: Yes, I would agree that they have everything!

P: I think I've found something on this shelf that I must have.

T: I'd love to have that purse right there---even though it is a little big for me.

P: Ahhhh...the sweet baby dolls.

T: These are the Dynamite Girls.

P: Oh my gosh...my favorite section...Re-Ment. Sit down so I can take your picture.

T: Uh oh...I think I broke the chair.

Shopping...at Gigi's and Sherry's

T: Oh Pixxa...the day has finally arrived!! We get to visit Gigi's Dolls and Sherry's Teddy Bears Shoppe!
P: I'm excited too! I've never been there before and I've heard nothing but great things!

P: Here we are!
T: Yay!! I'm glad we came early so that we can look around before the Illinois Fashion Doll Club meeting.

T: Here's the door...let's go in!

P: Oh...my...gosh...this is AMAZING!!

T: I've never seen so many dolls and so much doll stuff!

T: Look...a giraffe!

P: And look at all of these Fashion Royalty dolls!

T: They are so lucky...their clothes are fabulous!

P: Yes they are! Come on, let's check out this side.

T: Check these beauties out...

T: How cute!

T: There are dolls EVERYWHERE!!!

T: This is way too much fun seeing all of these different kinds of dolls.

P: Trichelle, come here and look at this...

Touring Chicago - Bronzville

P: Now I'm going to take you to an area called Bronzeville...oh---but before I do, maybe we'll swing by the building of The Chicago Defender newspaper.
T: Okay.


P: Hmmmm...this is embarrassing! I could swear this is where the offices of The Chicago Defender were.
T: (laughs)


T: Well, I don't think this is a newspaper. There's a car on the top of the building.
P: A car? Wait a minute. What is that about?

T: Look at that banner. It says Motor Row. Do you know what that means?

P: Yea, this is the area where car dealers set up shop---kind of like for a one-stop car shopping experience.

They return to the car and continue on their way.

They arrive on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive where they find a sign about the Boulevards in Chicago. They continue down the block until...

P: Well here we are in Bronzville!

T: What is Bronzville?

P: Around 1910, Bronzville was known as the Black Metropolis, one of the nation's most significant landmarks of Black urban history. It was an area where alot of Black who had migrated North ended up.
T: This map is very cool. Look at all of the things that Bronzville is known for.

After the girls checked out this in-ground map and the area, they continue driving down Martin Luther King, Jr Drive.

Pixxa glances over and sees what she'd been looking for earlier.

P: There's the Defender!

T: So you were off a little bit remembering where it was?

P: Heck no! They definitely were not in this building before. I wonder when they moved. But I'm glad we found it.

T: So what's so big about the Defender.

P: Well, it's just that it was founded in 1905 for the Black community. By the beginning of World War I, The Defender's readership had grown into a national base and it became one of the nation's most influential Black newspapers, with over 2/3 of the readers being from outside of the Chicago area. The paper was a great part of "The Great Migration" of Blacks from the South to the North.

T: Now that's interesting!

P: And in 1923, they started the Bud Biliken Day Parade and Picnic, which showcased children. And all these years later, the parade and picnic continue. Now it's a tradition that signals it's time for back-to-school.

T: I've heard about that. No wonder why you wanted me to see this.

P: On to our next stop.

T: I really enjoy the DuSable Museum of African American History.

P: Yes, it's a great little museum, full of so much Black History.

T: (yawn) We had a long day!

P: Yes we did. And I hope that you enjoyed museum day!

T: I did...I definitely did!

Touring Chicago Sites Part 2

P: Next, you ask? The Field Museum
T: Is that the museum that has Sue, the dinosaur?
P: Yep, that's it...and they've also got an exhibit on "a girl's best frind".


Trichelle and Pixxa pose on the front lawn of the Museum.


T: Bring on the diamonds!!


As the girls are walking up the museum steps, Trichelle turns around...


T: Wow...what a view!!
P: You are looking down Lake Shore Drive.

After visiting the museum, the girls relax in front of the museum and enjoy the view.
P: Okay, let's go. We have one more stop in Museum Campus.

T: What's left to see?
P: Right behind you---Soldier Field...home of the Chicago Bears!!

T: That's HUGE!! And what an "interesting" architectural combination. It looks like a modern building plucked in the middle of an ancient collusem.

P: You should see it from the other side. It looks like a space ship sitting on top of the old part. Very weird!!

P: Okay...that's it for Museum Campus. Now we'll take a quick drive and we'll be at our next stop.