Chicago

It's been over a week since my adventure in Chicagoland (they actually call it that), but I am just now getting around to blogging about it. I also have pictures to post on FaceBook, but I have yet to that as well. I've been neglecting the blog in general lately mostly because I haven't had much blog worthy to write about. In any case, a blog of my trip follows:

Every year, my in-laws ask for a Christmas list. Being 27 years old, I find this challenging every year. I haven't come up with a true Christmas list since I was maybe 10 years old, but I've been reluctantly doing it the last three years. The list is usually small and not well thought out, but my mother-in-law always gets me awesome things anyway (yay Kitchenaid mixer!). Well, this year I was thinking about it and I reached deep down into myself and found the ten year old that used to ask for outlandish and selfish things. She shouted at me rather matter-of-factly, "A gift card for Southwest to use for a trip to see Tiffany and Jonas!" And low and behold, that's what I got for Christmas. Actually, I got a Visa gift card from my in-laws and a Southwest card from my sister. I was good to go! Tiffany and I decided that spring would be a good time for the trip, and Jonas recommended that I come before the Edvard Munch exhibit left the Art Institute in April. So we decided upon the last weekend of March.

I flew out Friday night on probably the best flight of my life. The duration of a flight from Port Columbus to Chicago Midway is about 50 minutes. My particular flight encountered some turbulence; this combined with the shortness of the flight led the captain to decide not to serve drinks on the flight. This worked out perfectly for me. I was tired after a day of work and waiting around in the airport, so I leaned on the window and fell asleep. Without the disturbance of a drink cart and flight attendant, I slept the entire flight. I woke up to an announcement of our arrival into Chicago. It was surreal. I didn't remember a thing! Plus, after factoring in the time change, I got to Chicago before I left. Quite nice.

Tiffany and Jonas had taken to train to Midway to meet me. They greeted me with a three day CTA Pass and we were off. We got on the train and Jonas pointed out various buildings and landmarks, despite the difficulty seeing them in the dark. It was nice though and gave me a taste of the plethora of Chicago information I would glean from him the rest of the trip. We transferred from the Orange Line to the Red Line that eventually took us to Tiffany and Jonas's neighborhood in Uptown.

The couple's apartment was located in a nice residential neighborhood full of 1920s and 1930s buildings and houses. We entered through a gate into the courtyard of their building and then entered their apartment. I expected a teenie-tiny "urban" apartment. You know, the ones you hear horror stories about from New Yorkers. But I was pleasantly surprised to see a large light filled apartment.

That night, we went to a lesbian bar (now that I say that, I'm not sure it was an actual "lesbian bar," but in the least it was a bar with many lesbian waitresses and patrons) and had a really good pizza. It wasn't Chicago style deep dish, but it suited me just fine. I probably couldn't handle all the fresh tomatoes that generally top a Chicago style pizza anyway. Our pizza did have really good veggies including broccoli and lots of cheese. It was a good way to end a long day.

Saturday was a fun day. We began the day by doing a little shopping. We went into a few boutique-type shops as well as many shoe stores. Jonas, ever the shoe salesman, tried to talk me into a pair of knee-high black suede wedged boots. They fit well and were a good price, but just not very practical. I did buy a scarf and an awesome purse hook. After that, we continued onto Navy Pier via the train and CTA bus. It was quite cold and I imagine Navy Pier is much more enjoyable in nice weather. We were unable to ride the Ferris Wheel since the weather kept it from being open, but I did find Justin a Bears shirt, bought my nephew a post card, and saw the stained-glass museum that is located there. I love stained glass, especially Tiffany glass with it's art nouveau style. After Navy Pier we went to Millennium Park for a visit cut short by the weather before we began our journey to the Second City training stage.

Tiffany had gotten us tickets to see a Second City show on their training stage. The main stage was currently showing a satire on the Illinois governor and Tiffany figured I wouldn't really find it that funny. I was happy with her choice of Rubbed. It was a musical about a man who turns to selling marijuana and discovers a genie in his bong. The genie teaches him valuable life lessons about happiness and contentment. It was funny and entertaining. Very good time. After the show, we ate at Dinotto, an Italian restaurant around the corner. It was Earth Hour and the restaurant was participating, so we enjoyed our dinner by candlelight.

On Sunday, Jonas had to work at the Art Institute so it was a girl day. Despite the snow, we ventured out to have a fun day. Tiffany and I went to the Chicago History Museum. It was really nice and very informative. They had a collection of Lincoln artifacts, which was very cool. After the museum, we started walking along Lincoln Park toward some cool shopping. We found lots of cool shops and an awesome Belgian waffle place. We walked quite far, but it was a nice afternoon. We went back to the apartment and waited for Jonas to get home from work before going to a burger place in their neighborhood for dinner.

I had taken Monday off work, and wasn't leaving Chicago until later in the evening. So Monday, Jonas and I were able to hang out most of the day while Tiffany worked. I hadn't spent any time with just Jonas since he moved to Cleveland from Rosehill Plaza. For those who don't know, Jonas lived across the hall from me for a few years while Tiffany finished her masters at Case. So while Tiffany and I are old college buds, I have a relationship with Jonas separate from Tiffany. Tiffany's co-workers thought it odd that I was going to spend the day with Jonas while she worked. From an outsider's prospective, this would seem weird, but the three of us never thought anything of it.

Jonas and I set off for the Art Institute early in the morning. We got downtown too early, so we took the opportunity to see Millennium Park in the sunshine. We also went across the street to an old library building that is now a cultural center. It is home to the largest Tiffany glass dome. It was gorgeous, and the room itself is beautiful as well with mosaic tiled walls.

We then proceeded to the Art Institute where Jonas was able to get me in for free. We saw an exhibit of photographer Yousuf Karsh who photographed many personalities of the 20th Century. I was also surprised to see pieces that I didn't know were housed there, like Edward Hopper's Nighthawks and Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat (dodges things thrown by Ferris Beuller fans). American Gothic was on loan, so I wasn't able to see that which bummed me out. But the Edvard Munch exhibit was definitely worth timing my trip to see. I have to say that I didn't know (or perhaps more accurately: remember) much beyond The Scream, but I now have a really great appreciation for him as an artist. The exhibit was organized by theme. For example, all of his works pertaining to romance were in a room together, the ones showing angst in another. They also had works by Munch's contemporaries of the same theme in the room to show comparison. While I like Munch's dark side, it was nice to see that some of his work wasn't so "emo." I am really glad Jonas got me into the museum and showed me the exhibit. It was really a good day.

In all, I had a great trip. Despite some rain and snow, Tiffany and Jonas taught me how to get around town like a native. I enjoyed riding the train. I was also pleased to see that what people say about Chicago is true. It's a large city with a Midwestern feel. People were friendly like the guys at the waffle shop and the woman at Corner Bakery who offered to foot the bill for my sweater that I snagged in the bathroom. It was fun to get away for a weekend, see some sites, get a mental workout, and spend time with friends. I hope to make it back and bring my husband along for the ride.