Chicago!


Our vacation trip to Chicago was a whirlwind of entertainment, fantastic dining, a family visit, and city exploration.


Our hostess, Bobi’s niece, resides in a penthouse apartment one block off Lakeshore Drive. She was the ultimate city tour guide.


We had a beautiful view of Lake Michigan (close enough for an after-dinner stroll)…


…rooftop gardens (perfect weather)…


…and the Chicago night skyline.


From our angle of the city view, two prominent buildings were the John Hancock Center, with its rooftop observatory, and 900 North Michigan (the skyscraper with four lanterns on top), which houses Bloomingdales and the Four Seasons Hotel.


We were feted to the Goodman Theatre musical presentation of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Although we’re all prolific readers, none of us had read the book. We returned to the apartment to watch the movie version and even ordered the book to return to the roots of the production. Now, we’re intrigued by the possibility of a trip to Savannah.


Another evening, we had riverside pizza followed by an evening of blues at Winter’s Jazz Club. The musicians were the group Better Together, and indeed they were.


We took the Chicago River Boat Architectural Tour, a daytime excursion which gave us a fascinating look at the Windy City’s famous buildings and history. A couple days later, we repeated the tour to introduce our granddaughters to the city. Despite the second river trip, our new docent shared unique information, making the recurrent voyage enjoyable.


We were wined and dined in fine fashion: a dinner at the Restoration Hardware 3 ARTS CLUB CAFÉ (an Avocado and Lobster Salad with ALBARIÑO La Caña Navia, Rías Baixas, Spain 2021; the three of us shared warm chocolate chip cookies with salted caramel ice cream), a post-theatre meal at The Dearborn (Squab and Foie Gras with a Negroni cocktail & a slice of “Margarita Pie” for dessert); an after-river cruise lunch at Venteux (East Coast oyster appetizer and Steak Tartare). We enjoyed an early Sunday brunch at The Bellevue on the street-side Patio. (No travel story is complete without at least one “food porn” photo.)


Family flew to Chicago from Omaha for the weekend. It was great to catch up with the Midwest group. We walked the city and sated our appetites at the Bucktown neighborhood Italian restaurant, Club Lucky.


I even had the opportunity to sit in the Cybertruck at the Chicago Tesla dealer. The Mad-Max vehicle is massive in person.


We returned tired and happy to a garden bursting at the seams with plentiful produce from recent rains. After the extravagant meals, I’m pleased to report I only gained half a pound, which I’m certain I can attribute to the miles I put on my feet pounding the pavement.


How was your summer? Did you take a vacation?

You can follow the Author on her Website or X (formerly Twitter).

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