Thursday!

charlotte989875 · August 2017

Welcome back @short+sassy how was your trip??

lyndausvi · August 2017

BP is better. She walked 3 times today. Hopefully she will be moved out of ICU soon.

As far as my dad. I'm on team Dad. It's hard enough to have to a group message with the 5 of us. Adding more just makes it even harder. My brother can just pass on the information. IMO it's just more practical. And where does it end? Right now there are 5 of us. Add in in-laws you have 9. Add in the grandkids you have 16.

Me and my siblings can just pass on the information to our spouses and kids without my dad having to field questions from 15 people.

short+sassy · August 2017

My H and I had a great time in Chicago! I'm going with a bulleted list to "try" and keep myself from writing a novel.

Activities...I know, it's very touristy:

Hop On/Hop Off Bus the first full day. Good intro to at least the "Loop" area of the city.
Stood on the "Ledge" at Willis Sears tower. It sticks out from the building 103 stories up and has a clear floor. So you can look down at the street below you. Plus a great view if you're looking out!
The Field Museum. It's a natural history/anthropology museum. Great! Lots of exhibits.
The Art Institute of Chicago. Amazing! Even this philistine (me) recognizes quite a few paintings...so you know they must be famous, lol.
Architectural Boat Tour. The boat went down the river that goes through downtown Chicago, while a guide discusses the different architectural styles and historical facts related to the buildings. This was my favorite thing we did.
Rode the Centennial Wheel. It's a big ferris wheel that sits right on the edge of Lake Michigan. Look one way and it is beautiful lake views. Look the other way and it is beautiful city views.
Shedd Aquarium. IMO, otters are always the best exhibit. They are just a killer combo of being so adorable and funny/active at the same time. The dolphin and the Beluga whale exhibits were also great.
Planetarium. Wow! There were some amazing artifacts from space exploration. Including the actual Gemini 12 capsule. But, overall, this place was NOT my cup of tea and I found most of the exhibits really boring. But my H liked it, at least.
Millenium Park. Visited the big silver "bean", lol. But it is a lovely park, all around, with cool fountains.

Food, because food always needs to be its own category:

Portillos. My first Chicago style hot dog. Love the idea of it! I will need to replicate it at home. The hot dog meat itself was pretty good, but nothing amazing. Also split an Italian beef there with my H. People on Yelp raved about it, but we weren't fans. The beef had no seasoning, whatsoever, on its own. Not even salt. Also tried a Chocolate Cake shake. I can see why people rave about their chocolate cake, but personally didn't care for having chunks of it in my shake.
There was a place near our hotel called Poke Poke. Poke is a Hawaiian dish that typically has either sushi or chicken, mixed with veggies, rice (usually), and sauce(s). I was a bit hesitant if a Midwest restaurant could pull a Poke dish off, but it was delish and expertly done! Both my H and I liked it.
Flat Top Grill. Another place near our hotel. From the name, doesn't it sound like it will be a meat and potatoes and/or BBQ type restaurant? Nope. It was a Mongolian grill type place, lol. One of the better ones I've been to.
ZED451 was one of the best restaurants I have ever been to!!! Not just on the trip. Ever. It's a Brazilian steakhouse type of place, but we went for brunch. They had the typical skewers of meat continually being brought to the tables. But also a huge array of other items in the buffet area. The service was also amazing and top notch. I'm usually a mimosa girl for brunch. But they had these Watermelon Sangrias that were to die for. Real watermelon juice. No artificial flavors used.
Russian Tea Time. I've always wanted to experience an "afternoon tea" and Russian Tea Time was finally my opportunity. Loved it! So yummy! I was worried it wouldn't be enough food. But multiple little, gourmet sandwiches and canapes...even if they are each only 2-3 bites...start to add up quick, lol. Even my H said he liked it a lot better than he thought he would. He was such a good sport about it but, at least initially, it was definitely not a first...or tenth...choice he would have on where to go, lol.
Purple Pig. We only had some apps here. But they had a JLT sandwich (Jowls, lettuce tomatoe) with a pesto aioli sauce. Which sounded delicious and just so happen to be my initials. So I knew it was meant for me, lol .
Wildberry for breakfast one day. They were highly recommended for good reason. They have a large menu and great food.

The pizza debate. We ate at Lou Malnati's, Giordanos, and Pizanno's. Pizanno's was forgettable. Very cheese heavy. Couldn't even taste my toppings. Big fail...though, still pizza! So it can't be all bad.

Lou Malnati's had the best sauce, but I didn't like their very bland crust. My H thought it tasted like Bisquick. They were also a little "light" on toppings, tastewise.

Lots of people recommended Giordano's. Including our very own @CharmedPam. We met her and her H for dinner, so that was an extra special treat anyway. But she didn't steer us wrong on the 'za. Giordano's was both my and my H's favorite Chicago deep dish pizza.

I also heard good things about Gino's East and Numero Uno. But there is only so much time on a trip!

kimmiinthemitten · August 2017

Ugh so much good stuff on that list @short+sassy!

Purple Pig is a Chicago staple for me! I've done Wildberry before too...delish! I need to try that Zed place...and just found out Detroit is getting a Giordanos! I wish it wasn't Portillos though!

Sounds like you you had an amazing time; I'm so glad!!

short+sassy · August 2017

kimmiinthemitten said:

Ugh so much good stuff on that list @short+sassy!

Purple Pig is a Chicago staple for me! I've done Wildberry before too...delish! I need to try that Zed place...and just found out Detroit is getting a Giordanos! I wish it wasn't Portillos though!

Sounds like you you had an amazing time; I'm so glad!!

I think you were the one who initially recommended the Purple Pig. I looked it up and (I think) they are a James Beard winner and had amazing Yelp reviews. I read about 2-hour waits there. So, we were sneaky. We went in the middle of the afternoon for a late lunch. Although we were seated right away, they were at 80-90% capacity. At 2:30ish. On a weekday. Whoa! That was a good sign, lol.

At ZED451, if you sign up for their e-mail list, they send good coupons. I used one for $30 off $100. The Sunday brunch is $37/person. So I knew I would need to order some cocktails to hit the $100 mark. Such a sacrifice. But I fell on that sword, lol. Their mimosas were $6 and the yummy Watermelon Sangrias were $10. Which seemed to me on the cheaper side for great cocktails. I think the dinners are $56/person or about that.

WinstonsGirl · September 2017

@short+sassy Sounds like a great trip!

@lyndausvi Positive vibes to your Mom to heal up faster. Count me in the camp of leave Niece out of it. Even without all the family dynamics and attitude, there's a reason why Doctors don't treat their own family. I see that being a lot of pressure on her, especially as a new nurse

@southernbelle0915 Have a great time in NOLA. One day I hope we make it there

@kimmiinthemitten I know what you're saying about your job, but you have to do what is best for you.

Official back to work today, with all school staff. I think my room is about ready to go, so tomorrow will be getting activities, paperwork, coaching stuff organized. I've also applied on 2 jobs already, so we'll see where that goes.

I tumbled for the first time in 2 months last night at cheer practice, and I am getting too old to still be doing this. I hurt last night, and having a chiro appt. today was the best thing I planned. Still, it was nice to get back to flipping. I can't take as much time off from tumbling as I used to and still do it well. Going to be foam rolling this weekend

sparklepants41 · September 2017

@lyndausvi I'm so happy to hear your news! Sounds like your mom is doing better! Fingers crossed that she continues to have such good success!

@short+sassy your trip sounds like so much fun!!

MissKittyDanger · September 2017

@short+sassy That sounds like a fun filled trip!
Yes. Frustration is getting to me. I had a melt down yesterday after doing groceries .... lol

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