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!

Has my husband been abducted by aliens?

A few days after I arrived in Chicago Justin hopped on a plane to Italy for 5 days. I couldn't really complain since the trip was for work, but the timing really stunk. I was a little nervous as he got in the cab headed to O'hare, wondering if I could make it in this big new city for a week by myself. I made a few goals:  unpack boxes, unpack boxes, unpack boxes (ugh), and try not to stay cooped up in the apartment all week. I'd say I accomplished most of those things, but it's a week later and I still can't find the bed in our guest room!

       

      

Someone hijacked our storage unit in the building. It still isn't cleaned out, so that's not helping the situation. I did manage to get our kitchen, living area, bedroom and bathroom sorted and organized. However if anyone is planning a visit anytime soon....ahem, Andrew.....you may be sleeping on the sofa! 

My other adventure the past week consisted of taking a certain Australian Shepherd up and down the elevator 5 to 6 times a day due to irritated bowels, ie: the "dying rear"! Not sure if the culprit was stress from the 14+ hour car ride, all the fountain water she's been drinking in the park, or just adjusting to her new living situation. I found a vet close by and Brizz and I managed to find our way there via the Honda GPS, parked without getting a ticket, and successfully left with 3 cans of prescription food and meds. I was quite proud of myself, considering I hadn't ventured out without Justin, and I had a sick doggie in tow. By the way, the vet said Aussies are her favorite breed....think we'll stick with that one! The Brizz is back to normal and on a regular "schedule" now. No more messes in the apartment and middle of the night dashes to the elevator!

In other Brizzie news:  she is a hit in the dog park! Brizz always plays so nicely with the other dogs and doesn't cause problems. Her favorite game is playing hide-and-seek behind the benches. Herding Pugs, Boston Terriers and other pint sized dogs is also a new favorite past time (since the kitties are not herd-able). A lady commented today that, "She is such a great dog!". Of course, I already knew that! :) Love my Brizzie Boo!

While Brizzie is getting lots of exercise in the dog park, I have yet to find a gym that lives up to the Y's in Charlotte. I'm beginning to realize how spoiled I was there. There is a gym within walking distance, Lakeshore Athletic Club, which I took a tour of this week. It's 7 floors and has more exercise equipment than I have ever seen in one location. There is an indoor lap pool, all kinds of aerobic and yoga classes, a cafe, sauna, you name it! But, geeze it's expensive...par for the course here! Today I bought a Groupon for 2 months of unlimited yoga classes for $39.....maybe I'll just Groupon-it instead of joining a gym! 

Another outing I took this week was to Lincoln Park for volunteer work. When I was in Charlotte, I found that volunteer work was a great way to see the city, meet people and do good. I joined Chicago Cares in hopes that I can do the same here. I helped out at a Chicago Housing Authority senior living residence on Saturday. We cooked breakfast for the seniors, played bingo and made thank you cards for veterans. I met some other nice volunteers who were very welcoming and friendly, as most people seem to be in Chicago. I'll definitely be doing more work with Chicago Cares. Oh, and I ran across an Iowa Hawkeyes bar on my way home, which I'm sure we will be frequenting. What are the chances there's a Gamecocks bar too??

notice the flags!

Justin arrived home Saturday on a spaceship, according to Dena on Facebook (see pic below), and immediately turned on the South Carolina - Georgia football game. Are you kidding me?? I would have crashed after a 9 hour flight, but the Gamecocks were on, so no rest for the weary! We decided to find a sushi place close by for dinner. We started walking through Millennium Park and came upon a symphony concert at the outdoor theater. Now, I love Symphony in the Park in Charlotte, but South Park has nothing on this! The iPhone picture doesn't do it justice. I'm definitely taking my real camera next time.

sculptural walkway in the park

crowd beginning to form for the concert

We didn't stay, but vowed to come back next weekend. We made our way over to a sculpture that I've been wanting to see, called Cloud Gate....AKA "Justin's spaceship". I think this sculpture is just awesome, and I will definitely be revisiting, again with my real camera!

shortly afterwards Justin was snoring in his sushi 

Justin left again Sunday night, but this time only for 3 days to PA and ND. Justin's parents were kind enough to connect me with one of their friends, Lynn, who lives in Chicago, and has lived here for 34 years! Good person to know! Lynn kindly invited me to an event at Redmoon theater, which is an affiliate of the Museum of Contemporary Art. I took a cab (for the first time by myself!) to Lynn's, and we walked over to the performance.

Now I'm back to unpacking boxes and hanging out at the dog park. My first week in Chicago turned out to be pretty great, all things considered (although I've yet to determine if Justin was indeed abducted). Hopefully this is a sign of things to come!