So I never got around to telling you about my trip to Chicago a few weekends ago. (You were waiting, I know.)
This was C-Nor’s first trip on Amtrak. And, as always, I loved watching the scenery change from Forgotonia landscape into suburbia and then downtown.
Here are some highlights:
1. My (our) first trip to Chinatown.
(I got in trouble with a clerk for snapping this pic…. jeeze….sorry!)
2. We saw a hilarious show at Second City, the revue called “America: All Better!”
And, even though it seems a bit undemocratic, or something, to draw attention to this fact—since the most hilarious cast member, in my opinion, was the tiny, red-headed Emily Wilson, (shown at right), but:
one of the cast members was a guy named Rob Belushi.
(Yeah, you might recognize that name).
I Googled him after we got back home, and confirmed my suspicion (with this article from the Las Vegas Sun, which is also where I borrowed the photo) that he is indeed Jim Belushi’s kid (and John’s nephew.)
3. On Saturday morning, a trip to the Oak Park Farmer’s Market. (We stayed at C-Nor’s sister’s place in the ‘burbs.)
Does it seem strange to anyone else that I live in a rural area, and my farmer’s market is … um… a handfulla stands, and this farmer’s market in suburban Chicago was the most bustling, busiest farmer’s market I’ve ever seen?
It was amazing.
Endless tubs and varieties of tomatoes, apples, etc.; musicians playing; people jockeying into line for homemade donuts…it was so lively.
4. Back downtown: because we were in the area, we tried to go to Uno’s for deep-dish pizza. The wait was over an hour–even at about 3 in the afternoon. Luckily, we were able to get in fairly easily right across the street at… Duo’s. Both places are part of the same franchise, and apparently were started by the guy who introduced deep dish to the world.
Is is blasphemous of me to say I think I actually prefer it thin?
5. Our first visit to Millenium Park, though I have to say I kinda felt like I’d already been there, due to the surreality of being a Facebook vuyeur— I’ve only seen probably a hundred other peoples’ pics posed in front of this thing.
6. Did you know there’s a new modern art wing of the Art Institute? AND that it has a walking bridge leading from its roof down to Millenium Park?
Yeah, I didn’t either. Apparently it opened in May.
So I felt like a pretty big dork about the fact that I led us to the MCA, (Museum of Contemporary Art), where we were only able to see a fraction of the exhibits because certain wings were closed. And then we discovered this whole new Institute wing, like, right before we were supposed to be back at Union Station.
Oh well.
At least we got to take a dorky picture of ourselves waving at the Cloudgate!
Tags: Dining Deprivation
