a weekend away

we took a trip to chicago with some friends this weekend for memorial day. we packed in a lot of sight-seeing and a lot of eating. i have to admit that my bulk is starting to slow me down. i am not as comfortable as i used to be and can't "hang" for as long either. my brain tells me that i SHOULD be able to keep up, but my body has been yelling quite the opposite. so it begins....

our weekend went as follows:
we drove in saturday morning and headed straight to wrigley field for a game against the pirates (cubs lost miserably). then it started raining and we shuffled our way around the soggy town, ending up at the john hancock observatory on the 94th floor. friends had some drinks while i warmed up with some hot chocolate. going up that high was pretty much a bust because we were literally sitting in a cloud. i had to ask if the windows were frosted or if it was just the fog, it was that encompassing. then we headed back out in the rain to an original deep-dish pizza classic restaurant. my verdict is that deep-dish is overrated. it's too bulky and the crust isn't delicious enough to need/want that much of. it was my second time to have it and most likely my last. by the time dinner was over, i was spent and asked marc to head back to the hotel. more warm decaf coffee and some dry clothes put me right to sleep.

sunday we woke up and enjoyed a quick dip in the hotel's indoor pool. it felt nice to just float around and chat. i am eager to try actually swimming laps for exercise this summer since running is obviously out for the last 2.5 months. by the time we finished up our swim and got ready for the day, it was pouring outside. we took a cab about one block to a place that was supposed to be the bongo room (an internet recommended breakfast spot). it ended up being a packed deli called eleven city diner. the wait inside was 45 minutes to an hour, but there was no way we were heading back out into the torrential downpour, so wait we did. and, holy cow, was it worth it! this was quite possibly the best breakfast any of us has ever eaten. our friend cale actually ate lunch (the pastrami sandwich), but we were all raving with every bite. all i have to say is....challah french toast = heaven on a plate. when we left, the rain had calmed enough for us to walk back to the hotel, but it soon started up again and made our plan for the day quite clear....museum. we chose the field museum, mostly because cale wanted to see the dinosaur bones. i think everyone else in chicago had the same rainy-day idea as we did, because it was packed and several things were sold out. we opted for the general admission, thinking we would just have to miss out on a few things. but, man is that place enormous! we spent a few hours in the never-ending ancient civilizations section before finally making it to the dinosaurs. and by that point, we were all tired of being there. we spent way less time reading about the big lizards and headed outside, pleasantly surprised to find sunshine! we made a quick stop at the hot dog stand for a snack and then took a cab back to the hotel for a nap. we made dinner reservations at 7:30 at david burke's primehouse and spent the rest of the evening stuffing ourselves with "exotic" treats from their kitchen :)

we awoke the last morning to a heat wave. 80s and climbing. we drove to a local breakfast hot spot, ann sather's, for their famous cinnamon rolls. they were about the only delicious thing on the menu, and we almost wished we had gone back to eleven city for our last meal. we then debated whether to spend the day outside in the climbing heat or head to the (old) sears tower for a chance to actually see out of an observation deck. the latter won, and we ended up standing in line upon line for the next several hours for the chance to get to the top and back down again. i don't know if it was worth all of the waiting, or even the view really, but we can say what we have been. and it IS pretty neat to walk out onto their plexiglass platforms with nothing below your feet but 103 stories of air. :) as we left, we figured we might as well make an attempt to get close to the water of lake michigan before leaving, so we walked a good ways to the shore and sat by the refreshingly chilly breeze off the water in the otherwise heat-ridden, sweat-laden day. after one final chicago dog and drink, we were in the car and on our long journey home.

all-in-all, it really was a nice way to spend a weekend away with some great friends. although next time, i'm requesting a wheel chair and a train ticket for the pregnant one :)