The Windy City

Lisa's mom ended up surprising us both by offering to watch Soren for five days while sending us to Chicago for five days of vacation. Read that sentence twice, because it's profoundly amazing! Taking a visit to Chicago in July sounds like a terrible idea on paper, but it ended up being lovely. Perfect, even! It never got hotter than the mid eighties, which is Utopia for Chicago weather.

We could never thank Ruth enough for giving us this respite in the midst of multi-tiered chaos. The worst part of the trip was all the walking that we did, which takes its toll when you are 7+ months pregnant. Phew. But the best part of the trip was basically everything else. Now, brace yourself for photo overload! 

The view from our dowtown hotel. I miss seeing the shimmery river every morning.

The detailed architecture was amazing.

We saw a show of hand-painted movie posters. We weren't supposed to take pictures, but c'mon! How could you resist?

First Chinese food we've had in a long time.

Part of our Architecture Tour, where we toured the river of Chicago while hearing about the historic architecture. It sounds dorky and boring, but it ended up being really fascinating and well worth the money.

BTW, does this look familiar?

Yep! It's Wilco~! (who are from Chicago)

Chicago Chinatown is the 4th Largest in the Country, which means it's pretty dinky. BUT still had a few gems, including this treat shop. We bought dried kiwi, ginger, lemon slices, Hokkaido squid, and plums. Soooo good...

The exhibit was about whales. Though being so pregnant might make one feel like a whale sometimes...?

Field Museum was beautifully laid out. My new dream job is to be their exhibit designer.

We took four types of public transportation: commuter trains, buses, cta, and taxis. We felt pretty urban.

From the Trump Tower. Did i tell you that i miss the river?

Ravinia Festival: a surreal collection of Classical music fans!

Along with several hundred other people, we made a picnic and silently listened to Andre Watts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. After being the youngest patron of opera and classical music virtually wherever I have heard it, this was a mind-blowing event. I couldn't believe the gigantic crowd amassing to respectfully listen to classical music. I couldn't recommend this enough-- we had food, drinks, and listened to Rite of Spring as the sky faded to starlight. Wow.

Wisconsin-baked rhubarb crackers with savory cheese. So wonderful.

What is the connection between a tentacle man and a dog? I dunno, but it makes me want to watch the movie!

Lisa pointed out to me that this was actually the most uninterrupted time the two of us have ever spent together! I think it's going to have to be an annual event.