Recently, my son, granddaughter, and I drove to Chicago for the long Memorial weekend. Besides participating in a 5K Run and Walk, we took in some of the sights, and of course ate our way through Chicago.
When we arrived in Chicago, we found the Field Museum, paid a pricey sum to park, and found out when we got into the Museum, it was only opened for another two hours. The Museum was fantastic! We enjoyed touring the Egyptian area and the Dinosaur area. I especially loved the big dinosaur named Sue. I was also glad that it was only the bones on display and not the real thing, because I doubt very much if I would be here writing this blog. The downside was that we didn’t have enough time to see everything. Next time, I will make better plans.
We did eat at the original Uno’s Pizza Restaurant, in the downtown area, where we ordered one of their famous deep dish pizzas. It was a pizza to definitely rival all others. We would sample the famous Lou Malnati’s pizza. Lou used to work at Uno’s and then left and started his own pizza business. A total of 33 Lou Malnati’s restaurants and pizza outlets are scattered throughout the Chicago and surrounding areas. Both Uno’s and Malnati’s pizzas are eaten with a knife and fork, so as to get every bite of pizza off the plate and into one’s mouth. I have had Lou’s pizza before and it was outstanding. But when we finally ate one this time…Uno’s won. Uno’s melted cheese, and oozing sauce; half with pepperoni and sausage left us happy and wishing our stomach’s had more room to consume the whole thing.
The next morning we checked out of the hotel, after a delicious buffet, and started on a confused and stressful ride around the city, trying to make our way to S. Lake Shore Drive, where the Museums are located. Our problem was that our GPS kept telling us to turn left. But we kept running into no left turns permitted and road closed signs. Road construction, a parade, and some sort of run,finally made us head out of town to the western suburbs, where my niece and husband lives. My advice… leave your car at home and use the El.
That night, we ate at a delightful family restaurant called Trattoria Peppino. Let me start with what we all felt at the end…Groan. The food was great. We ate a deep fried shredded zucchini ball with marinara sauce, bruschetta with chopped, seasoned tomatoes, bruschetta with goat cheese and marinara sauce, and bruschetta with a garlic artichoke spread and marinara sauce. Italians love bread and that was reflected in the antipasto selections. Then we could actually order our meal off of the menu. This is when the groan came in but we still ordered more food and ate most of it. If you haven’t figured it out yet – we love to eat.
The next day we decided to drive back into Chicago because my niece said we would spend more money and time on transfers. We drove on the Expressway in a huge downpour that was making it difficult to see out the window, despite having the wipers going full speed. We made it to our destination and spent 4-5 hours in the Museum of Science and Industry. This Museum was worth the stay and made me realize you could spend hours on just one floor. We returned to my niece’s house to go out and eat another deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati’s restaurant.
Touring, eating, and laughing were our goal and we did all three very well.
Showing posts with label Chicago. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Friday, November 12, 2010
Chicago Trip
I flew to Chicago with my daughter, Erin. It would be a short trip and we had planned on staying at my brother's house. My niece picked us up from the airport and took us to the house. It has been three months since my brother, Jack, died.
My niece, her husband and a few friends have gone in and cleaned out the papers, closets, cupboards, and dresser drawers. My niece has taken a number of boxes stuffed with her father's papers, cards and photos. I could tell she has been working hard.
The two day visit was fun for my daughter and I. We ate at Jimmy Buffet's restaurant, "Cheeseburger in Paradise." I had to have a cheeseburger and I was in total paradise. After lunch, we went to a jewelry and fashion expo in the Rosemont Convention Center. There had to be 500 vendors, and tables to view. My niece made us go and look at each table, and made sure that we saw every single item. We walked around the center for four hours! It was pretty neat but my feet, ankles, and legs ached. All three of us did find a few good bargains and purchased them.
That night my niece left us at my brother's house. The cable and Internet had been discontinued. My daughter played around and tried to hook up the VCR, so we could watch a video. I walked around my brother's house feeling lost and sad and not sure quite how to handle my feelings. Sensing my mood, my daughter suggested that we check into a hotel. We did. We found a Hilton close by the house and booked a room for two nights. The beds, mattresses, pillows, and the room was A+. We splurged on the fabulous room service both days. The room was comfortable and it came without memories.
We got up and met my high school classmate and blogging partner Gail, at my brother's house. Gail, my daughter, and I managed to find a place to eat breakfast and catch up on the last time we saw each other...that would have been June, 1964. I still remember Gail from high school and I have to say she looks great! We talked about writing and losses, while my daughter talked about being a chef and a marathon runner. We actually talked about the Diva Marathon and seeing if we could meet up with our daughters and do that. If we do, I will be walking with a crown...running is not my game. I was happy to see Gail and we have talked about meeting up again, when I come back to Chicago.
Later, Erin and I drove down to the Rosemont Convention Center parking lot. We paid for parking and took the Blue Line L, and then transferred to the #66 bus to go down to the Navy Pier. We stayed there for a few hours, walking outside and indoors. We bought tickets for the architecture tour of the downtown buildings on one of the scenic boat cruises. I was excited about this because it was something that I had always wanted to do. This tour was worth every penny and I wasn't disappointed. Neither was my daughter. When we finished, we retraced our steps and returned to the car and drove to my niece's house next to Oak Park. We ate outdoors at a nice little Italian restaurant and then walked next door for a gelato for dessert. Hhmm...everything was delicious.
That night I tossed and turned listening to the loud winds and torrential downpours. When we turned on the television, we found that Chicago was under a tornado watch, and the high winds grounded all the morning flights at O'Hare Airport. I hate to fly but room service for breakfast temporarily soothed my mood.
We did go back to my brother's house and packed a few of his things that I wanted and was able to take back home. I stood in Jack's bedroom for a few minutes taking it all in. I finally said goodbye to Jack and his house for the last time, clutching a few of his persona items.
My niece, her husband and a few friends have gone in and cleaned out the papers, closets, cupboards, and dresser drawers. My niece has taken a number of boxes stuffed with her father's papers, cards and photos. I could tell she has been working hard.
The two day visit was fun for my daughter and I. We ate at Jimmy Buffet's restaurant, "Cheeseburger in Paradise." I had to have a cheeseburger and I was in total paradise. After lunch, we went to a jewelry and fashion expo in the Rosemont Convention Center. There had to be 500 vendors, and tables to view. My niece made us go and look at each table, and made sure that we saw every single item. We walked around the center for four hours! It was pretty neat but my feet, ankles, and legs ached. All three of us did find a few good bargains and purchased them.
That night my niece left us at my brother's house. The cable and Internet had been discontinued. My daughter played around and tried to hook up the VCR, so we could watch a video. I walked around my brother's house feeling lost and sad and not sure quite how to handle my feelings. Sensing my mood, my daughter suggested that we check into a hotel. We did. We found a Hilton close by the house and booked a room for two nights. The beds, mattresses, pillows, and the room was A+. We splurged on the fabulous room service both days. The room was comfortable and it came without memories.
We got up and met my high school classmate and blogging partner Gail, at my brother's house. Gail, my daughter, and I managed to find a place to eat breakfast and catch up on the last time we saw each other...that would have been June, 1964. I still remember Gail from high school and I have to say she looks great! We talked about writing and losses, while my daughter talked about being a chef and a marathon runner. We actually talked about the Diva Marathon and seeing if we could meet up with our daughters and do that. If we do, I will be walking with a crown...running is not my game. I was happy to see Gail and we have talked about meeting up again, when I come back to Chicago.
Later, Erin and I drove down to the Rosemont Convention Center parking lot. We paid for parking and took the Blue Line L, and then transferred to the #66 bus to go down to the Navy Pier. We stayed there for a few hours, walking outside and indoors. We bought tickets for the architecture tour of the downtown buildings on one of the scenic boat cruises. I was excited about this because it was something that I had always wanted to do. This tour was worth every penny and I wasn't disappointed. Neither was my daughter. When we finished, we retraced our steps and returned to the car and drove to my niece's house next to Oak Park. We ate outdoors at a nice little Italian restaurant and then walked next door for a gelato for dessert. Hhmm...everything was delicious.
That night I tossed and turned listening to the loud winds and torrential downpours. When we turned on the television, we found that Chicago was under a tornado watch, and the high winds grounded all the morning flights at O'Hare Airport. I hate to fly but room service for breakfast temporarily soothed my mood.
We did go back to my brother's house and packed a few of his things that I wanted and was able to take back home. I stood in Jack's bedroom for a few minutes taking it all in. I finally said goodbye to Jack and his house for the last time, clutching a few of his persona items.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)