A Non-Laboring Day
We’ve been really busy for the past few weeks with work and home, and of course adoption tasks. So we decided to take a little break on Monday to un-labor. Several of our friends joined us on a day-long outing to Chicago.
We chose to visit Chicago attractions that were FREE, since our goal was to do Chicago Cheap and Free. Cheap train fares from South Bend Airport on the South Shore Line, and Free Attractions only. No shopping even, which is very rare for me!
We rode the elevator up to the restaurant/lounge of the Hancock Center. 96 floors up. It was a “Whoa” moment for sure. There’s even an awesome view in the Ladies restroom. Unfortunately we couldn’t walk all the way around the top, since there was an aggressive host on duty. But the parts we did see were amazing!
Then we walked all the way to the Lincoln Park Zoo. Did you ever notice how unsociable animals can be? I cannot remember how many of them turned their backs on us. Though in their defense, it was over 90 degrees out, and in the afternoon. Silly humans, don’t we realize that animals are less active during this time of day? Also, the Zoo was rather, um, limited. Half the cats in the Lion House were not in their exhibits. The apes decided it was group nap time. and those indoor exhibits were muggy and did little to relieve the hotness from outside. But we still had fun of course.
Our dining experiences included Portillo’s and Lou Malnati’s. At the Portillo’s on the corner of Ontario & Clark , most of us ate hamburgers and italian beef sandwiches, even though they’re known for their hot dogs. It totally hit the spot, despite its greasiness. My favorite part of Portillo’s though was the neon blue stars hanging allover the ceiling. (I’m pretty sure neon lights do not match our office decor.)
This was the first time Jon or I had eaten Lou Malnati’s pizza. Pretty tasty. We tried the Lou and the Deluxe. The Lou had fresh spinach, mushrooms and sliced roma tomatoes covered with a blend of mozzarella, romano and cheddar cheese. Something about this pizza reminded me of a family member’s homemade pizza. The crust? The cheese? The Deluxe came with generous amounts of sausage, cheese, green peppers and onions. This one we ordered with the famous buttercrust. Our fave : The Lou. Which Chicago-style pizzeria has the best pizza? Well, that’s up to you. It’s all about personal preference. I’ll leave it at that.
After eating dinner, we headed back toward Millenium Park to relax while we waited for the South Shore Line home. The worst part of a day-long trip is the time it takes to get home, and it was a long night. We left Chicago at 9 pm (EST) and didn’t pull into our driveway until 1 am. We are all wiped out today. Check out random pics here.
Side note: Do you wonder exactly how many miles you walked when you take a day-trip into the city? It feels like a hundred, but it’s probably more like 10.
