Sweet Home, Chicago

This year's Christmas adventure took John and I to the Windy City of Chicago.  I know what you're thinking, "Have you lost your minds?"  And the answer is...yes. 

Back in August, during the dog days of summer, I was wiping the sweat from my brow when I came across this amazing airfare to Chicago.  $90 round trip...on American Airlines, no less.  John tried to warn me.  "It'll be cold," he said.  I shrugged and replied, "Eh, we have coats."

Well, let me just say cold in Chicago is WAY different than cold in Texas.  We're talking like "Oooh, it's a little chilly.  Let me get my sweater" in Texas vs. "Oh shit I can't feel my feet!" in Chicago.

We got our first taste of cold right out of the box.  I buttoned up my coat, pulled on my gloves and wrapped my scarf around my neck.  All bundled up, I stepped outside the airport terminal and the wind cut right through everything I was wearing and I knew I was in trouble.  First stop: a souvenir shop where I can buy a hat!

We stayed at the historic Drake hotel which was conveniently located on the Magnificent Mile approximately two blocks from Lake Michigan.  It was built in 1920 and during the '30's was headquarters to Francesco Nitto (a Chicago mobster) who had a suite of rooms here that he used as his office.  The hotel is very cool and perfectly located.  Directly across the street is Bloomingdale's.  What more could you want?

The Drake Hotel - from Lake Shore Drive

  

The room was great.  It was huge!  It had more closet space than my master bedroom!

 Our "Executive Suite"

Once we checked in, our first mission was lunch/dinner.  We'd specifically skipped lunch so that we could get deep dish pizza and enjoy it guilt free.  We ended up at Lou Malnati's.  We got a "small" which serves two.  The pizza had extra cheese, lean Italian sausage and tomatoes with a butter crust.  I'm not a pizza connoisseur but that was arguably the best deep dish pizza I've ever had.  You cannot get pizza like that in Dallas.

Best Pizza...EVER!

Afterwards, we stopped in Bloomie's to get a hat.  Huge mistake.  $37 for a knit hat.  Seriously!  We looked for a souvenir shop where I could get a Bear's hat or something but couldn't find one.  With the wind slashing through my coat, John felt sorry for me and pulled out his credit card.

Next stop was the liquor store for a bottle to take to the room.  What did they have right up front?  Hats!  $7.99.  Son of a B!

After a quick rest at the hotel, we ventured out again and went to 360 Chicago, which is the top floor of the Hancock Tower.  Wow!  The entire city was lit up for Christmas and it was gorgeous.

The Navy Pier -view from 360 Chicago

 View of from 360 Chicago - Everyone's in the spirit.

 The obligatory photo from the venue

The next morning, after an overpriced (even with a coupon) breakfast, we called an Uber and headed out to the Frank Lloyd Wright House.  I bummed John's thermal shirt to wear under mine and it really helped.  If I'd been able to find my thermal pants, I'd have been a lot more comfortable.  I brought boots but I couldn't double up my socks and comfortably wear them.  Instead, I wore my running shoes, which, of course, are ventilated to let your sweaty feet breathe.  Note to self: Get thermal socks for the next winter vacation!  The hat, however, was perfect!

But I digress.  So this was the actual house that Frank Lloyd Wright lived in with his family.  He was 21 when he built the house.  He and his wife had six children.  During their tenure in the house, it was constantly being renovated by Mr. Wright (How terribly annoying for Mrs. Wright!).  He was one of the first people in the area to have indoor plumbing.  But just imagine, one bathroom for eight people.  Yikes!

The Frank Lloyd Wright House & Studio

It didn't look like much from the outside but the inside was amazing.  Lot's of built in things like bookshelves and couches and some amazing stained glass.

The Living Room - built in couch and beautiful bay windows

 

He eventually added on a studio where he and other architects in his employ would work on various commissions.  The guide never said anything about Frank adding another bathroom, which makes me wonder if the employees used the same facilities...

This was an interesting tidbit.  He (Frank) loved music and had a piano in the house but didn't like that the baby grand took up so much space.  So, he cut a hole in the wall so that the piano was flush and then opened the space behind the wall to release the sound.  When we were going down the stairs to the lower level, the guide had to tell us to watch our heads so we didn't hit them on the piano.

There's the piano behind John.  Note it's pushed into the wall and the gallery above it where the sound came out.

The butt end of the piano protruding into the stairway.

Frank (can I call him Frank? After looking at all his stuff, I feel as though I know him) designed homes for his neighbors and there were several homes on his same street.  We took a small stroll down the street and it was obvious which houses were designed by Frank.  This was my favorite.

House in Oak Park, IL designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

While we would love to have gone in, these were private residences so that wasn't an option.  We kind of felt bad that we were taking a picture of one house as the owner was trying to pull into their driveway.

Once it got too cold to wander around the neighborhood, we called a car and went to the Art Institute of Chicago.  This place was amazing.  When I go to the museum, I like to look at paintings.  I'm not a big fan of sculpture or artifacts (however, they had a Rodin exhibit that we had to check out).  I've been to some pretty amazing museums in Europe.  Let me just say, the Art Institute of Chicago is probably the coolest museum in the US...that I've been to.  It's hands down better than anything Dallas has to offer.  You can take photos inside but no flash.

 The Thinker - Auguste Rodin

 Claude Monet

Vincent Van Gogh

Henri de Toulouse Lautrec

After the museum, we decided to walk back to the hotel.  Here are some of the things we saw:

 "The Bean" in Millennium Park

 The Chicago River - which they turn green for St. Patrick's Day

 Fourth Presbyterian Church - Built 1919

The Water Tower

Later that evening, we met with some friends for drinks and they gave us all kinds of suggestions for places to eat and things to do. 

For dinner that evening, we went to the Rosebud Steakhouse.  We were trying to go to Gibson's but the only reservation we could get was at 4:30. That was a little early, even for us. 

The Rosebud was great.  It's an Italian steakhouse that had a lot of amazing looking items on the menu.  We decided to split a steak because they were all so big!  When we told the waiter what we wanted, he didn't blink an eye.  When he brought our dinner, he cut the steak into pieces for us, making sure we both got part of the marbling along with the center piece.  The service at this place was fantastic.  Two thumbs up!  For sides, they had tater tots - I kid you not.  They were delicious.

Saturday, I think we were drugged.  We planned on getting up around nine.  At eleven, one of us finally pushed the other out of bed and we got going. We opened the blinds only to find that it snowed the night before.  It was beautiful!

By the time we actually got out of the hotel, it was lunchtime.  One of the suggestions we got from our friends was to go to Portillo's for a Chicago Dog. Portillo's was a circus.  The place was huge!  They had some of everything and it would have been difficult to choose.

Inside the chaos that is Portillo's

The recommendation was to get the Chicago dog fully loaded.  So we did.  It was good they said something because I probably would have gotten a chili dog or a polish dog.  It was interesting.   There was a pickle and some kind of weird looking relish.  Overall, it wasn't bad. Tomatoes on a hot dog are a little strange to me.  I don't think I would get it again but, it was definitely worth trying. 

Chicago Dog - Claussen pickle, tomato, relish and mustard

After lunch, we took a car to the Navy Pier, which is right on Lake Michigan.  We wanted to do a river tour but it didn't appear any of the boats were working. 

Entrance to the Navy Pier

In fact, there weren't any people at the pier at all.  We walked all the way down to the water where it was eerily still.  Then we walked around the corner and almost got blown off our feet from the wind.  It was a beautiful view of the skyline, though.

 The abandoned (for the day) Ferris Wheel

 The empty Navy Pier

 Lake Michigan

 Skyline of Chicago

We stepped inside a building and found all the people.  Everyone was inside except us!

Afterwards, we went to the Chicago History Museum.  That was not quite what I expected.  A few cool exhibits but in retrospect, I'd rather have done the gangster tour.

 Mrs. O'Leary and her lantern kicking cow.  It was rumored the cow started the Chicago fire.

They had a Jazz exhibit that was pretty cool.

The snowfall from the night before.  It was gorgeous!

View of downtown from Lake Shore Drive

After the museum, we decided to walk back to the hotel. I thought for sure I'd get blown away by the wind walking along Lake Shore Drive (they don't call it the "Windy City" for nothing!) but it was actually quite pleasant.

The beautiful Lake Michigan

Walking along Lake Shore Drive like a native.

For dinner, our friends booked a reservation for us at a place called Prosecco.  We had two amazing salads.  Mine was a mold of avocado, lobster and shrimp that was absolutely amazing.

 

The Avocado at Prosecco

John got a new take on a Caprese salad.  He had imported baratta mozzarella cheese and tomatoes over prosciutto with some balsamic vinegar.  John swears this was the best mozzarella he'd ever had.

 

The Bufala - Off the menu preparation

Oh kids!  They were both amazing.

For dinner, I got Veal Saltimbocca and John got rigatoni with Italian sausage.  Both were pretty amazing.  Our waiter was a character.  He reminded me of a comedic character.  He would pop up out of nowhere.  He was funny and he did a great job.

So, now we're at the end of our trip and there are so many things that we haven't done.  That only means that we have to come back, right?  Maybe in the summer?

 John doesn't look convinced but I'm already starting to plan...

YYZ (aka Toronto)

John and I like to travel.  We've been to several other countries...except the one just to the north of us.  I can't believe we've never been.  I mean, it's right there!

Well, I was back on the road this past week and headed to Toronto.  In preparation for the trip, I found out how much I really don't know about Canada.

First, I called the credit card company to tell them I'd be out of the country and to please approve all charges.  "What province will you be in?" asked the electronic operator.  Huh?  Province?  No, I"ll be in Toronto.  So that's what I said, very slowly so that the electronic operator could understand.  "To-Ron-To".  I'm sorry, she replied in a chipper voice.  I didn't understand your answer.  What province will you be in?  "Customer Service!" I yelled into the phone.

I found out that Canada has provinces like we have states.  Apparently, Toronto is in the province of Ontario.  Who knew?

It was a 2 1/2 hour flight, which wasn't bad.  I got off the plane and was herded with the rest of the cattle to immigration.  In the US, all the citizens go one way and the non-citizens go the other.  In Toronto, everyone goes in the same line.  It was a little confusing.  The lady said, "If you didn't use the machine, get in this line."  Machine?  What machine?  Try to ask and you get the snake eye from the people behind you in line.  Best to keep moving.

As it turns out, it was an easy process.  I just went to the kiosk, answered the same questions on the little form they gave you on the plane (why give me the form when you know I'm going to fill that thing out on line?), and then off to meet the immigration officer.  I asked if he was going to stamp my passport and the officer actually rolled his eyes as he ushered me out the door.  What's the point of going to another country if you can't get a stamp in your passport??  Even Mexico stamps your passport for Pete's sake!

The client office is in downtown Toronto so that's where we were staying.  I took a cab into town and checked into the hotel.  I stayed at the Sheraton which was in a fantastic location.  It was right across from City Hall.  I had an amazing view from my window.

So, I found out that everything was very expensive there.  I went to the bar to get a glass of wine and I was checking out the list.  Woodbridge was $15 CAD a glass.  Woodbridge!  I pay $5 a bottle for that at Tom Thumb!  Well, I was not paying $15 CAD for a glass of Woodbridge so I got some other brand that wasn't bad.  It was $15 as well but for all I knew it was very expensive.  At least it tasted good.  (Who am I kidding?  It was wine.  Of course it tasted good.)  Just the same, I decided to find the liquor store and drink more cheaply in my room.

The next day I spent at the client office in meetings.  They had the expected accent (aboot vs. about, etc.)  I was waiting for someone to say "eh?" but that didn't happen until the last day and the lady who said it was very embarrassed.

The client office is attached to a huge mall (they manage retail properties) so I went to the food court for lunch.  I didn't realize that the subway station was down there and there were also several office buildings around.  The food court was packed!  I finally found the equivalent of a Chipotle and got a burrito bowl...for $17!  I almost fell over.

After work that night, I walked around town.  It's a great city.  It reminds me of New York but cleaner.  They have all these underground tunnels that connect all the buildings.  I didn't find that out until later and didn't have a chance to go down there but I imagine that those tunnels come in handy when it's a million degrees below zero in the winter.

This little strip mall looks kinda seedy but it housed a lovely little Vietnamese place.

I got a bowl of noodles for $10 and it was delicious.  I never did find the liquor store that night.  I wanted to stop by the bar and take a glass of wine to my room.  No ma'am.  You can't take alcohol out of the bar.  Stupid Canadians!  So I had to order a glass from room service.  My $15 glass became $20 by the time they added all the extras on.

The next day, I refused to go to the food court for lunch.  In my wanderings the night before, I noticed they had food trucks outside city hall.  I found a lady that had grilled Hot Italian sausage so that's what I got.  $4!  That was the cheapest, best meal I'd had in Toronto.  In fact it was so good, I went back for lunch on my last day too.

There were all kinds of cool buildings around.  I wish I'd been a little more prepared but, to be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect.

 

They had this cool little park that was a block over from my hotel.  The building behind me is called "Osgoode Hall", named after the first chief justice.  It was built back in the early 1800's and housed judicial offices.

This is St. George the Martyr Church.  Just the tower, actually.  The church burned back in the '50's.

This cool looking building is not a church, though it looks like it could be.  It's actually the old City Hall.  The tower reminds me a bit of Big Ben in London (Little Ben?).  It's a beautiful building and right in the heart of downtown Toronto.  If you're facing the building, to the right is a huge...mall!

 

The new city hall is a much more modern building and it sits right next to old city hall.  This cool sign lights up at night.  Lots of "tourists" were sitting in the first "O" of Toronto and having their photos taken.  If I go back with someone else, I'm doing that!  This is where all the food trucks park and where I found my beloved $4 Italian sausage.  In the winter, this becomes an ice skating rink, though I'm not sure how.  The water you see is part of a fountain and there's not enough room to skate there.

One cool thing was that you actually go through US customs in Toronto when you return home.  Talk about a time saver.  I think it's because all the flights out of that particular terminal go to some US city.  It really is a pretty cool.

Toronto is a beautiful city and I hope the client engages us so that I can go back, eh?

50 Years with Neil Diamond

"Sweet Caroline, pom, pom, pom..."

I was in Mexico last summer for a trip that John won through work.  They sent us to this resort and there was a band playing "Sweet Caroline".  Everyone in the place was singing.  I was stunned but excited.  I always assumed that it was just the "fans" that knew that song.

My mom is a die-hard Neil Diamond fan.  She'd been to every concert he'd done in a city near her, missing only those shows that it was impossible to get to.  She even went to some concerts by herself and my mom doesn't like to do things like that by herself.  I know of one year where Neil Diamond played two shows in Dallas and my mom went to BOTH shows.  Now that's a fan.

My sister and I grew up listening to Neil Diamond.  My mom had one of those TV/Stereo cabinets from the '70's.  Every Saturday after American Bandstand, my mom would turn off the TV and it was time to clean the house.  She'd put on a Neil Diamond record and the three of us would dance around the house and sing as we cleaned.  My mom even tried to teach us to dance.  She was not successful.

Over the years, my sister and I would go with my mom when Neil came to Dallas, more my sister than me.  When I saw that Neil was doing a 50th anniversary tour, I tagged my sister and my mom on Facebook.  Before I knew what was happening, my sister bought tickets to the show in Phoenix (we were all in Florida when Neil was in Dallas).

John, Mom and I flew to Phoenix...in AUGUST...can you say hot?  The concert was on Friday night.  Kevin got called in to work and John ended up babysitting...Atticus, Harper and Kylie...but does that really count as babysitting?  Atticus is almost 15! 

 

 It would seem that Harper is suddenly shy...

  

Uncle John and Atticus. 

We all had dinner together then the three of us (me, mom and Tres) peeled off and headed to downtown Phoenix.  The show was at Talking Stick Resort.

 

It was a "Hot August Night"....

The Milite women celebrating a tradition.

I think my mom is one of the few fans that have been around for the full 50 years...

In line for souvenirs.

 

A shirt for Tres and a jacket for mom...and a blanket and a program...

She is, she said!

Mom looking snazzy in her new jacket - it says 50 years...with a reference to the song Forever in Blue Jeans.

Waiting for the show to start.  It was very cool.  We talked to several people sitting around us.  Most all of them were serious fans.  Everyone talked about how many shows they'd seen.  Some of the ladies made their own shirts.

There were so many people there!  We saw a couple of older fellas using walkers.  It was mostly women, though.

 

The lights went down and the crowd went wild!  After the first song or two, the people on the floor (again, mostly women!) danced the entire show.

 

He opened with "Cherry, Cherry" and I sang along.  I didn't stop singing until the end of the show.  There were only about two or three songs that I didn't know.  He sang all the hits, including stuff from Jonathan Livingston Seagull (not my favorite) but still not bad. He did "Song Sung Blue", "Cracklin' Rosie", "Forever in Blue Jeans", "I'm a Believer", "Soolaimon"...I could go on.  Two and a half hours with no break or opening act.  Just Neil and his music.  

 

You can't really see him very well but at 76, he looks good.  His voice was strong and he danced around the stage.  He was funny and played with the crowd.  It was a fantastic show.  Being there with my mom and my sister made it that much better. 

 

My sister recently bought a new house and had a pool installed.  John and I were leaving Saturday evening so we spent the day with the kids in the pool.  It's really nice and we had fun. 

 

Atticus' dog was afraid to get in the water so Atticus swam around with the dog on his back.

 

 Harper doing the dead man's float. 

 

Harper wanted to show that she could carry me (gasp!).

 

After swimming, we went in to hang out a bit.  The sun pretty much sapped all of our energy (well, mine anyway.)  Harper and I are mouth-breathing as we watch Mama Mia!  

 

Then we started watching something on her iPad.  

 

Wow.  We both have "pool hair".  John likes to call her my "Mini me".  Poor Harper.

Anyway - there it is.  Celebrating fifty years of Neil Diamond with my sister and my mom with a follow up day at the pool with the kids.  What could be better than that?