"There she is!!!"
Those were the words that started off my bloggy (yet surprisingly non-bloggy) weekend in Chicago. I was sitting at a table in Union Station waiting for Anne and Jean to arrive when I heard them call out their greeting. There were hugs all round, then we motored over to the L (Chicago's elevated train network) to head to the apartment where Sarah was waiting for us.
From there it was a whirlwind of talking, laughing, walking, more talking, shopping, eating, sighteeing, more talking, pampering, more eating*, and pretty much total and complete awesomeness all weekend long.
* Ladies - did we SERIOUSLY eat that meal at Giordano's? My arteries hurt just thinking about it. But mmmmmmm, was it GOOOOD! At least we didn't have the monkey's meal!
For those of you not in the loop about the crazy monkey, we went to Lincoln Park Zoo and in one of the habitats, there was this one psycho ape who was scraping around at the wall. He walked over to the window eventually and Sarah was like, "Oh! He has a screw! ... Oh, monkey! Don't eat that... screw... OH MY GOSH! HE TOTALLY ATE THAT SCREW!!!!!!" Then the screwball primate - get it? Screwball? haaaa! - proceeded back to the wall, dug up another one, and ATE IT, TOO! Whaaa???
Annnywaaay... it really felt like I've known these gals for so long, even though we only just met. It was such a neat experience! I wasn't really surprised by anyone - each girl was pretty much as I imagined they'd be. Though Anne is kookier and more outgoing than I thought she'd be (which is great!!).
We saw Wicked, I bought some very fun bright green (perhaps inspired by Elphaba?) pointy toed shoes - yeah-HA! - on the Magnificent Mile, and got PEDICURES! In fancy red heated massaging chairs! We had some famous Chicago deep-dish stuffed pizza, had a cab ride that nearly made us pee ourselves - poor Jean, she had the front seat and actually saw everything as it was coming, as well as having the added 'benefit' of hearing all the comments the crazy cabbie made - and I enjoyed (?) being the novel Canadian in the group. Hee hee. It was pretty funny, actually.
There will be more to come from all of us, I'm sure, but for now, here are the posts about the weekend so far...
* Sarah's * Anne's * Jean's * Anne's 2nd post
And by the way? Sarah's baked oatmeal is pretty much the best thing I've ever eaten. YUH-MEEEE!!!!
(and, by the way number two, I just messaged my friend Brad to say that this trip was "so freaking awesome!!!!" and he goes, "one, two, three, four exclamation points. Sarah's rubbing off on you." HAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!)
It was SUCH a fabuloso weekend. There are sooo many pictures that will be flying back and forth. I'll let you know when they're all up, but for now, here's just one! (left to right is Anne, Sarah, me, and Jean)
Those were the words that started off my bloggy (yet surprisingly non-bloggy) weekend in Chicago. I was sitting at a table in Union Station waiting for Anne and Jean to arrive when I heard them call out their greeting. There were hugs all round, then we motored over to the L (Chicago's elevated train network) to head to the apartment where Sarah was waiting for us.
From there it was a whirlwind of talking, laughing, walking, more talking, shopping, eating, sighteeing, more talking, pampering, more eating*, and pretty much total and complete awesomeness all weekend long.
* Ladies - did we SERIOUSLY eat that meal at Giordano's? My arteries hurt just thinking about it. But mmmmmmm, was it GOOOOD! At least we didn't have the monkey's meal!
For those of you not in the loop about the crazy monkey, we went to Lincoln Park Zoo and in one of the habitats, there was this one psycho ape who was scraping around at the wall. He walked over to the window eventually and Sarah was like, "Oh! He has a screw! ... Oh, monkey! Don't eat that... screw... OH MY GOSH! HE TOTALLY ATE THAT SCREW!!!!!!" Then the screwball primate - get it? Screwball? haaaa! - proceeded back to the wall, dug up another one, and ATE IT, TOO! Whaaa???
Annnywaaay... it really felt like I've known these gals for so long, even though we only just met. It was such a neat experience! I wasn't really surprised by anyone - each girl was pretty much as I imagined they'd be. Though Anne is kookier and more outgoing than I thought she'd be (which is great!!).
We saw Wicked, I bought some very fun bright green (perhaps inspired by Elphaba?) pointy toed shoes - yeah-HA! - on the Magnificent Mile, and got PEDICURES! In fancy red heated massaging chairs! We had some famous Chicago deep-dish stuffed pizza, had a cab ride that nearly made us pee ourselves - poor Jean, she had the front seat and actually saw everything as it was coming, as well as having the added 'benefit' of hearing all the comments the crazy cabbie made - and I enjoyed (?) being the novel Canadian in the group. Hee hee. It was pretty funny, actually.
There will be more to come from all of us, I'm sure, but for now, here are the posts about the weekend so far...
* Sarah's * Anne's * Jean's * Anne's 2nd post
And by the way? Sarah's baked oatmeal is pretty much the best thing I've ever eaten. YUH-MEEEE!!!!
(and, by the way number two, I just messaged my friend Brad to say that this trip was "so freaking awesome!!!!" and he goes, "one, two, three, four exclamation points. Sarah's rubbing off on you." HAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!)
It was SUCH a fabuloso weekend. There are sooo many pictures that will be flying back and forth. I'll let you know when they're all up, but for now, here's just one! (left to right is Anne, Sarah, me, and Jean)
Ladies, "because I know you, I have been changed for good."
(click either pic to embiggen)
11 comments:
I am LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY because this:
"Oh! He has a screw! ... Oh, monkey! Don't eat that... screw... OH MY GOSH! HE TOTALLY ATE THAT SCREW!!!!!!"
is exactly what I said, I think! Good memory!!
And I had to make a weird face, because I didn't have a camera in front of me! :) It's the rule.
I laughed out loud at the 2nd picture! I bet the people on the other side of those buildings were "falling out of their chairs laughing!" :) hehe
ah-HAAA! Jean! Touche!
Yeah, we put on a pretty funny show for the whatever people might have been watching us from behind that glass. I think we even did a little dance!
That picture really was the best! And we all actually have one of the same pictures!! :)
Glad I could improve your impression of my kooky outgoingness... ;) It's the superpowers in me that came out. I just couldn't hold them in.
Um, WE TOTALLY DID A LITTLE DANCE.
I am EMBARASSED to think about those people's reactions inside!! HEHEHEHE!!
I HOPE they fell off their chairs laughing!!! :) :) :)
Your trip/friends sound awesome -- I'm so glad you had fun. And I'm SO JEALOUS that you got to see WICKED -- my kids and I listen to the soundtrack (though we haven't seen the show) and lovelovelove it. I'd buy green pointy shoes too, I just know it. And a "smart hat."
As far the screw-eating ape -- hmmm... maybe he's not getting enough fiber in his diet. Or maybe he just likes hearing people gasp and say, "He ate that screw!"
Much, much too fun, Hillary! Knowing Chicago as well as I do, I followed your blog in my mind's eye. Giordano's is indeed awesome. I love their spinach pizza. And the portions in Chicago are large, aren't they?!
I'm amused by the fact that you're all relatively around the same height. Usually when people meet afresh, they can be wildly different heights, but not you four.
Incidentally, it's actually the "El", not the "L", but most Chicagoans don't even know where this term came from.
Just to the east of the Wicked theatre is a fantastic tea shop called Argo. Even a coffee drinker like me appreciated it immensely; plus they have free WiFi!
Glad to hear you made it home safely. I'm returning next week.
Sorry to dissapppoint you, my friend, it actually IS the "L." I did a walking tour the first Saturday I was there and the guide, who grew up there, made that distinction: "The elevated, hence /el/, train network is actually just the letter L, not 'el.' Tourists spell it 'e-l' but true Chicagoans know better."
Hee hee. His words, not mine! ;)
http://www.chicago-l.org
http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/riding.html
Yikes, I stand corrected! Okay, let's open my mistake book ... hmmmm my second one this decade, the first being spelling your name incorrectly! :-)
It sure looks like the four of you had a blast! :) I bet you'll have great memories to hopefully hold you 'till the next holiday. I hope work isn't overwhelming!
Yup, sounds like the Chicago I know. Glad you had a blast here.
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