Christmas Time in the City

I absolutely love being in a city at Christmas time! The lights, decorations, hustle and bustle...it's hard to beat! This year I was so excited to get out and experience all Chicago had to offer for the holidays: shopping on the Mag Mile, Macy's decorations, Christkindlmarket, holiday train, Zoo Lights, ice skating at Millennium Park, caroling at Cloud Gate. These were all on my Christmas to-do list, and I was thrilled when my mom decided to come up for a visit so we could live the Chicago Christmas Extravaganza together!

The night before my mom arrived, was the last night of Caroling at Cloud Gate. Even though Justin and I absolutely froze and could hardly move our lips to sing, it was still wonderful! They were giving out hot apple cider, which definitely helped to warm us a little. The performers would sing a few songs of their own and invite the crowd to join in on the well-known carols. The brisk air, warm cider, buildings lit up in red and green, and sounds of Christmas carols, made for a beautiful evening.

ice and snow on the bean

Mom was here for 4 short, action-packed days, and she was just as excited as me to bundle up in our puffers and see the holiday sights! The day she arrived we layered up and walked to Millennium Park for Ice Skating in the reflection of 'The Bean'. 

We were a little disappointed to discover that since we didn't have our own ice skates, the wait was 1.5 hours. So, we decided to postpone the ice skating, made a quick visit to Cloud Gate - The Bean - Justin's Spaceship (whatever you want to call it) and headed down towards State St. to take in the holiday sights and sounds.

yet another shot of the bean

We stopped at Macy's to show mom the store decorations and Christmas Tree in the Walnut Room. She got a good taste of the insanity that is Christmas shopping in Chicago. 

macy's gorgeous mosaic ceiling and christmas decor

From there we made our way to the Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza, which I knew mom would love! It's a German market complete with brats, beer, pastries, glass ornaments, wooden toys, and the not-to-be-missed hot spiced wine! The wine warmed us up nicely after walking around in the cold all day, and I think it was mom's favorite part of her visit! 

christkindlmarket

tree at daley plaza

I just loved this market...so many wonderful smells, and beautiful ornaments. We will definitely make the Christkindlmarket part of our new Christmas traditions!

Mom was on a mission, from her husband, Mark, to bring some Gino's East pizza back to South Carolina. There is always a line out the door at Gino's, but we braved the elements in honor of Chicago deep dish, and mom was able to give Mark his Christmas wish. I have to say that Lou Malnotti's may be better, but the verdict is still out on the best Chicago deep dish. I'll keep you posted on that one.

guests have left their mark all over the restaurant

The next day we did some shopping on Michigan Avenue with all the other Christmas crazed people. Quite honestly, there's only so much I can handle of that scene, but it's just not Christmas without it. That night, we had dinner at a cute little French restaurant in Lincoln Park, Mon Ami Gabi....so yummy! Justin's parents had recommended it, and so do I! It was tres magnifique!

christmas tree photo op "apres diner"

After hearing about the decorations, lights, and yes, cinnamon fragrance on the holiday train, I was determined to ride it. Mom and I took the L train back to Lincoln Park for another round of shopping. We ate lunch at a little diner we happened upon, called Nookies Too...yet another great Chicago eatery. 

lincoln park from the L

After a shopping filled afternoon, we made our way to the L stop where the infamous Holiday Train was supposed to come through. I knew we were at the right place, because kids were everywhere....just as excited as me to see Santa and ride the festive train. Sure enough, the Santa Express arrived on schedule. 

The holiday train was quite an experience. Every corner was Christmasified! The ceiling lights were red and green, the poles were candy cane striped, the seats were covered in Christmas fabric, Christmas music was playing, even the ads were Christmas themed, and it actually smelled like cinnamon! I was in amazement like all the kids we were riding with. 

The last day of mom's visit, we took it easy. We made another visit to the Christkindlmarket and finished up some shopping on State St. We never made it back to the ice rink or to the Zoo Lights (at Lincoln Park Zoo), so I'll be towing Justin to those things once we get back in town from our Carolina Christmas. I think mom will be making a yearly pilgrimage to Chicago each December we are here, and we have found some wonderful new holiday traditions!


Merry Christmas to all!

Jump Start on Christmas

Don't you think it's a little odd that the Chicago "Christmas" parade was held before the Thanksgiving parade? That's precisely what I asked Justin as we were standing in the middle of Wacker Dr., freezing our tushes off, trying to see the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival over the heads of about 900,000 people. We grossly underestimated the potential size of the crowd and waited too late to stake our claim for a good view....we couldn't even see the Mag Mile. Apparently people started camping out about 3 hours before the parade started. But, I guess the Iowa football game always takes precedence, especially when my brother-in-law, Andrew is in town. I can't blame it all on him though...my afternoon nap went a little long...Iowa football has that effect on me! 

Anyway, we bundled up and ventured out in the blustery 40 degree evening in hopes of catching a glimpse of the main attraction, Mickey Mouse with his girl Minnie, and maybe even see Santa and some fireworks. As we rounded the corner onto Wacker, the float carrying those famous mice pulled up right in front of us! We happened upon the very end of the parade route and there were M&M, decked out in holiday attire, disembarking from their floating Magic Kingdom and getting into their limousine. I never knew Mickey travelled in such style, but why not? He is the most famous mouse in the world!

We started to make our way towards Michigan Ave, only to discover there was no getting to it. So, we picked the least obstructed spot we could find and waited to see what we could see. Rudolph floated by, along with Goofy and Pluto, a random Chicago Bears player, and lots of floats advertising hotels. The inflatables were having a time of it in the wind, which made the parade a little more interesting. At least we got to see some of the festivities and got a glimpse of the buildings a glow in red and green.

rudolph's nose is glowing!

goofy and pluto made an appearance

We decided to head home early since we couldn't see much and our feet were going numb. On the way back we heard booms echoing from the parade, and we caught a reflection of fireworks in the buildings. Our patience had worn out just a little too soon! We were able to find a vantage point to see some of the fireworks show, so it wasn't a total waste. It seems Chicago does fireworks for everything, which is awesome, and they rival 4th of July in the Carolinas, I must say. I used to wait all year to see a great fireworks show, and now I've seen at least 3 in the last 3 months. The iPhone pics don't do it justice, and I'm sure it was beautiful over the Chicago River!

To make up for our not so spectacular Mag Mile Lights Festival experience, we headed to Michigan Ave. on Sunday evening to see the lights up close. I absolutely love Christmas in a bustling city. 

on michigan...no worries, I had the "walk" sign....

christmas tree in front of hancock

hancock and water tower

We decided to head up the John Hancock for a bird's eye view of the city. On the advice of some friends and former Chicagoans, we went up to the Signature Room on the 96th floor "for drinks" instead of paying $21 a pop at the official observatory. I had overheard on the street that the best view was from the women's bathroom, so of course I had to check it out. 

not bad for potty ambiance!

Although the boys felt a little jilted not having the fabulous potty room view, they got some great peaks at the city from the bar. It was a little foggy, but still not a bad view!

Our tour of Chicago Christmas actually started the first weekend in November with festivities at Macy's on State St. The store unveiled their holiday windows and officially began the shopping season with the lighting of their giant tree in The Walnut Room restaurant. As usual, we underestimated the crowd and missed the actual lighting, but we did get to see the tree. Apparently, lunch at The Walnut Room during the tree lighting is a much sought after reservation. We spotted Mayor Daley and family enjoying the tradition.

decor outside macy's

So, that's quite a start to the holiday season. I'm sure we will be out and about seeing more festive sights. Maybe I'll even get to see my 1st White Christmas! You can be sure I'll blog about that one, but first, let's get through Thanksgiving! Who knows...I may even see some of the white stuff then!