chicago
I loved it loved it loved it loved it! And I had a good time there too.
It probably helped that instead of the usual chill-to-the-bone wind and rain and mush that frequents the city, we were blessed with balmy 55F temps and bright cloudless skies. I wish I could upload some photos as proof, but alas I am too cheap for gold membership. I'll leave it to your own active imaginations then.
So I arrived on Thursday, having had little sleep after my final shift at work. (There was ANOTHER party as another girl I really abhor baked me a brownie cake! And two regulars I hardly know - in fact, I didn't think one of them even knew my name - bought me WEDDING PRESENTS! As in a gilded picture frame and champagne glasses!) The flight was seamless and Kelly arrived to pick me up at the airport just as I was stepping out the door. Perfect! Everything went swimmingly the entire weekend, in fact. Perhaps my luck has changed!
She took me back to her GORGEOUS AMAZING WONDERFUL house, and my jaw had to be picked up off the floor at the beauty of it all. It was like an Eddie Bauer catalog come to life, all country prints and polished cherry wood and stainless steel appliances. The fireplace was lit and the scented candles were burning and bed was baking in the oven and I wondered who had come and replace my friend with a true and proper adult housewife! I then got the grand tour, and my first glimpse of the rest of the place, with its two full bathrooms and whirlpool bath AND showers and... egads, I'm still reeling. Did I mention her and her hubby bought a PLANE? And that their new pet project is real estate investment? Ack.
So we sat around blabbing over a nice, proper, healthy home-cooked meal. Actually, I did most of the blabbing while she did the cooking. I met her husband for the first time ever, and blabbed some more. Then eventually I let Kelly go to bed, as she was falling asleep on the couch.
We spent most of the next day doing errands, and went to lunch at a very yummy veggie restaurant, run by hare krishnas, who luckily did not try to convert us. Then we went back to her house to begin preparing a feast for our friends as they slowly started to arrive from all over. There were about 10 of us in total, so preparation and planning was vital, and pizzas were the answer. Yum. After eating, we all settled in for the evening to drink and catch up and play board games into the wee hours. Oh yes, we know how to party!
Sleeping arrangements were... fun... but amazingly I slept well, if not very long, for we were up at the crack of dawn to start our fun-filled jam-packed day. Our first stop was a brilliant little breakfast place for brunch. It was so kitchy and fun! The menu featured green eggs (spinach and persto - why didn't I think of that?) and ham, and lunches served in an old fashioned lunchbox with TWINKIES.
After that we headed into the city, and decided to take advantage of the nice weather to visit the new Millenium Park. We then walked from there to Navy Pier, stopping to take lots of dorky photos along the way - our specialty! - and have some hot cocoa. We later boarded a trolley to the heart of the shopping district and gave ourselves two hours to shop till we dropped. We split off into groups, and Emily and I ended up together, stopping at a famous popcorn vendor and a few shops, finishing about an hour early. We headed to a book shop with plans to sit in the cafe for the remaining time, but got a phone call from one of the others, saying they had finished early too, and could we meet outside the Hancock building to wait for the others? We joined them there, and called the others, only to discover they, too, had finished early and headed for the bookshop! Ha! Great minds.. or dorks. Either way, we all thought alike.
Once we were all together again, we headed up to the 95th floor and had insanely overpriced cocktails in the swanky lounge with the best view in all of Chicago! We somehow managed to get window seats and nurse those babies for a hour, which meant we got to watch the sun set and night lights sparkle on across the city. It was amazing! Really and truly. Worth the $11 drink.
After that, we headed back to the river to watch fireworks, and nabbed some free crazy special effect glasses that made all the lights turn into smily faces. It was very surreal. Then we headed to Greektown for dinner, and met up with yet another long lost friend. There were 13 of us by now, and we scarfed down a hell of a lot of tsatsiki and saganaki between us. Mmmm saganaki. Afterwards, we headed back to Kelly's for a late night of poker. I never really understood the appeal before, but now I do. It was so much fun, and I was surprisingly good! I'm even tempted to start my own poker night when I get back!
On Sunday, we slept in a bit longer - 9.30am! Wow! - and got ready for Kelly's elaborate French toast/creme brule concoction, which she had prepared the night before. We waited an excrutiating 45 minutes for it to cook, only to have it dropped all over the floor as she began to serve it. As she despaired over the lost masterpiece, a few of us jumped in to whip up an alternative meal. I made some of my famed home fries while Andrew and Kate prepared bacon, scrambled eggs with veggies, and toast. It was such a moment, all of us pitching in like that, and in the end we had a feast. Awwww.
Sadly, it was time for most to go, and we all hung about while our numbers slowly dwindled. Aaron and I were the last remaining by dinnertime, and after a quick sandwich fry up, Kelly took us to this old fashioned candy/ice cream shop for the most amazing sundaes ever! Then we dropped Aaron off at the airport, and Kelly and I returned to her place to watch the Superbowl and other bad TV until passing out at about 9pm. Go us!
Yesterday we went to Wicker Park for some exploration and shopping. It was so trendy and we balked at this crazy posh salon in particular, with its neon orange sculptures inside and drop-dead gorgeous stylists in high heels. As we were walking by, however, this woman rushed out and begged for one of us to come in for a free haircut. Turn out one of her models had cancelled and she needed someone to stand in for a class on layering. As I was desperately in need of a haircut, and we had a few hours to kill, I obliged, emerging an hour and a half later with a meticulous $50 haircut for free! Ha! Brilliant!
We went across the street at the stylist's suggestion to a cute little cafe for lunch, and it was yet another fantastic meal, polished off with the best chocolate and peanut butter smoothie ever! Then we wandered into a few shops, and chanced upon a fantastic thrift shop, where I bought four amazing sweaters - two of them 100% cashmere - an old necklace, and a copy of my favourite book ever, which I gave to Kelly as a present. What a find!
Eventually, sadly, it was time for me to go, and we raced to the airport, arriving just in time. Only to find out my flight was delayed, of course. Then it was delayed again. And again. Grrr. By the time I got home it was 11pm, and I was tired and grumpy, and my dad was tired and grumpy for having to stay up so late to pick me up. And this morning my mother was especially tired and grumpy. So I suppose the tail end of the trip wasn't as fab. But still... the rest of it more than made up for that! It was sooooooo good to see everyone, and any worries I had about awkwardness with spouses and such were totally unfounded. We all got along splendidly and it was as if nothing had changed. There's talk of going to Vegas for the next reunion next year. I SOOOO want to go! And drag Richard along this time. Maybe we could hit San Francisco as well. I've always wanted to go there!
Now I have a whole day spread out ahead of me, and I hardly know what to do with myself! It's such a novelty, not having to work! I started sorting through my stuff again, and packing! Crazy! On Thursday I'm heading to Boston, where I'll stay till Saturday, seeing friends and going to a gig o Friday night. Then on Saturday night there are birthday celebrations for my sister. And then I have just one week before I leave!!! I can't believe it's so soon! Yay! And somehow I have to squeeze a trip to Northampton into that time, and possibly another trip to Boston. And a visit to evil grandma, and dinner with Iris and cinema with Sandy, and then there's her birthday on Tuesday... ack! Guess I'll be busy after all.
