Birthday Weekend in Chicago

Trying to find time to update my blog is difficult these days . . . but that's a good thing because life is filled up with some pretty wonderful times . . . for a change. LOL Anyway, we had an incredible birthday weekend in Chicago on November 7 - 9. Bug's birthday was the 7th . . . can't believe she is 11 years old . . . . for her special day, she wanted to go to Chicago, have her birthday dinner at American Girl Place, see Wicked before it closes there in January, and see her friend Emily who is her friend and our former neighbor in Cherry Creek.


We started off the day with presents at home, then off to the airport. Robert was 2 days off of crutches and in a walking cast. Luckily, Southwest let him pre-board and Bug went with him, so we got decent seats and all together.


We arrived to a chilly, gray Chicago. When you live in Denver, it is EXTREMELY rare to have a gray day. So rare that we were happy to see gray skies for a change. The city still had a tremendous energy from the election 3 days prior to our arrival and, in fact, Obama was speaking on the day we arrived. Our cab took us right by Grant Park where he accepted the presidency.


We stayed at the Millineum Knickerbocker Hotel on East Walton Place, just steps from the Mag Mile. The hotel was great. I especially loved our bathroom and now know what I want in my shower if I ever get to build a house. Shower heads everywhere! It was great! After checking in, we headed to the 900 Shops for lunch and shopping. We dined on antipasto, cheese pizza, and the "famous" chopped salad at Frankie's 5th Floor Pizzeria . . .






Afterwards, we shopped at Bloomingdale's where Robert found some really nice Armani jeans on sale and where, unfortunately, the sales person AND Bug overheard me commenting on how nice his "bootie" looked in them as he was walking away from me after he tried them on. The sales person found it very amusing . . . and continued to talk about it through the checkout process . . . and Bug found it very embarrassing and told me I was never to make those comments in public again. I thought I was making a private comment . . . but nonetheless, I was scolded harshly by my daughter. And Robert, well . . . he seemed to enjoy it all and apparently he thought he looked pretty darn good himself . . . LOL! (And he did!)


After shopping, we went back to the hotel for a short rest before hitting American Girl Place, which has moved from its Chicago Avenue location to the Water Tower Place on Michigan Avenue, only 2 1/2 blocks from our hotel . . . entirely too close as we went there 2 days in a row for loooooooonnnnnnggg periods of time, but I digress. Robert had never . . . . um . . . experienced . . . an American Girl Place before, so he was a bit overwhelmed as we walked through the door. Bug, however, was on a mission. She had been studying a catalog we received in the mail for a good 3 days, so she was off and running, armed with a purse full of her money and anticipating Mom would cough up some birthday goods as well. She bought clothes and a dog for Samantha, one of the dolls that's about to be archived for who knows how long (apparently taking a marketing ploy from Walt Disney). She tried on a number of clothes for herself . . . rejecting ALL of the clothes I liked, but "loving" the ones Robert picked out for her to try . . . hmmmmm. Then she bought another doll, Mia, bringing her total doll count to 6. And she bought the matching outfit for Mia that I had purchased for her, a very cute skating sweater, skirt, and tights. Next, off to the Bitty Baby store, where we bought Robert's granddaughter, Kalynn, her very first American Girl. It is so sweet! And we got Kalynn and her doll matching red velvet and lace Christmas dresses. Before dinner (and almost an hour and a half after entering the store), we went to the doll hair salon where Annalisa, Bug's "look-alike" American Girl, had her ears pierced and her hair styled . . . the doll, not Bug. Although the cost is very similar. :( At the hair salon is where Robert's eyes really started to glaze over and he began repeatedly asking for beer and chicken wings (which, of course, are not available at American Girl Place). So we quickly ushered him towards the cafe, where we had dinner reservations. I had ordered the birthday package, so Bug and Annalisa received birthday crowns, a birthday sticker for Bug, and goody bags for the 3 of us. Annalisa received her own chair at the table.




After appetizers of warm cinnamon buns and cheese, fruits, and meats, we had dinner . . . . tilapia for me and chicken pot pie for Bug and Robert. The adults enjoyed some champagne while Bug enjoyed AG's famous pink lemonade. After dinner, a number of singing waiters arrived with a birthday cake and peppermint ice cream . . . YUM!!




We stuck the daisies that were in our individual ice cream servings behind our ears for this picture. . . because at that point, the estrogen had completely overtaken poor Robert.

The next morning, we slept late and then met Bug's friend Emily and her mother Beth at L'Appetito in the John Hancock Plaza for breakfast. It was great to see our friends. Bug and Emily didn't skip a beat in getting to "girl talk".

And after breakfast, guess where the girls wanted to shop first . . . yes, American Girl Place. (sigh) I was tired of it after the evening before, but it was Bug's weekend so we headed back out to AGP.

Fortunately, the girls didn't spend too much time there and we were able to shop other stores in the Water Tower Place. We introduced Robert to Frango Mints. And Bug got some really cute clothes at Abercrombie (not Abercrombie & Fitch) and Aeropostle. Unfortunately, Beth lost both her parking ticket AND her keys that morning, so we spent an inordinate amount of time looking for both, but eventually they were found and we grabbed a cab and headed to the theater district for our 2:00 matinee performance of Wicked. Thankfully, we were able to get a snack of Garrett's popcorn right before heading into the theater.

Wicked was SPECTACULAR . . . as always. My third time to see it in the past 2 years, and I think I could see it every month and never get bored. The songs, the clever script, the costumes . . . just one of my favorite productions of all time. It was Robert's first time to see it, and he thought it was great. And . . . he liked the beer they served at the theater! LOL

After Wicked, we got Beth's car out of the parking garage and headed to a little French restaurant called Kiki's. The food was so incredibly delicious. Bug's roasted chicken came with a huge amount of "pomme frites", so all 5 of us snacked off of her plate during the meal! And the desserts . . . magnifique! My mouse chocolatte was tres bonne!

The next morning, Sunday, started out with Robert and Bug going on a sugar high. While I was showering, they got into the very rich truffles we had purchased at the candy store the day before, as well as Robert going after some gummy bears and both Robert and Bug opening the Frango Mints and Caramels. That pretty much set the tone for bad eating for the remainder of the day. :) As we set out on our last day in Chicago, the first stop was L'Appetito again for some coffee and . . . (sigh) cookies. (And it gets worse.) Next stop, the Hancock Observatory. 94th floor, please. (whew) Here is the picture taken of us before we got on the elevator.

The views at the top were fantastic. 360 degrees. We were given headphones and audio boxes (narrated by Chicago's own David Schwimmer of "Friends") to enhance our tour. We saw Lake Michigan and Navy Pier, great views of the city, and it even started to snow while we were there. And the snow was inverted because of the heat from all the surrounding buildings, so it was snowing upwards!

On one side of the building, there is a window washing display where you can take pictures. Robert and Bug got really silly . . . which one tends to do when one has ingested nothing but large amounts of sugar and caffeine.




After a very fun morning at the Hancock Observatory, we decided we needed to consume some of Chicago's finest hot dogs . . . so off we went to Portillo's, located at Clark and Ontario.

The hot dogs were awesome! (as you can tell by the happy, stuffed faces)

Not content with our stomachs being filled only with candy, cookies, hot dogs, and french fries, we next headed back to the Mag Mile for Ghiradelli ice cream. Sundaes for all! Bug got a little overwhelmed with hers . . . see the glazed eyes?


After some"guy" shopping at Nike Town and a few other stores, we decided to go on a Chicago Trolleys Tour. It was a lot of fun. We toured the Gold Coast, saw Oprah's street, visited the Mag Mile, financial district, and theater district. Got caught in some Bears game traffic, but it was okay. Was able to stop at one of the trolley stops and get some more Garrett's pop corn (as if we had not consumed enough junk food for one day already). But boy was I happy to get some Chicago mix . . . cheese and caramel. Robert opted for cheese corn, and Bug went with the traditional butter.

Finally, it was time to head back to the airport. A quick pic on the way back in front of the very beautiful Fourth Presbyterian Church on Michigan Avenue, the oldest surviving structure on the Mag Mile.

It was a great weekend in Chicago! One we'll remember for a very long time. We're already looking forward to a return trip . . . when it's warm, so that we can spend time on Lake Michigan and at Navy Pier.

Chicago bound

Whoo hoo! Twenty-four hours from now I'll be in one of my very most favorite cities --- Chicago! Robert and I are taking Bug for her eleventh birthday. Tomorrow shopping and a birthday dinner at the new American Girl Place on Michigan Avenue. Saturday, meeting friends, more shopping, and seeing "Wicked" (and hopefully trips to get our favorite Chicago popcorn mix -- Garrett's cheddar and caramel). Sunday, more eating and more shopping. Aah . . . the anticipation. . . . I love Chicago . . . the people, the shopping, the arts, the energy. It's been a year and a half since I was there . . . on my birthday in 2007. Too long to be away. I want Robert to see the view from the top of the John Hancock Building and hopefully make a trip to the Art Institute. I can hardly wait!!!!

So glad I was there . . .

This is Bug and I on the night of President-Elect Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. As I wrote in a previous entry after the convention, I was so hopeful that evening that I had just witnessed the next President of the United States with my daughter at my side. Thankfully, America, that dream came true last night.

I am so hopeful for the future.

We watched the returns from home last evening, Bug, Robert and I. We were settling in for a long night when, unbelievably, Charlie Gibson broke in at 9:00 P.M. and declared the election had gone to Obama. California's 55 electoral votes, along with some other states, pushed him quickly over the requisite 270. We were estatic!!!

I had moved some of my favorite champagne, Veuve Clicquot, from Arkansas with me and had been saving it for a special night and special someone. America's historic vote warranted opening that bottle. Robert took it out on the balcony to open it, and the cork flew all the way over on top of the neighbor's roof!!

Chloe has the biggest crush on Robert and EVERY SINGLE TIME I got up from the sofa, she took my spot! Here is a picture of her watching the returns with Robert . . . and one of her testing the bouquet of the Veuve Clicquot. LOL

I survived the sharks . . . the Avs didn't

Lots of sharks in my life lately . . . First, on Friday, October 24th, Bug had her birthday party at the Downtown Denver Aquarium. A sleepover ( a misnomer because not much sleep involved) . . . but she and 4 of her friends had a great time. We started with dinner at Steuben's on 17th Avenue in Denver. The girls all ordered "The Bug Special", which is what Bug orders every single time we eat at Steubens . . . chicken strips, steamed green beans, and the best french fries outside of McDonald's.

They sat us at the back of the restaurant . . . imagine that . . . .just because I had 5 squealing, excited pre-teen girls . . . we were put in the back of the restaurant.

Here are Cat, Court, Izzy, Bug, & Ana . . .




Here is Bug with her cake . . . an extremely low fat cake composed of chocolate with chocolate chips in the batter cake (3 layers), with cookies and cream filling, topped by buttercream frosting. And the restaurant brought them all ice cream to accompany the cake . . . so thoughtful (heavy sarcasm here).



After what felt like a very long car ride with 5 squealing, excited pre-teen girls hyped up on LOTS of sugar, all while listening to the soundtrack of "Camp Rock", we made it to the aquarium where the girls changed into t-shirts and went on a tour.


After the tour of the aquarium and some games with the aquarium educators who, unfortunately, felt the need to bring a hideous, evil snake into the room, take it out of its cage and parade it through our group, we started making preparations to . . . sleep with the sharks.

As we lay in our sleeping bags (on the concrete floor!!), this was the view above us. And when all the lights went out, the sharks really started circling. As well as other extremely large fish and turtles. Once when I awoke, there were 3 sharks circling right over my head. Talk about a wake-up call. Barracudas, sharks, sting rays . . . all night long . . . in the dark . . .while sleeping on a concrete floor. But . . . the girls LOVED it . . . thought it was the greatest party.

The next morning, the Aquarium treated us to bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, bisquits, and juice for breakfast, then the girls were able to give the pirahnas their breakfast of shrimp, watch the tiger in the rainforest search for his whipped cream breakfast treat, and meet a macaw named Ricky.

It was a very fun birthday party . . . although my back took a few days to recover from the experience. LOL

And then last night, Robert and I went to the hockey game where the Colorado Avalanche played the San Jose Sharks . . . and the Avs got bit . . . I mean "beat" . . . 5-3. But it was still great fun for me . . . my very first professional hockey game. It was at the Pepsi Center, which is such a nice facility. And my guy was at my side, so it was a great night. Robert caught a t-shirt at one of the period breaks for Bug, so she was very happy when we got home. And I bought an Avs jersey to wear at the next game Robert and I go to as it will be against the Vancouver Canucks, his favorite team. Since he will be wearing his Canucks jersey, I thought I should have an Avs jersey on so we don't get pummeled by Avs fans. I'll make sure to get a picture of us so you can see. The game is in December.

This coming weekend, we're all 3 headed to Chicago for Bug's birthday trip. Dinner at American Girl Place on her actual birthday, then the next day we're going to shop, see Wicked, and have dinner with our friends that moved to Chicago in July. We're looking very forward to some Garrett's popcorn!