Due to the return to reality (work, back to school night, laundry & cooking), I'm just now getting around to documenting the last few days of our trip to Chicago.
Days 4 & 5 both started off with business meetings, which is really what I was there for. Poor Chris had to wander around the city all on his own. However, by the looks of the pictures he took while out, it seems he had an okay time. You should know that I will NOT be posting those photos. Apparently, he knew they might up end right here on the blog, therefore, he made himself look like big fool.
I should post the photos for that exact reason, shouldn't I?
But I won't, because he really does look like a big fool.
DAY #4
We went back to Bubba Gump's place for dinner Monday evening. It was good the first time, so it was sure to be good a second time.
AND I ATE SHRIMP, PEOPLE! For the first time ever! Don't believe me? I have proof...
This is me, wondering why the cooks didn't peel off the shells for me. And wondering what the "H" I had just agreed to try.
I ate it. And it was good. So I ate a few more.
That same night we took an architectural tour through the city of Chicago -- get this -- by boat! I had no idea that a river flowed right through the city. Some may think that a boat tour would be boring, but it wasn't.
There's nothing quite like seeing this city all lit up, from the river. You get dizzy looking up at these buildings, because you can't find a building in Salt Lake nearly as tall. The tour guide was so knowledgeable, giving us a run down of the history of the buildings and of why the folks in St. Louis, MO hate the folks from Chicago so much.
Since you are probably curious, I'll tell you. A long time ago, the river was the sewage dump for the city. It got to be so stinky and so gross, the city reversed the flow of the river and sent the sewage straight down the Mississippi heading directly to St. Louis. I'd be a little ticked, too.
This tour is definitely a "must do" if you ever visit the Windy City.
Oh, and now I know why it's called the "Windy City."
DAY #5
Our last day.
After wrapping up my meetings for the day and listening to an incredible speech by Dick Vitale (sport enthusiasts will know who he is), Chris and I headed out in
search of a true Chicago Dog. It was so good and consumed so fast, we didn't
get a picture. Sorry. They are really just that good.
We walked around, did some shopping, and then headed out to visit the Sear's Tower -- which is now actually called the Willis Tower. But you wouldn't know what I was talking about if I said "Willis Tower" now would you?
We hopped on the subway and headed whichever direction the Willis Tower was from our hotel. Without any mountains around us, I could never tell whether I was headed North, East, West or South. After we hopped off, we passed a restaurant that Chris just had to have a picture of...
The sign says "Asian Hot Buns." I told you he was a bit of a fool.
The Sears Tower -- Willis Tower -- whatever.
The glass boxes that they've built off the sides are ridiculously cool. 1400 ft above the earth and over 3 million square feet of office space.
It was raining when we left, so we grabbed a cab and went over to the Art Institute of Chicago. Now this museum had Art. Not like the Contemporary place Chris made me go to a couple days earlier.
I had never seen a Monet in person, and here I saw at least 10, among many other artists.
This was a cool museum. I wished we had more time to view more of the collections, but we got there only a hour before closing. We didn't see much, but what we did see was incredible.
When we came out of the museum, the sun was shining. Chris said I just had to see this peanut in Millennium Park, which wasn't too far away.
When we got there, I said "that's doesn't look like a peanut! It looks like a giant bean!" And it certainly was, a giant bean.
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| Can you spot me? |
Not quite sure what the purpose of the big giant bean in the middle of the park was, but it was cool none the less.
Earlier in the trip, we walked past a popcorn shop with a line that literally wrapped around the store and down the block. I was curious what could be so great about popcorn? It's just popcorn. So, I googled and found out that this was Oprah's favorite popcorn.
Not that I truly care about what Oprah's favorite things are, I read that they were popular for their Caramel & Cheddar mixed popcorn. Yes, you heard me, caramel and cheddar. My curiosity got the better of me and we went back. But on Tuesday's, the line isn't that big.
Holy Yum. Best popcorn ever. I'll give Oprah a little bit more credibility now. It was amazing. At first, I only ate each flavor separate, but they were right when they said it should be eaten together. A-maz-ing.
This concludes the play-by-play of the first real trip Chris and I have taken together in over 5 years. Next year, I'll be sent on a few more conferences, which include Louisville, KY, Washington DC and Orlando. I think Chris was have to join me on a few of those, too. He was kind of fun to have around.