Our View From the Top

There it is.... the Chicago skyline from the top of the Navy Pier ferris wheel!

It was a most gorgeous nite to be up in the sky!!  Check out the rainbow sunset...





With our nephew, Jake



What trip to Harry Caray's would be complete without putting on imitation Harry glasses?!?

Dinner at Harry Caray's was delicious ~ I got the turkey burger!  As was my Goose Island seasonal beer (Goose Island is a Chicago brewery, by the way)!!

The ferris wheel ride was relaxing and the sights from atop it were gorgeous!  So very glad we did this and got to experience it with Jake!!

And, we ended our trip along the Pier with a stop at Garrett's!  I got a Chicago Mix, of course, and bought Jake his first bag, too!  As he and I were in line waiting, he looked at the Garrett's sign that said something about a Chicago tradition since 1949 and he said, "How many traditions does Chicago have?  Hot dogs, popcorn, baseball..."  To which I replied, "As many as they can get!"  So, this aunt is happy to have introduced her Florida nephew to a grand Chicago tradition!! 

Hoist the Fore(ty)!!

My 40th Birthday Card Collection!

We had the most gloriously sunny and warm day to celebrate my birthday yesterday!  So, what is a girl to do?!?  Take the day off work and head to CHICAGO, of course!!!

 

Chris & I took the train to the Museum Campus stop and walked over to Shedd Aquarium.  If you remember, we are members, so we can just stop in and spend as much (or as little) time as we like.  We watched the dolphins, beluga whales and an otter swim playfully in their respective tanks.  We saw a couple teeny-faced monkeys (reminding us of our own little pixie, Luna), lots of fish, sting rays, frogs & lizards. 



(source)



From the Shedd, we walked along Lake Michigan to Navy Pier.  The sun was shining and there was a soft breeze.  Our destination at Navy Pier was Tall Ship Windy (finally!!  as we tried to catch it last October, only to arrive and something was broken and it wasn't running).  We went immediately to the ticket booth to secure our spots aboard the ship. 

With about 45 minutes until we set sail, we went to Bubba Gump to enjoy a beverage and a bite.  Our server was a trip!  He had all sorts of questions and riddles for us to solve!!!  We each got a Sam Adams Seasonal beer (Summer) to quench our thirst from our long walk on this warm mid-May day!  This was our first time at Bubba Gump's and we only wanted to have some appetizers.  We decided on the Cajun Shrimp and Seafood Hushpuppies!  OMG!!!  The food was outrageous!!!  Highly recommend both apps!!!  The Cajun Shrimp has some kick to it, so be sure to have a beverage AND some water on hand!!! 

Off to our first-ever sailboat ride!  What a beautiful ship the Windy is!!!  And guess what?  Chris & I got to raise one of the sails!!  Yep...that pic above is ours!  We did that!  Let me tell you, it is WORK!  About halfway up, the sail starts to take on wind and becomes very hard to lift.  I was using ALL of my weight and strength ~~ I was going down into a full squat to pull my rope!  It was exhilarating!!!  Both of us were a bit winded when we finished! 

It was  a perfect sailing day.  Sunny, breezy and just the perfect temperature (low to mid 80's).  I am really glad we weren't able to sail that day last October b/c this was truly a birthday delight!

After disembarking, we scored some Chicago Mix popcorn from Garrett right on Navy Pier!  Suh-weet!  Of course, we had to walk over to a shaded park bench to enjoy some of the caramel-cheese indulgence! 

With our sweet-salty cravings indulged (for the time being) and fingers all orange-yellow from the cheese flavoring, we walked back to the Millenium Park train station to head home.  We were both worn out from all of the walking, the fresh air ...and, perhaps, the adult beverages (had some cocktails on the Ship after the beer at Bubba's).  However, that didn't stop us from having a bit more of the Chicago Mix! 

We finished up the day by enjoying Trader Joe's tiramisu and more Garrett's!!! 

But wait, there is more celebrating yet to be had!! 

Here are a couple sneak peeks at the goodies we have been stashing (like a squirrel stashes nuts!!) that will be used & shared at my Bash this Saturday:

What-What?!  Is that a disco ball light I see????  Maybe!!!  

Holiday Weekend Bluuuurrrr

Thanksgiving has come and gone.  So hard to believe it is almost the end of another year.  Where did 2011 go? 

We spent the holiday at my aunt's, as usual.  I made a tried-&-true recipe, as well as a new one.  Eating Well's Cranberry Cherry Walnut Marmalade, which I made two years ago, is a crowd pleaser!  I love having the leftovers for home, too!!  I tried my hand at some pumpkin crescent rolls.  Rather delish!!!  These remind me of a family recipe (my Aunt Joan's rolls), but with a little twist.  I believe they will become MY famous rolls!  

Friday, Chris & I celebrated 19 years of wedded bliss!  Well, not always bliss, of course ... but our personal version of married happily ever after!  

We were blessed with the most mild of weather: sunny, mid 50's to low 60's.  Perfect for our planned trip to Chicago.  We took the train from East Chicago.  First stop, Shedd Aquarium (we are members) ~~ which was packed!  The nice thing about being members ... we don't have to wait in any long lines to get in!  And the line was way down the steps outside the front of the building!  CRAZY!! 

We walked over to the theatre district to grab a bite to eat at Corner Bakery (our usual dining spot when in The City).  From there, we strolled the Kristkindl market at Daley Plaza (it is a German-style open-air market).  It was teeming with people, making it rather difficult to get close to any of the booths to ogle the crafts.  We also checked out the windows at Macy's (not that impressed with this year's theme).  

Before heading north to Lincoln Park Zoo, we waited in line at Garrett Popcorn to get our Chicago Mix!  A large cheese & caramel popcorn mix for each of us!  Yep ~~ we each had our very own bag!

We grabbed a cab to get us to the zoo (it is many, many blocks north of Randolph/Michigan Avenue/Lake Shore Drive).  Yet another crazy, busy scene!  Opening nite for the zoo's ZooLights, plus the gorgeous day, brought everyone out!  The traffic was crazy, but our cab driver a bit crazier!!!  He got us there in almost record time!

We enjoyed our time at the zoo while munching on our Garrett popcorn!  Had lots of people making comments, even asking us where we got it!  Awesome snack for any outing!!!

We decided to walk all the way back to the train station.  Not much to look at during most of the walk, but we did hit part of Old Town.

We still had about an hour to kill before the next train back to Indiana.  We were both rather drained at this point and decided it would be best to head into the underground terminal, grab a pop to share and just rest our weary selves.  

Chris hung garland and lights on our front porch railings and awning on Wednesday, but we still needed to fill our flower boxes with Christmas-y decor.  Early Saturday, we got outside to complete our holiday transformation.  (I need to snap a photo!!)

The rest of Saturday entailed a quick run to Target, an hour at Panera to get online and then home to watch a movie ("Limitless").  

Sunday found us cleaning the house, finishing laundry and putting up (almost) all of the window plastic.  I also addressed some Christmas cards, while Chris worked on a book project.  

Looking forward to our first annual Wet Potatoes Gang Ugly Christmas Sweater Party this Friday.  It's gonna be a hoot!     

Museums & Sailboats

If you live in the Chicagoland area, or are planning a visit, make sure you check out the museums in the city!!  We are BIG fans of Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium.  Over the years, we have been members at both (currently, we are members at Shedd).  I encourage purchasing a membership (if you live here) because it could be a real money saver!!  The admission tickets to these museums are pretty steep, then you add in the cost of special exhibits and attractions ~~ your head will spin!  However, memberships get you free admission, exhibits and attractions, as well as discounts for restaurants and shops ... plus invitations to exclusive members-only events!  We get an individual membership which allows for the member and one guest to receive all of the perks (there are usually several family options, too).  Oh, and I almost forgot to mention: a portion of the membership fee is tax-deductible! 

One of our Field Museum memberships got us in for a free members-only viewing of the Cleopatra exhibit!!  Our next one allowed us free access into the King Tut exhibit!!!  Amazing ~ both!!!

Right now, we are members of Shedd because they are having a jellyfish exhibit, called Jellies!  Jellyfish and sea horses are my favorite sea creatures!  So, with a membership, we are free to peruse the aquarium and all exhibits as often as we want!  We can stay the day or pop in for an hour ~~ which is exactly what we did Wednesday afternoon.  We went to Shedd specifically to see Jellies! and then leave!  How cool is that?!  I know!

Upside-down Jelly

The primary reason we headed to the city was to redeem vouchers for a sailboat ride on Tall Ship Windy.  I bought a Living Social deal earlier this summer and it expires on September 30.  Wednesday was to be a beautiful day, perfect for a sail on Lake Michigan!!  We decided to work a half day, rendezvous at home and head into Chicago. 

Tall Ship Windy

Our first stop was Shedd and then we headed toward Navy Pier, where the Windy is docked.  We wanted to do the 5:30 Pirate-themed sail and needed to get our vouchers redeemed at the ticket booth at least an hour prior to sailing.  To be sure we got the reservation, we headed straight there, even tho it was only about 3:00.  The day was gorgeous: sunny, not hot and a tad windy ~~ perfect for a sailboat!  Unless that sailboat is BROKEN!!!  Yep ~~ we get up there and it isn't sailing!!!  Fortunately, they were extremely accomodating and offered to extend our vouchers until June 2012  (they will run into October and reopen in April). 

We will have to keep our eyes on the weather and give a call before heading up the next time!  We might even do the later (7:30) sail as it is a haunted-theme!!!  We'll simply dress appropriately and order a hot drink (we have vouchers for that, too!!) on-board.

To make lemonade out of lemons, we decided to walk around the city (our usual way to spend time up there).  The weather was so perfect for strolling!  We ate at Corner Bakery and hit Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie.   Got a large Chicago Mix from Garrett's Popcorn.  Walked thru Millenium Park and the gardens.  Took a different route back to the parking garage and found the Cancer Survivor's Garden (LOVE!!).  Stumbled upon a great park with cool water features.  By 7:00, we were ready to head back home  ~~ lots of walking and tons of fresh air had us pretty relaxed for the drive (even if we had gotten stuck in traffic, which, luckily, we did not!).   

You just never know what you might find when you take a new path.  In the City of Chicago, as in life!!

Chicago in November

On Saturday we headed into Chicago by train for our annual visit to The City during the holidays.  It is always cold and there have been years with rain, with snow and even rain & snow.  In past years, this trip has even included seeing a play as an anniversary gift to each other (The Lion King & Chicago, come to mind).  Broadway in Chicago has amazing shows!!!

Caught the 10:22 train, which is really the best way to travel as you avoid the traffic and the hassle of finding parking at a reasonable rate. 

Our first stop was the windows at Macy's, where this year's theme is "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus".  I love the humongous horns jutting out the side of the building that faces State Street!!

We headed over to the Christkindl market at Daley Plaza.  The aromas of food and drink were intoxicating (like the warmed gluhwein served in a boot!!!).  The woolen hats & sweaters were calling our names cuz it was CHILLY ... and we were bundled up with hats, scarves, gloves, coats and leggings under our pants!!  The best part: we got to hear bell ringers ~~ they are my favorite!  I adore hearing Christmas music this way!!!

Our next usual stop was Cornery Bakery for some coffee.  We love this joint and wish they would build one over here in Northwest Indiana!!!  Great food, scrumptious baked goods and very good coffee!  Who could ask for more?!  Oh, and free wifi!!!  They would have to kick us out, if ever they built one here, that is...

Off to Michigan Avenue, where we eventually ended up at Watertower Place.  We headed inside for warmth and checked out just a couple stores.

At this point we were pretty hungry, so we headed a bit south to another Cornery Bakery location for some lunch.  I love the D.C. Chicken Salad on Steakhouse Rye!!!  Chris got his usual Tomato Mozzarella on Ciabatta Ficelle.  

After filling up our bellies, we decided to head off on an adventure.  We like to check out different areas of the city and, for the most part, we do it on foot.  One year we walked quickly through 'Old Town' and I have been wanting to go back and see the cute shops.  So we head west and Chris asks a "local" how to get to Old Town.  Fortunately for us, we aren't THAT far ... a bit more west and north we must go.  Great little community of fun & funky shops and awesome homes & apartments.  We went into an outdoor Christmas tree "shop" and walked around the fresh firs & pines ~ a first for us b/c we are artificial tree folks.  Lots to look at which is exactly what we look for on these walking adventures.

Back at the Theatre District, we got in line for THE MOST DELICIOUS POPCORN ON THE PLANET!  Garrett's is a must when you visit Chicago!  Get the Chicago Mix: cheese & caramel crisp ~~ it's the bomb!!!  Our total wait time was 45 minutes ... and believe me when I tell you with all sincerity, it is worth the wait!!  Every second of it!  We treated ourselves to the jumbo size!  If you wait in line that long, you better order big!!! 

They aren't lying!!!  Your fingertips will be stained yellow from the cheese!  It is clearly impossible to eat while wearing winter gloves!!  We couldn't wait to get on the 6:22 train for home, so we could open the bag and get eating!!! 

After stopping at the Starbucks in the train station for 2 cups of joe, that is exactly what we did.  Even the conductor commented when he came around to collect tickets!  Garrett's is well known!

All in all a most delightful day.  While cold, it was sunny & clear during the day and we were there after sunset to see all of the Christmas lights strung everywhere!!!