I spent this past week in Chicago, 3.5 days for vacation, 3.5 days for work. Armed with a long list of restaurants and a short list of museums, most of our vacation time was planned even before Jess and I met up at O'Hare at 8 am Sunday morning.
The last time I was in Chicago, other than sprinting through O'Hare for a connecting flight, was in 1991. My family drove to the city on our baseball infused summer vacation. We stopped in Cleveland to see the Red Sox play a doubleheader, and attended games at both Wrigley Field and the "New" Comiskey Park, or US Cellular Field, or whatever it's being called now. We made a side trip in Ohio to visit the Football Hall of Fame, and missed Hurricane Bob which battered Cape Cod as we toured Chicago.
The funny thing is, as I return to places I have been with my parents as an adult, I don't remember too much. I remembered both games at Wrigley and Comiskey Park. I remembered riding the El through the Loop. I remembered being on the tour boats on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. I couldn't tell you a thing about the Museum of Science and Technology or too much about the Shedd Aquarium. This week, when Jess and I were negotiating in which cultural institution (the Field Museum or the Shedd) we wanted to spend Tuesday, he asked me, "which one did you like better?" I was stymied; I had been to both, but couldn't say a word about either. I knew Jess loves aquariums, so I just said "let's do the Shedd." It's one of the most noted aquariums in the US, and easily accessible from downtown Chicago by express bus.
Sure, I was 13 in 1991, and traipsing through museums with my parents was probably not what I wanted to be doing, but it really bothered me that I couldn't remember even a thing. I think I overcompensating on this visit by making sure I read every placard in each exhibit in both the Museum of Science and Industry and the Shedd.
Aside from the museums, I went to Cubs games this week, two of three games of the Milwaukee Brewers series. We bought Cubs t-shirts and hats at Wrigleyville Sports before the first game in an attempt to blend in with the sea of Cub royal blue in the stands. Following Cubs tradition, we drank Old Style beer and ate ChicagoDogs (much better than the standard hot dogs) while we cheered the Cubs on to two wins over the Brew Crew. The atmosphere at Wrigley is much more subdued than Fenway. The fans are knowledgeable, polite, and not nearly as drunk and rowdy as Red Sox fans (gosh I seem old writing that). The park overall is cleaner and the staff is much more helpful and courteous than Fenway. The tickets are much cheaper as well. Sacrilege as it may seem, the Red Sox could really benefit from implementing some of the Cubs practices at Wrigley. The con is the public transportation to and from the game. Though it is safe and affordable, the subway station is too close to the park to avoid stampede-like crowds post game. The first game, we walked about five blocks toward Chicago on North Halsted and hailed an affordable cab back to downtown. During the second game, we left an inning early (tired from our conference activities) and easily traveled downtown by subway.
While I was excited to walk the city, and take in its architecture, Jesse was much more focused on the food. We went to the Frontera Grill on N. Clark, a restaurant owned by Rick Bayless. Excellent mojitos, tacquitos, and sumptuous chocolate pecan pie. The Weber Grill was also high on our list, a tasty barbecue chain without a franchise in New England. We also stumbled upon the Devon Seafood Grill for brunch. The seafood was so fresh, we dared wondering if it surpassed the quality of some of our favorite spots in Boston. Their mimosas were divine, and we loved the complimentary biscuits accompanying our meal.
Food was not my only guilty pleasure. I made three trips to Nordstrom Rack on State Street in the Loop, the equivalent of Filene's Basement (which was a block away). I found a great dress, and a sweater, and too many other bargains which I knew would not fit in my bag (ahem, cute black peacoat). Jesse loved the furniture district including Room & Board, Bloomingdale's Home and Furniture, and several other furniture galleries located in in the River North area. His favorite was walking the endless hallways of the Merchandise Mart, once the largest commercial building by square footage in the United States, later passed by the Pentagon, it is now home to several designer furniture companies, all flourishing with the condominium boom in Chicago.
A good break, a great conference, and a city which I know I will remember for my hopefully soon return visit.
