RB (my GF) came out to Chicago last weekend. She flew in Friday night and out last night. We had a blast. Of course some people would think we were crazy because we went basically non-stop from the time she came up to when she left.
Starting with Friday night we ended up taking a scenic drive down Harlem St… Hmm it wasn’t really by choice though. We – I should say I – missed the correct turn so I thought I bet this road will get us to where we are going. And sure enough it did – after an extra ½ hour of driving. But it was all fun anyway because I like exploring and RB didn’t seem to mind. We finally got to the train station and found out we needed change (three dollars in quarters) to feel the parking system. So we spent some time asking cabbies and strangers to make change out of a few dollars. We finally got into Chicago around 9p thanks to our misadventures of the night. Honestly though it was quite fun so far and we hadn’t even done anything!
For the rest of the night we dined at Harry Caray’s restaurant and met up with some of my Coworkers at the Fulton Lounge. Harry Caray’s was a great experience, steeped in Cub’s history it is a Steak Chop house with an intimate décor, great service, good food, and it was totally enjoyable; we didn’t even have to wait because we got there so late. Fulton’s lounge was also fabulous. It is located in an old meat packing district that apparently has some of the hottest clubs in town. Very off the beaten path Swinger’s style you have to find this place. Being a swanky place it was very laid back with good music and comfortable couches for hanging out.
Because we had been out so late the night before, we didn’t get into Chicago ‘til around noon on Saturday. So we started our day with lunch at the Billy Goat (a dinner that the SNL skit cheezeboorger, cheezeboorger, cheezeboorger was based on). We – like every other dinner at that meal – got a double cheeseburger and chips whether we liked it or not, but that is the fun of that place. We spent the afternoon at the Shedd Aquarium. That was a lot of fun and now I only have to go to the Planetarium and I have seen it all (along the museum district in Chicago anyway). After the aquarium we took a water taxi up to the Navy Pier. That was fun but a little wet. The man selling tickets reminded me of a young James Earl Jones. He was crooning a dozen different lines to entice potential customers using a very distinctive voice. Navy Pier was busy hosting several weddings and the usual tourist. We took a good look around, walked up and down the dock and then moved on. Navy Pier is easily the most touristy attraction (tourist trap) in Chicago.
We walked around river north (one of the Chicago neighborhoods) for a while then went to Gino’s East for some original Chicago Style Pizza. It was a lot of fun. We had to wait in line for around 40 minutes but they had people come out and entertain everyone. The magician wasn’t all that great but it beat waiting in line with no entertainment. Gino’s East is fun because every inch of the restraint is covered in graffiti. You are actually encouraged to write on the walls, hell they’ll even give you the pen/marker or whatnot. We didn’t finish dinner until around 9p, it just seems to take awhile to get around town and do most things. After dinner we caught an L south to head back to the park and hopefully see some fireworks.
On the way through the park, while headed toward Lake Michigan we noticed a lot off people gathering around Buckingham fountain. We stopped for a while to try and get some photo’s of the fountain all lit up at night when it suddenly went dark. After a moment some music started playing and the lights came back on and a show started. The show was not quite the Bellagio’s Fountain show but it was very well done. It lasted about 20 minutes, consisted of four or five different tunes with coordinating lights, and the various features of the fountains surged and came on and off in a spectacular display. As the last song finished we heard some loud booms and found that the fireworks were being launched over the Lake. After the show we headed over to Buddy Guy’s Legends Café. This is a must see Blues Club just south of the loop on Wabash. We stayed there the rest of the night and watched a show by John Primer, the same bluesman I was lucky enough to see last March while in town with GM and AL.
As if we hadn’t seen enough we finished our weekend on Sunday by dining at my favorite Italian Restaurant The Italian Village. The service is always great, the food is good, and you can’t beat the ambience. It has been built to recreate an Italian Village outdoor dinning setting complete with a night’s sky and white strung lights. They are always playing relaxing music, many times including Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. The service never stops; if your glass is half full it will be refilled before you can even notice the server. The same can be said for bread and used plates disappear in literally seconds. This is the third time I’ve dined here and plan to do so again the next time I’m in town. After lunch we walked around the Loop area of Chicago then headed out of town. Once out of town we took a detour through a small city center in the city of Downer’s Grove, walking around town and having a nice ice cream cone. After that weekend we needed a rest so we spent a few hours hanging out at the hotel, then RB was off – heading back to Minnesota. Though it was a lot of fun I’m almost glad to get back to training just to get some rest..
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