Chicago - the date

We start our weekend on Friday. J picked me up from the office and we drove to long term parking. There we hopped to bus to the Southwest terminal. Everything ran SUPER SMOOTH.
Off the plane and found a cab. J insisted on talking to the driver the entire ride from Midway to downtown...thing was the driver didn't speak English very well...AT ALL...
It was HOT in Chicago and the AC wasn't working well. We rolled down the windows and I closed my eyes so I wouldn't get car sick...I let J and Ajubar yakk on about the weather, Bears and Cubs..

We check in to Hotel 71. This was my choice. We got a half-assed decent rate and it was right on East Wacker a block from Michigan ON the Chicago River. I threw caution to the wind and paid the extra $10 for a river side view. Our room was very pretty. Very casual and modern..I'll incert pictures tonight.

We changed clothes and started hoofing it. J said he wanted to go to Navy Pier..who am I to argue so off we went. It was quite a little walk but not bad. People watching was fun. When we got down there I started getting a little crabby cause I was hungry. I just wanted to sit down and eat. Finally we just went to Billy Goat. Now I wanted to take J to the ORIGINAL Billy Goat, specifically for the atmosphere...but oh well this would have to do. We ordered and sat outside. Burger was GREAT...we actually I had to have a double cheezburger and chips since that's what the guy said I should get...J got a triple. We sat outside and ate..it was really nice weather, nothing at ALL like late September usually is. We took our time and eventually made it back to the hotel by 11ish. We sat out by the river for quite a while just chit chatting, taking pictures etc. We saw a rat dart in and out of the tables and chairs near a closed cafe' on the river...nice.

We get to our room for good...and I take a NICE hot bath. The tub/sink/toilet are OK...nothing great. We lay in bed and I tell J...I gotta sleep and passed out long before him... then by 2am..tv off I hear it, "slam, slam...up, down"..the elevator was right next door.

Our hotel had been updated...except for the elevator. Heading to the 38th floor was like being on an amuesment park ride.

Saturday morning J says..."I am SO tired, I can't do that again, I really want to sleep in peace"..I volunteer to go down to the front desk. There is this cute little girl behind the desk, I read her name is Tameka.. I figure, let's solve this with a little sugar, I say: Tameka, feel my pain. ALL NIGHT LONG..I hear the elevator slapping open and closed it goes up then down. It was really horrible. I hate to do this but we really need to change rooms to something more quite. She ticka ticka's on the keyboard..biting the inside of her mouth and thinking about what she needs to do. Eventually she says, "Oh well, someone may yell". She hads me the keys and says she was able to get us just down the hall from where we are and we don't have to move far. She hopes that we will be happy...and she gives me a wink...who does that?

I went back upstairs. J...lets go....we're movin on down the hall. I open the door...PARADISE...
1 wall of windows facing the Chicago River...1 wall of windows facing Lake Michigan..and the back bedroom has a city view and South Chicago view of the lake. Yes you heard me correctly, the back bedroom...cause in the front there was the dining room, living room, kitchen, 2 bathrooms, walk in closet...and foyer. OMG!!! It was awesome.
J took a nap. I finished reading my book. I had the windows open, a big cup of coffee, a breakfast sandwhich from the White Hen...there were boats and people, bagpipes, bridges going up and down. I really enjoyed a few hours watching the world go by from my beautiful view.

In the afternoon we strolled down Michigan over to Rush and ate lunch at a great place called The Big Bowl. It was Chinese/Thai and AWESOME!! I had never had fresh ginger ale...to die for! We also stopped at Lucky Jeans..fellow blogger Rebecca told me about these and that they were worth the money. OMG! Yes they are. I have a pair of AWESOME jeans..I was so excited.

We eventually made it back to the hotel..we had about a half hour to freshen up and make it to the Chicago Theater. We saw Sheer Madness. This plays in Chicago, Boston and DC...if you have the chance, see it! Very fun. PG-13 rating...I laughed til my face hurt.

We headed North after the show and were looking for a place to eat. Problem was it was 8pm on a Saturday. 1 1/2 hour wait at Harry Carey's...2 hours at a quaint Italian place. Then we spotted this cute corner place and decided to give it a shot. They had a table..in the bar...we thought it's either horrible or pricey..thank goodness it was a little pricy but AWESOME! OMG the entire experience was great. The staff was wonderful..the kitchen backed up so we got complimentary roasted corn soup..OMG..I had the Alaskan Halibut..we didn't want dessert we got free ice cream things. Naha... if you are in Chicago and have one fancy dinner night give this place a shot!~ Wonderful!
FYI..trying to upload pictures...blogger NOT being cooperative
Next up Sunday: moving day...