From Saturday/Sunday overnight July 22-23, 2023 to Wednesday July 26, 2023 I made a whirlwind trip down to Illinois to visit my niece and her family, and my best friend Darla. It has been a long stretch of work, and I needed to Get Outta Town even for just a short break. I had not gotten any of the Personal Time off at work I had asked for, but my boss was able to reschedule some days on my schedule that allowed me a 6-day block off. That's enough for a road trip!
I never had any kids. Mostly didn't want any, and for a brief time in my life with my first husband we thought about starting a family, but it just didn't work out. Ah well! However, my two sisters each had two daughters, and I was able to know my sister Jennefer's daughters as they grew up into wonderful young women. I sometimes regret not being able to live near any of my blood kin, but I am able to connect once in awhile with Erica and Sarah, who both live within a reasonable drive from me.
For the start of this little road trip, after working the overnight shift three days in a row, I came home on a Saturday morning and slept myself out for the day. Awake in the late afternoon/early evening, I prepped the house, kissed the husband, packed my car, and was out on an overnight drive down to Illinois. Driving in the middle of the night is definitely the way to go! I would arrive to my niece Erica's home in the morning as the sun rose. She and her husband Sean were already up with the older of their two children, Audrey. Their son Ethan was sleeping in. We spent the morning catching up and just being family.
As we moved into late morning/early afternoon I went out shopping with Erica. We found a favorite coffee/drink place she likes to visit and had some fruity non-alcoholic beverages. Shortly after we found tacos!
I'm not always the best aunt. I don't always send gifts for Christmas or Birthdays, but I did bring some gifts with me on this trip for my great niece and nephew. Once Ethan awoke, he quickly took to the giant blocks I brought for him. So glad he likes them!
Audrey is in a sparkly magical animals phase, so a light up unicorn was just the perfect gift for her.
💜💖💛💚💙
Being in the middle of goat milking season, I had some fresh chevre to share. Audrey is quite adventurous when it comes to eating as a child. She didn't mind trying the soft cheese, and liked it.
One of their two giant cats was sure to come over and say hello. Big Friendly Marshmallows!
After visiting all that morning and early afternoon, I would lay down for a nap in their basement, as I had been awake now for most of the previous 20 hours. It was enough of a reboot to see me on the next leg of my trip, to drive North about an hour and meet up with my best bud Darla. It was so very nice to connect with my niece and her family.
I drove that late afternoon/early evening into the sunset to arrive at Darla's home just as she was returning from one of her jobs up in the Chicago area. She is a professional house and pet sitter, and keeps herself busy with that side gig. Once I arrived and unloaded what I needed, we settled into sleeping, as we were both fairly tired. The fun would begin the next day.
Once awake and everything we needed packed into her old car, we drove into the urban hellscape that is the Chicago metroplex. It's Darla's stomping grounds even if she no longer lives there. She wanted to do lunch at the famous Dock at Montrose Beach (click to follow link). There we both ordered way too much food, and would share between us for a fabulous lunch. I had the cod basket with nachos. She had quesadillas and friend chicken fingers. No alcohol! Just cold water on this hot day.
Darla assures me that this is quite the famous landmark for Chicago, the beach and all. Currently it is also famous in that a rare species of plover have taken up on the nesting areas off to the side of the beach, in the Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary. Click below if you want to read about the nesting pair. The area is roped off to give the birds the best opportunity to raise their chicks to fledging.
After lunch, we walked a little in the Bird Sanctuary area not closed to people. The summer wildflowers are in full bloom, and the red winged blackbirds were defending nests in all the prairie overgrowth.
Gratuitous wildflower pictures, just because flowers are beautiful!
After walking around Montrose Beach area, Darla drove me around interesting places in Chicago, and then made our way closer to our destination that evening. I've wanted to see the Blue Man Group for some time. Sharing it with a friend is even better! We still had plenty of time to kill, so found some nice little coffee shop in Lakeview to while away some time.
The place we chose also serves up bread. I love bread!! Bread does not always love me. This particular shop had a bit of a Hispanic vibe to it. They also sold pastries and sweet treats behind a counter display. I don't know what this is called, but it is a dark chocolate and chili bite, rich with chocolate bitter and chili fire. Very Good!
Our little snack accomplished, we checked into our Airbnb for the night, left our luggage, then made our way to the theatre to find parking and snag our seats.
What to say about Blue Man Group?? It is not for everyone, but it is a lot of fun. The humor is a bit snarky in a non-insulting kind of way. There is quite a bit of audience participation, so best to not sit too close to the stage if you don't want to become part of the show. We chose balcony seats to keep out of the way and watch the fray from above. It was a lot of fun, and I'm glad I got to share it with my friend.
After the show, and the very busy day that we had shared together, we returned to our Airbnb, a very nice home in Wilmette, Illinois. The hosts are Bahai, and apparently there is a Bahai Temple in Wilmette, of which they are members. Darla stayed up late to visit with them, but I checked out having been awake for too many hours the previous few days. The following morning I would have a delightful shower in the airy bathroom, with a bright window in the shower, and then enjoy their kitchen and dining room all to myself. Their home is beautifully decorated and a very calm and inviting place. I had coffee and toast from the bread I bought the day before, with a few nut bars and fruit offered to guests.
An urban rabbit foraged in the garden outside the window.
After Darla got herself up and moving, we packed up our things to make it out before the checkout time, then continued our adventures in the Chicago area. We would go check out an Asian Market Place as suggested by Fox, called Mitsuwa (click for link). Leave it to Fox to know where all the best food places are. She loves Oriental and Indian food, so knows the best places for that. The establishment is a grocery store, but also has an indoor courtyard where you can select from a variety of fresh made food. Not being particularly hungry, we opted for a bubble tea, and shared some dumplings.
I would also buy some mochi for our next adventure. What is mochi you may ask! Well, package I bought is below. It is a soft rice paste that encloses a fruity center. Some mochi has ice cream inside. The texture is soft like marshmallow, with a dusting of corn starch to keep it from sticking to everything. An Internet search found way too many resources, so if you really want to know, go search yourself.
Our next destination was to the movie theater, and a unique one to Darla's credit. It is called Hollywood Boulevard Cinema in Woodbridge (click to open link). It is creatively decorated, with 10 theaters, all themed. We saw Oppenheimer in the Super Hero themed theater. It is unique in that it has a full bar, and you can order food in the theater. We had a nice show. Here is a link to an advertising production that gets you a feel of the place.
See a movie with a friend . . . Best way to spend a day!
After the movie, and needing to get back to her place, we opted for some quick food, and what better choice than a Chicago hotdog, from Portillos (click to follow link). She assures me that this is not the AUTHENTIC Chicago dogs, and those can only be snagged from hot dog carts down town, but hey, it's close enough!!
They were quite good! We got a two dog option, and shared one each.
On the way home I stopped at another Asian market in Madison, Global Market Foodhall (click to open link). This one I found a couple months ago, but was on a quick road trip with Fox, so that is why it was selected. What did I get? More dumplings!!
