couchtiger (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} couchtiger) wrote,@ 2007-11-22 10:52:00 |
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Chicago Thus Far
So we have been playing tourist for a few days in Chicago, at this point it's Thanksgiving so we're pretty much done and just hanging around with family from here on out. God has blessed gifted tortured us with some awful weather yesterday, it was cold and windy and raining. M says, "what did you expect in Chicago in November, sun and palm trees?" Well no, but still.
I was super pumped to see this theater, M performed here as a child in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and he has the greatest memories of it. (Or so he tells me).
We went to see the big tree and the Walnut Room at Macy's. It is a very tall Macys so I couldn't resist a photo looking down. The great thing about being an obvious tourist is that I don't give a damm what people see me taking pictures of.
Best part of the day - we stopped in the Merchandise Mart to meet up with my excellent lj friendadr0ck!! I just love to meet good peeps from eljay and I know like 80% of my friendslist in person so that is just excellent. I am pleased to report that adr0ck was extremely friendly, helpful, and petite. I do feel like a tall giant next to so many of my friends (and occasionally my husband.....). Touring the merchandise mart was excellent; I love to look at posh kitchens and expensive bathrooms and whatnot. It was so excellent that I dragged M back later that day to do the full tour. The Kohler store has so many fun things to play with, I could look at odd bathtub faucets all day long. :) M took this photo of adr0ck and I.
We met up with our excellent friend Adlai (the dude who introduced M and I) and went to this "awesome place" that M remembered from his childhood, Ed Debevic's. I am starting to see a trend that all the "awesome places" from M's childhood are burger joints, like Ed Debevics or Portillo's. The waitstaff at this place is actually quite rude and it unnerved me. They made me wear a stupid hat and that unnerved me as well. There were hardly any kidney beans in my chili and that too was unnerving (what the heck else would be in chili....) and the waitstaff danced on the table with their dirty shoes on and that was the final unnerving straw.
All in all it was a tasty lunch but it was so unnerving that it took me a while to get into the swing of things and enjoy it. I am not used to being told "shut up" by the waitstaff. Ironically, we left a large tip.
As you walk down the street, there is a sign that advertises Ed Debevics - I like this sign and I think I want one for my front yard.
Then we walked around and saw some more things. Chicago is already decorated for Christmas (Boston is tardy in that, I guess) and the T-stops are embellished with trains. I like them.
Despite the miserable weather, we spent some time at the end of the day walking the Magnificant Mile. I honestly expected it to be a little more magnificant than it was, it is really just an endless mecca for shopping. But it's all chain store shopping, so it really does not compare to Newbury street, though people told me it did. I sort of think it is a little depressing how many malls are around out here, it is really a land built for shopping. I don't so much love shopping so the magnificant mile is not high on my list for next time. You know what IS high on my list? There is a river tour on the Architecture of Chicago that runs in the summer, it goes along the river and details all the old buildings and new buildings and what went into each one and the landscape and stuff like that. That tour sounds AWESOME and I will leave everyone else to their shopping while I do that. We will be back in July for M's sisters wedding so I'm looking forward to seeing more cool things then.
One GOOD thing about the Magnificant Mile is that we passed Garett's Popcorn. Upon recommendation fromdeemystified and worthy1 I stopped and bought some, it is really super tasty. In fact, in my thanksgiving morning laziness I had some with breakfast this morning.
This is me in my pjs, wearing my spiffy ed debevics hat and eating my garetts popcorn. I could survive just fine in Chicago, y/n??
We are headed off now to meet family for Thanksgiving and help with some cooking. This is my first thanksgiving with ALL the in-laws (years previous we have just done it with M's mother) so I am excited to meet and greet people I don't see very often. Happy Thanksgiving to All. :)
So we have been playing tourist for a few days in Chicago, at this point it's Thanksgiving so we're pretty much done and just hanging around with family from here on out. God has blessed gifted tortured us with some awful weather yesterday, it was cold and windy and raining. M says, "what did you expect in Chicago in November, sun and palm trees?" Well no, but still.
I was super pumped to see this theater, M performed here as a child in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and he has the greatest memories of it. (Or so he tells me).
We went to see the big tree and the Walnut Room at Macy's. It is a very tall Macys so I couldn't resist a photo looking down. The great thing about being an obvious tourist is that I don't give a damm what people see me taking pictures of.
Best part of the day - we stopped in the Merchandise Mart to meet up with my excellent lj friend
adr0ck!! I just love to meet good peeps from eljay and I know like 80% of my friendslist in person so that is just excellent. I am pleased to report that adr0ck was extremely friendly, helpful, and petite. I do feel like a tall giant next to so many of my friends (and occasionally my husband.....). Touring the merchandise mart was excellent; I love to look at posh kitchens and expensive bathrooms and whatnot. It was so excellent that I dragged M back later that day to do the full tour. The Kohler store has so many fun things to play with, I could look at odd bathtub faucets all day long. :) M took this photo of adr0ck and I. We met up with our excellent friend Adlai (the dude who introduced M and I) and went to this "awesome place" that M remembered from his childhood, Ed Debevic's. I am starting to see a trend that all the "awesome places" from M's childhood are burger joints, like Ed Debevics or Portillo's. The waitstaff at this place is actually quite rude and it unnerved me. They made me wear a stupid hat and that unnerved me as well. There were hardly any kidney beans in my chili and that too was unnerving (what the heck else would be in chili....) and the waitstaff danced on the table with their dirty shoes on and that was the final unnerving straw.
All in all it was a tasty lunch but it was so unnerving that it took me a while to get into the swing of things and enjoy it. I am not used to being told "shut up" by the waitstaff. Ironically, we left a large tip.
As you walk down the street, there is a sign that advertises Ed Debevics - I like this sign and I think I want one for my front yard.
Then we walked around and saw some more things. Chicago is already decorated for Christmas (Boston is tardy in that, I guess) and the T-stops are embellished with trains. I like them.
Despite the miserable weather, we spent some time at the end of the day walking the Magnificant Mile. I honestly expected it to be a little more magnificant than it was, it is really just an endless mecca for shopping. But it's all chain store shopping, so it really does not compare to Newbury street, though people told me it did. I sort of think it is a little depressing how many malls are around out here, it is really a land built for shopping. I don't so much love shopping so the magnificant mile is not high on my list for next time. You know what IS high on my list? There is a river tour on the Architecture of Chicago that runs in the summer, it goes along the river and details all the old buildings and new buildings and what went into each one and the landscape and stuff like that. That tour sounds AWESOME and I will leave everyone else to their shopping while I do that. We will be back in July for M's sisters wedding so I'm looking forward to seeing more cool things then.
One GOOD thing about the Magnificant Mile is that we passed Garett's Popcorn. Upon recommendation from
deemystified and worthy1 I stopped and bought some, it is really super tasty. In fact, in my thanksgiving morning laziness I had some with breakfast this morning. This is me in my pjs, wearing my spiffy ed debevics hat and eating my garetts popcorn. I could survive just fine in Chicago, y/n??
We are headed off now to meet family for Thanksgiving and help with some cooking. This is my first thanksgiving with ALL the in-laws (years previous we have just done it with M's mother) so I am excited to meet and greet people I don't see very often. Happy Thanksgiving to All. :)
