Chicago

Mike, Maddie and I went to Chicago over the weekend. In short, Maddie celebrated Christmas & her birthday with her dad's family and Mike and I spent time downtown and watching football on my brother Matt's freakin' huge t.v. in Naperville.


Mike, Matt and I drove downtown to eat at the Berghoff before it closes at the end of February, but we were too hungry to wait in a line that extended to the end of the block. So, we parked underground, strolled through Millenium Park where we experienced "the Bean" and the huge spitting face screens before traveling north across the river and deciding to warm up at Heaven on Seven (on Rush) for some cajun yum yum.

We dashed across the street after scarfing down gumbo and red beans to take a look at Room And Board, a furniture store that - IMHO - didn't stack up to Crate & Barrel, which is where we headed next - sans Matt. Throughout our visit to the C&B I was happy to discover that, although Mike and I don't necessarily share the same passion for haute couture, we like the same furniture. Perhaps there's a future for us after all! We browsed a bit - coveting much of what we saw - before we headed on to Pottery Barn and the Ghirardelli store (I totally spelled that right on the first try - I rock!).

We stopped at Rosebud on Rush for a drink on the way back to the car. Mike enjoyed the nickel he got back in change after he handed the bartender a $20 for the 2 drinks we just purchased. I apparently enjoyed a $13 chocolate martini. It was good, but c'mon... $13 bucks!?!

We were treated to a fireworks show at the Chicago River bridge as the local Bears fans were getting ready for their big game vs. the Panthers on Sunday (didn't turn out favorably for the locals). Chicago was a proud and energetic city that night. The air was crisp and romantic as warm smiles revealed the love that happy souls had (and have) for their hometown. I was glad to share the experience with Mike.