D, G & L: May 2010

Chicago!!! What a wonderful city! We had a great experience here in Chicago. The architecture was a beautiful mixture of old and new. Dave and Amy took a National Board Exam on Tuesday so we made a fun trip out of it. On Monday we took in the sights starting with breakfast at a great local favorite. Next, we walked down State Street (lots of shopping) and then to Millennium Park. President Obama gave his acceptance speech in this park and it also holds the "bean". This is a reflective sculpture that is shaped like a kidney bean. Very cool actually. The park also had beautiful tulips and nicely landscaped gardens. From there, we headed out to Navy Pier. This was very touristy, but it was pre-tourist season so it was nice to walk around and see the pier without the hustle and bustle of too many tourists. By the pictures you can tell it was windy and chilly while we were there. Next we headed for deep dish Chicago style pizza at Uno's. This place was established in 1943 and started the 'deep dish' tradition in Chicago. It was delicious! They put the cheese on the crust then the toppings and sauce. Different, but yummy! Pretty long day of walking around, especially post marathon! Tuesday, Amy and Dave went to their exam, so I wondered back into the city. I was planning on seeing the Sears/Willis Tower, but the low lying clouds prohibited me from seeing past the first 1/3 of the tower; so I saw the building then headed to the 'Magnificent Mile'. This is known for its wonderful shopping! I found a giant H&M, which I spend nearly an hour in. I saw the Water Tower which was the only building still standing after the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. I also spotted a three story Crate and Barrel.... had to take a pic! I also enjoyed the sights of the Chicago Tribune Building (very gothic), Wrigley Building, the riverfront and I enjoyed a yummy sub from "potbelly's sub shop". I headed back to the hotel just in time to meet back up with Amy and Dave. We took a nap to prepare for a dueling piano bar in downtown Chicago. It was a great time and we thoroughly enjoyed singing along! Wednesday was Dave's day: WRIGLEY FIELD!!!! We got Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast (very big out here) and got to the game in time to watch batting practice. Dave caught a fly ball without a glove and was pretty stoked about it! He is such a stud:) He got lots of cheers and 'nice catches!' It was a little chilly for the game, but luckily, no rain. Amy was pretty cold, but Dave and I have tough baseball watching skins:) The Cubbies won and we had a blast in the left field bleachers! This place in known to get rowdy and has crazy fans. The Cubs left fielder (Soriano) was interacting with the crowd during the entire game. It was pretty awesome to see the fan support and the players appreciation of their support. The area around the field was beautiful and fully supports the Cubs! Sadly, that was our last day in Chicago, but we packed plenty into our time in the city. Here are some pictures that sum up the fun:)

Breakfast at Lou Mitchell's: est. in 1923 and hasn't moved. Great waitress and yummy food.