Chicago

Chicago in the Fall really is an amazing experience. Yes, Oprah was awesome. But the city really is great, has tons to offer and is extremely clean. And in terms of safety, I probably felt safer there at night then I did in some other US cities.

So what did I do? TONS! I'm going to break it down....

Day 1 - basically all travelling. I had one stopover but basically, I got off the plane in Minneapolis, walked to the next gate and boarded the next plane. Easy peasy. Then when I got into Chicago, took the subway into the city and then walked to the hotel. The remainder of the day was walking around to get my bearings and did a bit of shopping.

Highlights of the day

* meeting Bob on my flight from Minneapolis to Chicago. What a lovely man! Learned about his life, his work, and his granddaughter. On the other side of me on the same flight, a nurse from Minneapolis. She talked up a storm. Learned lots about her business, her allergies, her patients, and her telework arrangements. What they got out of me? A lot of giddiness about Oprah. They were thrilled that I was going and we had a good chat about that.

* When I was at the train station getting ready to buy a train pass for a couple of days, two women came up to me and my girlfriend and gave us their pass that was still good! Woo hoo!

* I took a lot of pictures with life size Lego figurines down Magnificent Mile.

Day 2: Segway tour to start the day. Three hours of tourist time around the neatest sights and parks. I also had the opportunity to do some shopping down the Magnificent mile! And also the Museum of Contemporary Art. Beautiful place but I must say the exhibits kind of sucked this time! Playstation HQ to try out their new Move games!

Highlights:

* The segway tour. I got a chance to try this magnificent machine! I'm going to do a segway tour again in another city. I also got to race with one of these. Total awesomeness.
* got to do some shopping that we don't have up here. Garret's popcorn (one of Oprah's favourite things!), the Disney store, and more pictures with lifesize Lego figurines.

Day 3: Oprah, the Oprah store and Giardano's.

Highlights:

* could it be Oprah?! But better yet, there was someone in the audience who got to speak and talk about herself. She writes a ton of songs for Disney, including for some pop artists like Miley Cyrus. Yes, I actually don't mind some of Miley's songs so it was so neat to see who was behind those songs!
* shopping at the Oprah store. Seriously got some great deals. And she has such nice stuff. If I had more than a carry on, I would have brought home WAY more stuff.
* stuffed pizza at Giardano's. That's just a big fat pill.

Day 4: I did so much this day. Chinatown was the first stop! Hey, I have to see my peeps in a different city. Then my girlfriend and I separated for part of the day so we could see different things. I ended up going to the Field Museum where they have the largest T-Rex specimen. Next up was the zoo. Then it was off to visit my friend once again to go to the Chicago Art Institute.

Highlights:

* dim sum in Chinatown was actually very good! And they have the most beautiful colour menus!!
* Chinatown was extremely clean and I really enjoyed the shops and other food (where else can you get enough food for 2 people for 2 meals for under $7.50?!)
* Field museum had so much to see. The T-Rex (Sue) was awesome. Oh yeah, it was free that day, extra bonus.
* The zoo was also extremely clean. Had some neat animals I hadn't seen in a while. And yeah, it was free.
* The Chicago Art Institute was truly awesome. Got to see some paintings that I've wanted to see and can now officially cross them off my bucket list. And yes, it was FREE! Oh, this city really understood my Asian cheapness. And best yet, my friend and I just had the funniest giggle fits in this place. I don't know...getting lost, not understanding some of the art, the crazy security guards and goodness knows what else was just funny.

Day 5: Last day! My girlfriend and I actually went to line up for the morning show that I was originally supposed to attend. We were there and there some folks lined up there too. And of course I started to chat with the women there. One of them was named Shirley. She kept saying that she was from the same home town as Oprah. And she was Oprah's aunt's friend. Sometimes, when Shirley was visiting with Oprah's aunt, Oprah would show up. And Oprah knew she was coming. She was the sweetest lady. But I thought to myself, if your Oprah's aunt's friend, and she knows you and likes you, and Oprah knows you're coming, WHY in the world are you in the line up? I'm sure Oprah likes you enough to just get you escorted in...or maybe she doesn't like her enough?!

I also made it to the Navy Pier. Not much time to explore, but it was great to go. Sort of a North Vancouver Londsdale Quay feel with way more things to do and some neat exhibits that I didn't have time to see.

Highlights: checking out the Navy Pier where I could see the water move. Last time, the body of water that the pier sits on was frozen solid.

* chilling in the hotel room after I got back from the standby line. Seriously. Napping, watching tv while in pjs, snacking and just doing nothing...for a mom, that's pure awesomeness.

* meeting the cutest college graduate! He was cute because he was so "new" to the adult life. He came from a farm that harvested beets and green beans. Oh, if we all had that naivity and freshness in life still.

So, the trip was great! No drama with my friend which was an extra bonus. Weather was fantastic besides my one morning of thunder and lightning. Tried new things. And 5 days of not having to make bagged lunches. This trip will definitey be in my top 10.