the Windy City

This trip was even more of a whirlwind than the last, seeing that it was mostly composed of mind-enriching visits and taste experiments with some excellent international fare.

Hotel: Westin Michigan Avenue. Very convenient and centrally-located, lobby decor very cool. (Don't laugh: I went to the American Girl Place across the street to see if I could score another set of the paper dolls. Out of print. Dang it.) Rooms OK. Apparently this MLB team was staying there at the same time; I don't know any of them, but I think I saw their agent (i.e. look for the binder, I was instructed).
Landmark Grill: hotel restaurant--great breakfasts with enormous portions; excellent fruit plate. Nice ambiance with the plethora of framed artwork.

Zapatista: crunchy and spicy corn taquitos. Amazing smoky chipotle salsa (their specialty). I loved the wrought-iron star lights that were sprinkled throughout the restaurant.
Bistrot Zinc: Inviting cafe atmosphere with warm, sunny walls. Front window opens and instantly you are on a small street in Paris. Waiter's knowledge was bar none. Flavorful hanger steak with potato gratin was extremely rich with flavor but not heavy. Split the flourless chocolate cake with 2 other people. Do not attempt this on your own.
1492 Tapas Bar: a cacophony of flavors and choices! An amazing experience in sampling. Several different, really good versions of calamari. The spicy meatballs were tangy and unexpected. The cheese plate was a nice alternative with its parmesan, blue cheese and fig compote.
Cheesecake Factory: with over 300 menu items, I knew I would find something great--the thai lettuce wraps were a nice light fare that saved me some room for the Godiva mousse cheesecake (still one of the lighter sweet items). An intimidatingly large building!

I was quite underwhelmed with the Shedd Aquarium, however, I didn't attend any of the auditorium shows, which I'm sure are one of the top reasons people visit. It's certainly geared towards a younger audience, and for them, it is most likely quite spectacular. Note: do not go to giant attraction on a Saturday. Cocktails may have to immediately follow the excursion. Being kind of an art gallery nerd, I was extremely excited to go to the Art Institute of Chicago, which hadn't been on my last trip to the city. As a self-proclaimed Modernist, several rooms lined with Gauguins, Chagalls and Cezannes quieted my mind. Another place you'll want to hit later on a weekday. Certainly Late Night Catechism was a hilarious, must-see show; beware: you must hold up to the actor's bullying as she will call you out in the audience. The second time around, Jersey Boys was even better! This musical has a lot of appeal, as I know my parents would be singing along even more than I was. Despite all of these amazing events, the crowning jewel of the trip was a behind-the-scenes tour of the Field Museum. Holy crap--I was a kid in a pre-historic candy store. The highlights: holding a 110 million-year-old (no joke) fossil (I wrote down the name somewhere but I think I lost it); seeing the private collections of the jewels that are not on display (there are LOTS); and tons of dinosaur bones--just us, a room in the basement and all of these bones--a great story to tell my kids someday.


Last but not least, on the friend side, I managed to see both Amber and Sarah (plus chubby bunny Ben). I miss you girls! Thank you for the conversation. It is greatly savored.

My buddy & the ladies

Took a few more days off from work (once you're on a roll, who wants to go back???) to go visit the Despins. There was actually a few days in a row that we weren't having another blizzard, so I figured getting out would be good. The holidays are a time to see relatives and friends, but sometimes the logistics of giving out presents and cogregating at the same location leaves little time for actual spending time together. I have a friend in Nathan like no other. Each morning I was there, he would come into my room and wake me up. I knew kids were happy in the morning, but seriously, adults cannot even attempt to fake their encouragement pre-coffee; kids are just raring to go. There was a great deal of train and car playing (which I really kinda like: it brought me back to my good ol' Matchbox days). Krista and I even managed to scrapbook, too, while Tom and his friends played a rousing few rounds of Settlers, which apparently, a lot of men play but perhaps don't admit...

Saturday, Liz, Anne and I met at our commonplace spot Highland Grill for some lunch and nonstop conversation. It seems that we never run out of stuff to talk about. That night Noelle was able to get Liz, myself and some of her friends tickets to see Avenue Q. Run to see this! It is absolutely hilarious. My cheeks were hurting from laughing so hard. I think this is a Broadway play that many spouses would esp. enjoy.