Mom's Visit

My mom came to visit last month and we HAD SOOOOOO MUCH FUN. Seriously, every time she comes we always have a great time. I knew the first place I was going to take her was to the Philly Cheesesteak trailer over on the East side. My mom being the good little Jersey girl has standards and only likes cheesesteaks that remind her of back east. And these sandwiches did not disappoint. They ship in their rolls from back east and I think that makes such a difference.
Yum!

We also stopped by Cornucopia to get some popcorn. I love this place... you can try the flavors before you buy them. We ended up buying Dill (seriously yum), Jalapeno Cheddar (for Jim) and a Java Chip (coffee flavored popcorn with chocolate drizzled on it). We tried a few other flavors like cake batter (to sweet for me), chocolate covered cherry (WAY to cherry- almost like Ludens cough drops).

This was mom's first time to meet Abbey and the kittens! Of course the animals knew they were meeting grand-ma-ma and loved all over here. Here is Jelly loving on Chewie. Chewie normally doesn't let the kittens crawl on him, so I was pretty happy to get a picture of this! I think he was okay with it because there was a blanket in between them :)

I wanted to doing something sophisticated while mom was here so we went to a show at Bass Concert Hall. Unfortunately there was a huge LACK of shows to see while she was here so I gambled on this show. It was called Diavolo Dance Theater- they had 2 different sets that they used. The first one was a block that had movable parts that they used when dancing and the 2nd was a half circle, that rocked back and forth. They said not to take pictures but I still snuck one in just so my readers could see (see... I take care of you guys!). But I didn't get one of the 2nd set, which in my opinion was the better set because the dancers had a lot more acrobatics.

On Saturday morning, we headed out to do some garage sale shopping and we came across an area with lots of graffiti. The area was really neat so we stopped to take a few photos :)

We were striking out on finding good garage sales so we headed down to South Congress to walk around and check out the outdoor shops that set up for the day. As soon as we walked by the Crepes trailer we both glanced at each other and knew we had to get one :) We ordered a breakfast crepe that had eggs, bacon, spinach and cheese. It was delish! They had a few other crepes, like the BBQ brisket, that I'll be back to try.

Mom got the lucky task of going to the granite yard with Jim and I to check out granite. Our kitchen has been a looooong process and I feel like we are getting to a point were it is going to start moving again. We picked out a type of granite that we both liked and recently made the purchase of the actual slab. Now we are just waiting for install!!!

Mom and I headed to the Hope farmers market on Sunday where we checked out produce (how cool is purple cauliflower!?!) and bought earrings from a local artist.

Hope Farmers Market

That night we headed out to Lamberts for dinner. The food was really good but the experience lacked a bit because we got stuck out on the patio when it was chilly. We didn't have reservations so we had to take what was available.

A trip to Austin wouldn't be complete without a walk around Town Lake with the dogs. It ended up being a really nice day so it was perfect!

Mom and I with the kittens and of course Abbey wanted in on the picture :)

Mom and Jim under the Austin Motel phallic sign on South Congress. We ate at Hopdoddy that night...their hamburgers are fantastic. And if you haven't eaten there, I highly suggest you go!

I love this picture!

Of course we turn into hams in front of the camera

Mom resting on the couch with her boo-boo, Abbey

We had a WONDERFUL vacation with mom and I know all of her grand-boo-boo's loved having her visit too!!

Last day in Chicago

Our flight didn't leave until 8pm so we had a full day of fun ahead of us. Our first stop was the Willis (formerly Sears) building. We had attempted to go the day before, but there was a power surge in the building and the elevators stopped working. We were waiting in line for the elevators when it happened :) kinda glad we weren't on those elevators when they stopped working. I think the people were only stuck for about 20 minutes. So we woke up early to miss the lines, and were able to walk through and go up the elevator to the 103rd floor to see the views, and the famous "ledge". The view was a little hazy but still very beautiful.

Here we are ... the ledge... where the little girls and grown women are separated.... who will have the balls to stand out in the glass box that is suspended 1353 feet in the air :) I didn't have any issues walking out to see, but once I was out there and started to look around, my stomach did a little flip. However, the Jersey girl inside of me took control and reminded me that 1.3 million people stand in these glass boxes each year and they are perfectly fine.

There were plenty of people waiting to get inside of the box, so we were a little limited on the time we had in the box. It was a fantastic experience.

After the Willis Building we walked towards Lake Michigan, where we came across the Buckingham Fountain. It is located in Grant Park and is one of the largest fountains in the world. Remember the TV show, Married with Children? This is the fountain in the opening of the show.

We found a little Italian place for lunch called Volare. I found this gem through yelp.com, it was located a block off of Michigan Ave (where all of the shopping is) and is slightly tucked away. I saw the glowing reviews for the gnocchi so that is what I ordered. I ordered it with their vodka sauce and it was perfection in a bowl. The gnocchi was so tender and the sauce was flavorful without being overpowering. Jim ordered the special which was chicken breast with spinach, ricotta in a white wine sauce. His was good, but lacked the wow factor that my dish had :)

Saturday crowds walking along Michigan Ave. I was really glad that our vacation started in the middle of the week, since there was WAY less crowds than the weekend.

After lunch and doing a little window shopping, we headed over to Navy Pier. I didn't have high hopes since I have heard it is a big tourist trap but we still wanted to check it out. The pier had plenty of restaurants and ice cream and Italian ice stands along with rides. We chose to ride the Ferris wheel and the other ride that I have no clue what the name is. Did you know that the Ferris wheel was invented in Chicago? George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. designed and constructed for the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition.

We saved the best for last, one of my favorite rides. I never knew the rides name until I just looked it up,,,, Wave Swinger-an Old Fashioned Swing. I used to LOVE this ride as a kid (I can only remember going on it during the fair in Arizona) and I was so damn happy to see this ride on the pier. Jim hasn't been on this ride before so it was a first time for him.

I even got a self picture while on the ride :)

I took this picture from the hotel bar right before we hopped on the train to the airport. I love the Indian busts on the corners of the buildings.

Chicago, you rock. We can't wait to come back and see more of the city. What an excellent vacation!

Chicago
Day 3

If you haven't realized by the other two posts... we love Chicago and we are having a blast on our vacation. Our 3rd day goal is to hit at least 3 touristy spots and then go to a Pasta and Wine festival at night. Our first stop of the day is Millennium park, which has lots of things to do and see. Our first stop is the Crown Fountain which are two fountains that consist of two 50 foot glass block towers which shows a video of 1000 different Chicago residents. There were a TON of kids playing around in the water at the display.

This kid cracked us up... he would stand right at the edge of the water and move slightly to get wet, turn around run out and do a little dance.

Here you can see the face on the tower (on the left of the photo) along with all of the kids playing

This is the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. According to explorechicago.org, the Pavilion stands 120 feet high which can hold 4000 in the fixed seats and 7000 in the lawn. There was an orchstra practicing while we were there, and they sounded really good. I would have loved to return at night when they were playing. Perhaps on our next trip.

View from the other side of the lawn


At the Lurie Garden

This garden is paying homage to Chicago's motto which (once again)according to explorechicago.org is "Urbs in Horto" (City in Garden) which refers to Chicagos transformation from its flat and marshy orgins to a bold and powerful city. The flowers were blooming and it was a beautiful sight in the middle of the city.

This was my favorite section of the park. This is the Cloud Gate. It is a 110 tone elliptical sculpture which many have dubbed the Bean due to the shape. There is a 12 foot arch under the structure that you can walk under, which will give you a different perspective than when you just walk next to it. The sculpture is 66 feet long and 33 feet high and UBER fun to plan around with if you enjoy photography.

Jim and I laying down

LOVE this shot

After walking around the park, we headed to the edge of the park to the Art Institute of Chicago. This museum was massive and I don't think we even saw 2/3 of it. I tried to track how much we walked in there, and my counter had us at right around 2 miles.

hmmmm...which one is Jim?

Medusa

We stopped in at the Billy Goat Tavern for a burger. This tavern has been around since 1934 and it is named after the original owner (it was originally called the Lincoln Tavern). He got the nick name Billy Goat because a goat fell off of a passing truck and wandered inside. The tavern moved to its current location in 1964.

Here is the more history from www.billygoattavern.com/history:

Ordering at the Billy Goat may go something like this: "Cheezborger! Cheezborger! You want doublecheez?!? Who's next!?! WHO'S NEXT!?!" If you take more than one second to answer: "Don't look at the menu, look at ME! I order for you - DOUBLECHEEZ!" If you only feel like a single: "No. DOUBLECHEEZ!!!" If it's the end of the week: "It's Friday, doublecheez for everybody! It's payday! Triplecheez for the big guy!" Want French fries with that? "No fries - CHEEPS!" Thirsty? "No Pepsi - COKE!" To drink: "Coke or Diet?!" Such rantings by the Billy Goat staff have gone on for almost 40 years and originated when Billy Goat Sianis and another Greek immigrant by the name of Bill Charuchas would entertain patrons by yelling out: "Try the double cheese! It's the best! No fries, cheeps!" In the 1978, Sam Sianis and Charuchas were immortalized by Saturday Night Live's John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Loraine Newman. The sketch was originally written by Don Novello (of Father Guido Sarducci fame) when he was an advertising copywriter in Chicago. John Belushi and Bill Murray knew the Billy Goat from their Second City days, and the rest is history. As a result, the Billy Goat Tavern achieved national infamy. When in Chicago, Don Novello and Bill Murray still come by and visit Sam and the Billy Goat staff and have their "Doublecheezborger"!

I have to say, their cheese burgers won't be winning any awards for their burgers, but the experience was worth it.

Streets of Chicago

We ended up going to a street festival just outside of downtown Chicago. There were a bunch of restaurants that were selling their food so the street smelled absolutely heavenly. As we walked up to the block the garlic smell led the way to the festival. To get here, we took a train then a bus and then walked 2 blocks....have I mentioned how much I LOVE public transportation!?!

Unfortunately we weren't as hungry at this festival since we had just had the Billy Goat Tavern burger a few hours before. We tried the Penne with Vodka sauce, and it was heavenly. I really wanted to try their polena fries, but my stomach said no :(

Waiting on the train

View of downtown from the train platform, the largest building is the John Hancock Building

We only hung around the Italian festival for about an hour before heading back to downtown. Once we were there, we decided to have a drink at Harry Carray's restaurant. It would have been nice to have something to eat but they were busy and we were still stuffed from before.

Here we are with Harry Carray's bust

After Harry Carray's we walked around to a few other bars... one wine bar, one bar at the top of the John Hancock Building (but thanks to a 2 hr wait we decided to leave), and then at the bar in the Hotel Sofitel. We found some very comfy chairs so we had a couple of drinks there while resting our feet. Our 3 day was another long day of walking and having fun. We enjoyed a cheese plate before we decided it was time to head out.