Chicago Weekend

I went to Chicago with my family this last weekend. 

It was a fantastic time. I drove down with them Friday and Matt drove down to join us for the day on Saturday, then I drove home with my family on Sunday. 

That was pretty much the perfect situation for me. I got to have alone time with my family and  I also got to have a fun day with my hunky hubby. It was basically the best thing ever. 

We drive down on Friday and after we checked into our hotel and got all dolled up we drove into the city. We went out to eat at a perfectly chicagoan Italian restaurant. It was in the old town part of the city, on a lovely street packed with restaurants and the cutest little condos EVER. And probably the best part of the restaurant was the name. "Topo Gigio", which for those of you who don't know, was an adorable little puppet on TV for kids back in the day. How great is that name?

This was my dinner. It was pasta with clams in an olive oil clam sauce with tomatoes and cilantro. It was AMAZING!!!

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me and Em enjoying our meal.




After our meal we went to Second City! Second City is a comedy theatre with both scripted skits and a few improv skits as well. It is a very famous theatre that has launched several famous actors into their careers.
Some of the most famous are:
Peter Boyle (Everybody Loves Raymond)
John Belushi
Gilda Radner
Bill Murray
Bonnie Hunt
Mike Meyers
Chris Farley
Jane Lynch
Steve Carell
Tina Fey
Amy Poehler
And these are only some, probably my favorites.
So, obviously this is a pretty amazing place to be. You never know if the person you are watching on stage could be the next Tina Fey or Steve Carell. A few of the actors there that night certainly made me laugh just as hard, if not more than an episode of SNL, which I happen to watch every week.

A fact I should point out was that there were a few skits that were quite offensive to me. Since I do watch SNL I was used to people making fun of my political views and even my religious views, but these were just a step worse than ones normally on TV. That was a bit disappointing to me. Also, since it wasn't on TV they were much more liberal with their use of sex and swearing. That got a bit old, I mean are we still all so immature that the word sex makes us laugh.
I was, however, able to forget about that stuff once they got into a nice long stretch of absolutely HILARIOUS skits. I was literally wiping away tears at one point. Also, did I mention that me and Emma were sitting in the very front row? yep. One of the actors actually spit on me, and I didn't even mind.
Overall a super fun time. Although, since it got done at 1:00am we were all ready to sleep once we finished that.

the sign outside the building

the whole fam waiting in line

we were having too much fun making fun of this lady

all of us waiting for it to start

that is how close I was to the stage for the whole thing

the old sign

On Saturday Matt came to our hotel and we rode the "L" into the city. 
I LOVE riding the L. I had some coffee and a croissant and sat next to all my loves and rode the half hour into downtown. There were all sorts of people to watch and all sorts of buildings to look at outside and the best part is pretending to be some other sort of person. I was the kind of person who lived in a cute little house in the suburbs and rode every day to my fantastic job in the city with my rich architect husband. *sigh* Perhaps someday. 


We drove the train to downtown and then walked the couple blocks to the Chicago Institute of Art. This was the second time I had been there in a year. Actually, the last time I was there was only 5 months ago. So, I felt like a pro. Of course I loved it. I could walk through art museums until I die. They are probably the most fantastic places in the world, probably only second to the Library of Congress. 
This was the first time I was able to experience the art museum with Matt. It was fun to see the kind of things he liked. And, of course, looking at art with my mom is one of my favorite things. 
Many hours were spent there and we only left as it closed for the day. 

my knight in shining armor 

Emma looking casual

sibling love

my two favorite loves, Matt and Monet

taking a rest

Matt next to Frank Lloyd Wright's actual desk




After the museum we made a stop for some coffee and caught a bus to see my fabulous friend Jake. Another thing I enjoyed was that bus ride. It was like a little taste of Asia. The bus was absolutely PACKED with people. I got completely separated from my family and thus I was able to once again take on a new persona. This time I was a single woman living in a tiny apartment in downtown Chicago, who just happened to have sold her first novel and was working on the second. *sigh*


and of course, there was a stop at the bean. My family had never seen it before. 

he is so cute!

casual Emma

my whole amazing family

almost 6 months with my man

my great parents

kisses

taking each other out




We then we went out and ate an absolutely DELICIOUS Indian meal in little India. It was at my most favorite Indian restaurant in Chicago, possibly my most favorite in America. I just love being the only white people in the whole place, eating my goat curry and drinking my mango lassi. *sigh*


On Sunday I drove home with my mom and dad and sister. We stopped at the mall and ate at chilly's and everything was perfect. 


It was a great weekend. A much needed weekend. I could use weekends like that more often. 


I love my family.