Midday at the Oasis

As winter approaches, I am on the lookout for indoor play areas for Nathan. It has become apparent that he cannot go through a morning without some type of scenery change and/or opportunity to burn off energy. Well, he can, but then he uses all his pent-up energy to empty out the contents of my cabinets and use whatever he finds in there to make trouble. So, you know, it's better if we get out of the house.

However, not all forms of indoor entertainment will do. As I mentioned in a previous post, I do not want to be in the business of driving all over Chicagoland several times a week. I want somewhere local. I also do not want to deal with any major hassles in the form of crowds, difficult parking situations, or major entry fees. I'm just naturally more tired in the winter, and I don't need anything else to make me more tired.

One indoor play opportunity that seems promising but consistently lets me down is the McDonald's playland. Our local McDonald's has a giant playland, which is actually so big that it's not age-appropriate for Nathan or, I'd say, any child under 4 (possibly 5). It consists of a big structure of tubes, and you move to the next level by climbing up little platforms. Nathan isn't big enough to climb each platform. Neither is his little friend Noah, who is 3 1/2 and quite tall for his age. So I end up having to go inside that hot, smelly, claustrophobic structure and lift Nathan and any other needy child up to the next platform. The whole thing is filled with parents lifting small, sniveling children up on these platforms. As I said, it doesn't even have to be your own child. I've lifted stranger children, and other parents have lifted Nathan. Meanwhile, I'm trying to peer through the cloudy plastic window of the play structure to make sure nobody has stolen my purse from the table.

Both McDonald's in our area seem to have these giant structures. I had pretty much given up on McDonald's as a possible winter destination.

Until I discovered the Chicago Southland Lincoln Oasis.

For those not from the area, an oasis is basically a fancy rest stop built on a freeway overpass. We have a few of them in the Chicagoland area. Here's a picture of our oasis during the daytime:

And here's a picture at night:


So, yesterday I discovered that the oasis has a much smaller indoor McDonald's playland. I took Nathan and his afore-mentioned friend Noah there for lunch, because Noah is hanging out with us a little bit this week while his mom rests after having a baby.

First of all, the oasis is really great because it has more than just McDonald's, and the playground is not actually in the McDonald's. I was able to eat a Weight Watchers-friendly Subway sandwich while the kids got their McNuggets. (They also have Auntie Anne's, Starbucks, and Panda Express.) Then we finished eating and the kids played in the playground, while I went across the way a few feet and got myself a gingerbread latte at Starbucks. I drank my coffee, they stayed put in the playground, and I was even able to read a little bit of my book (Superfreakonomics).

And doesn't this look like a pleasant place to hang out?


I guess it's kind of lame to hang out at a rest stop. I mean, it's meant to be a place to go on the way to somewhere else, not an actual destination. And I'm sure there's a metaphor for life somewhere in there if you feel like thinking hard enough.

In fact, the biggest problem with the oasis is that when you leave, you have to get back on the freeway going the same direction as you were when you entered the oasis. It's kind of hard to turn around and go back home.

But the little bit you have to go out of your way is worth it. I am seriously giddy about my new winter entertainment find. So if anybody wants to hang out with me this winter, join me for a latte in the middle of the freeway!