Chicago Day Three: Cheese, Popcorn and a little bit of Jersey...

Saturday started early with breakfast. Then we caught the bus over to Lincoln Park to check out a farmer's market. When I was researching things to do, I looked for some indoor options, in case the weather was bad. I found the Green City Market and it sounded perfect for us! During the winter months, a local nature museum allows the market to use some space. This allows them to be a year-round market that supports local growers. It is also a non-profit that works very closely with the city of Chicago in developing programs and initiatives for "green" living. Chicago is one of Top Ten Greenest Cities in the US.

Part of their mission is also to connect "green" farmers, chefs and restaurants to the public. One of the ways they do this is through Chef Demonstrations. Just before our trip, I was able to RSVP in time for one of the demos that day. It featured a head chef for a local catering company that only cooks with seasonal and sustainable items. It was really interesting to hear her talk about their practices that make them green and have zero-waste!

The focus this month was everyone's favorite... cheese!!! So, she showed us three recipes involving cheese: Pimento Cheese spread, cheese popcorn and cheese crackers. It was a lot of fun and we got to try everything!

After the demo, we strolled around the market. We sampled everything that was available... cheese, bread, fruit, preserves... The fact that we had to fly home saved us from buying EVERYTHING in sight! It was all so yummy and fresh. I left with only a jar of Peach Vanilla Preserves and Mom took home some cheese.

Then we jumped on the bus and headed to the John Hancock Tower for lunch. We had been told that they offered a buffet that was worth checking out. I had already been on the tour of the observation deck and it didn't really interest Mom, so this was a good compromise. We got to see the view from the 95th floor and eat lunch for the same price as a tour!

After lunch, Mom and I split up for a while. She went to rest in our room and I was on a mission to find a Garrett's Popcorn. I can't explain how absolutely delectable this stuff is... it is not your average popcorn. It was worth the 1 hour round trip bus ride and 30 minutes in line at the store! Yes, 30 minutes. Every single location of Garrets that I have ever passed always has a line practically out the door. They aren't just tourists in that line either- lots of locals, which ought to tell you how good it is! They have what they call the "Garrett Mix" and as weird as it sounds... it is half cheddar and half caramel... oh my, it is SO good! If you are ever in Chicago, find you some! They have been around since 1949 and have even been included in "Oprah's Favorite Things" more than once!!

I got back on the bus with cheddar orange fingers and the sweet taste of caramel on my tongue. I also had a bag or two to bring home. My mission had been accomplished!

After some rest, Mom and I got dressed up for our final night on the town. We were heading to the Theater District for dinner and a musical!

As I was looking for shows playing while we were there, we didn't really find anything that just jumped out at us, but we wanted to go to something! The play we ultimately chose was Jersey Boys. This Tony Award winning musical is the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. The musical calls the Bank of America Theater home and it was a beautiful place. It was originally called "The Majestic" and opened in 1906 during the Vaudeville days. Harry Houdini performed there many times. It was closed during the Great Depression but reopened in 1945 and has been going strong ever since!

Neither one of were overly-jazzed about the premise of the show, however, we figured that any musical would be fun! Plus, some of their music would be from Mom's childhood. Well, let me just stand corrected... it was AWESOME!!! The play itself moved very quickly and was very entertaining. The casting was brilliant. For those of you that may know of Frankie Valli- he has a very distinct and high-pitched voice, which the actor portraying him NAILED. It was also fun because it was based on a true story so they left you with current updates on all of the members of the group.

The music included so many songs that I recognized and could sing along to!! They were those songs that you hear and say to yourself, "Oh yeah.... I know that one!!" They included "Sherry", "Walk Like A Man", "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Oh What A Night". I understand now why it won a Tony and would highly recommend it to anyone!!

After the show, we caught the bus back to our hotel. The whole way, we both hummed "She - e - e-e-e-e-ry baby. She - e - rry, can you come out tonight?"

Chicago Day Two: "The Bean", "Opaa!" and Obama...(Part 3)

Ok... so the hail storm is over and my Bronchitis is doing better. Back to Chicago....


When we last left the adventures of Amycita and Mamacita in The Windy City, we had just enjoyed a crazy and YUMMY meal at The Parthenon in Greektown. After buying my t-shirt, we rolled ourselves out of there so stuffed we couldn't walk straight. We headed back to the train station to take us back into downtown. Along the way, we discreetly found a trash can to dump the leftovers we had accidentally agreed to take with us. :o) We didn't want to be rude and do it right outside of the restaurant!


As we waited for the train to arrive, Mom looked over the at the highway next to us and found these signs funny...


The exits weren't for other streets but other STATES! Not something you would see in Texas!

We took the train back into downtown and reconnected with our bus tour. This time we had a funny tour guide named Bobby. We overheard him talking to another driver at a stop... he was an aspiring comedian! He did a great job of narrating the rest of the city for us. He also asked if there were any fans of "ER" on board. Amazingly, only my Mom and I said anything!! (Maybe that is why the show is ending?) So, for the rest of the tour, he would try to stump me on "ER" trivia and he would point out places of interest relating to the show. I am sure the non-fans could care less, however, I loved it!! He would point and say, "See that intersection? Remember when Dr. Ross left the hospital to track down the homeless girl? That is where he found her!" He also showed us the building that is used as the exterior of the hospital and the helipad where Dr. Romano lost his arm... ok, I will stop geeking out on the ER stuff. It was cool for me!!

At one point, Bobby had us all get out of the bus to look at a new highrise that is being built. We all thought this was a bit weird but when we looked up, we saw why he wanted us to see it. The design incorporated balconies in a way I had never seen before and it was really cool!
One thing is for sure- Chicago is Obama-crazy! They are very proud that the 44th President called Chicago home... and they show it!! Barak-o-mania can be found in every single souvenir shop, gas station and Walgreens. If you can put his name and face on it, they do! The street outside of Town Hall is lined with banners congratulating Obama.


We had a long day and we were very tired as we got off the bus. We headed to our hotel room for a quiet night. We were both so full from our Greek excursion that we hardly even ate any dinner! We knew we had another full day ahead, so an early night was just fine...

We interrupt this blog...

...to bring you a weather update. Well, sort of. :o)

We had some excitement in Leander last night... hail. Big time. We had been told to expect some "possibly severe" storms yesterday and in true Texas style, no one knew how bad it would be until it arrived.

Fortunately, I was already home when the storm hit. I was watching the news and they were telling people in the Spicewood area to begin "tornado precautions". Um, Spicewood is where my office is!! I text messaged a co-workers to check on them and she told me they had left early to try and beat the storm- thank goodness! As I watched the storm develop, it became clear to me that even with that head start, if I had been making the drive, I would have been in the path of the storm for my entire 1 hour dive... it would have been VERY dangerous.

Jason wasn't as lucky- he was leaving work just as the storm came our way- in fact, he was driving right into it!!! He truck is too large to have a permanent place in our garage. However, I cleared out enough room so that Jason could get the front half of his truck in. The bed is lined and wouldn't get much damage- we were more worried about the hood and windows! At this point, we just had lots of wind and rain. I called Jason to see how far he was and he was about 5 - 8 minutes away from home. Well, then the sky opened and the rain turned to hail and a lot of it!!

I stood in the garage watching and hoping that every vehicle I heard was Jason's. It took him a while, but he made it... he came flying around the corner and pulled into the garage. Thankfully he didn't have any damage.

The storm was crazy! I have never seen so much hail. It honestly looked like snow!!! We took several pictures...
Cheyenne was worried about me being on the front porch taking pictures...

Our hail was in mass quantities but according to reports, we missed the larger-sized hail. Just barely. Several areas around us reported golf ball and tennis ball sized hail. There were lots of house and car windows busted out. We were very, very lucky.

My favorite Meteorologist, Jim Spencer, said that they have nicknamed a region in Central Texas, "Hail Alley". He drew lines around that area on the map... wouldn't you know it- Leander is right in there!! Great... :o) However, in true Texas-style, the sky was blue and bright with the sun less than 15 minutes after the storm passed. You would never known the craziness that had just occurred!

We will now return you to your regularly scheduled Blog reading... well, that is after I have recovered some. Not from the storm... from the wonderful case of Bronchitis that I have! That was why I was home already when the storm came through because I felt so bad I work, I came home early. After going to the doctor this morning, I have been given lots of drugs, orders to rest and not return to work until Monday. They were fine with that since the doctor said that since I have a fever- I am very likely contagious. Yay!

The Chicago entries will continue soon...

Chicago Day Two: "The Bean", "Opaa!" and Obama...(Part 2)

So, from the Cultural Center, we headed to the nearest train station. The trains are nicknamed "The El" because over 80% of the train system is ELevated. The train system was started in 1892 and at that time Chicago was mostly built on top of swamp land and landfill, so the tracks couldn't be supported on the ground. They built them above ground and then the city continued to grow around (and under) the tracks! Did you know... the Chicago train system is the 3rd busiest in the nation? First being NYC and second is DC. :o) Now you know!


We got off at the stop that would take us into Greektown. Greektown is one of the many "ethnic neighborhoods" of Chicago. There is also Little Italy and Chinatown, as well as scattered spots with many other ethnic groups. Being a huge fan of Greek food, I really wanted to venture into this 'hood for some authentic food. My Mom also shares my love of Greek food, so this was going to be fun. We are also kind of "foodies" and enjoy trying new things and cooking. Very often we will try to pick out the ingredients in a menu item in hopes of recreating it later!

After asking around, the restaurant that seemed to be most often recommended was "The Parthenon". It is located on the main street through the neighborhood- Halsted St. It is a street full of modest store fronts- all family owned and names like "Costa's", "Athena", "Jorgio's" and "Santorini". If you look closely you see places where they have integrated Greek architecture. Shop doors will have blue and white paint or columns. There were even Greek accents on the sidewalks!!

We entered the restaurant and we were greeted by an older gentleman (the owner) with a very thick accent. He showed us to our table where we began pouring over the HUGE book of a menu. (We had been tipped off to order a "Family Style" meal but we weren't sure if it was available at lunch.) I had been told of their famous appetizer- Saganaki (cheese with Brandy lit on fire table side), so I was excited to see it. Otherwise, we knew little about what to expect.

As we sat there, a gray-haired waiter came to our table. I think he only knew about 5 phrases in English and we would hear all of them during the course of our meal. He was a man of few mono-toned words. :o) I asked if Family Style was available during lunch, he said, "Chicken, Lamb, Pork." Mom and I just looked at each other. As if it helped clarify things, he repeated himself, "Chicken, Lamb, Pork." We shrugged and Mom said Lamb while I said Chicken. He nodded, picked up the menus and walked away. Apparently, we had ordered.

I excused myself to the restroom to wash my hands... I was only gone a few minutes. When I returned to the table my Mom had this deeply apologetic look on her face. I looked down to the table and there sat our cheese... already cooked. I had missed the Saganaki lighting! She explained that he arrived at the table with the cheese, Brandy and a lighter. She kept asking him to wait. He just said, "No, no. There will be more." Then before she knew it, there were flames and he yelled "OPAA!!!" He set the cheese down on the table and was gone. I was disappointed but he was right... there were more to come. Tables all over the restaurant throughout our visit were served the Saganaki. You would be sitting at your table and be startled by the flash of fire and "OPAA!" It was funny.

So, we enjoyed the YUMMY cheese and then our next appetizer arrived. Yes, I said NEXT appetizer... there would be three appetizers total. Then a salad that was bigger than my head. Then the main course which had 3 items in addition to the Chicken and Lamb. Each time our waiter would quickly and plainly say what it was and then leave... regardless of whether we heard or understood him or even knew if what he said was English or Greek!! Honestly, it was as if food just kept coming... From the online menu, here is what we had ordered by doing Family Style:

Appetizers
Saganaki- Mild kasseri cheese flamed in brandy
Taramosalata- Fish roe whipped smooth with lemon and olive oil
Gyros- Spit-roasted slices of lamb and beef, seasoned with herbs, served on a bed of parsleyed onions. Served with tzatziki sauce.

Salad
Greek Salad- Lettuce hearts, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, olives, peppers and oregano; dressed with olive oil, vinegar and garlic.

Main Course
Moussaka- Layers of eggplant and meat sauce topped with bechamel sauce and kefalotiri.
Pastitsio- Macaroni baked with meat sauce, bechamel sauce and kefalotiri.
Dolmades- Vine leaves stuffed with rice, meats and herbs topped with egg-lemon sauce.

Your choice of:
Athenian Chicken
Rotisserie- Roasted Lamb
Roast Suckling Pig

Desserts
Baklava- Flaky layers of phyllo baked with nuts and honey.
Galaktoboureko- Vanilla custard nestled between layers of phyllo, baked with syrup.

As we sat there enjoying the endless supply of food, I looked around the restaurant. It was obviously a local place where everyone knew each other. (This is why we didn't take any pictures.) People would come in, hug each other, ask about their Mothers and eat. There were a few Greek words thrown around here and there too. Although I am sure they hate this, I couldn't help but think of one of my all-time favorite movies, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". I have seen this movie too many times and even own it on DVD. My head was filled with quotes and scenes from this movie... it was so similar. The movie was even set in Chicago and based on a true family... so who knows! I could have been sitting in the place that inspired "Dancing Zorbas"! Even the way the restaurant was decorated... bright and beautiful murals of Greece. It reminded me of where they had the wedding reception in the movie!

"What do you mean he don't eat no meat?!?!"
"That's okay. I make lamb."

The food was so good, we didn't want it to end! However, we were so full, we were cross-eyed. Our waiter appeared, said, "Finish?" We said yes. He said, "Was good?" We praised the food and then he said something we didn't understand. He repeated himself and it had something to do with taking the leftovers To Go. I caught that so I said no... but apparently Mom still didn't understand and she said yes. He nodded and disappeared. When I asked my Mom why we were taking the food when we had no way to keep it, she looked confused. He, he, he. He reappeared with our dessert and To Go containers. We just politely boxed up our food... we didn't know what else to do!

It was an awesome experience and one I will never forget. Put it this way... I only bought two souvenirs during the whole trip. One of them I am wearing as I write this. It is a t-shirt as blue as the Greek flag. In white lettering it says the name of the restaurant and "40 years of OPAA!"

(Ok, so I did one whole post just about our lunch... it deserved it! So, Day Two will have THREE parts!!)

Chicago Day Two: "The Bean", "Opaa!" and Obama...(Part 1)

(Day Two was quite busy... so, it will be two separate blog entries!!)

Our second day in Chicago started early because we had a lot we wanted to get done. After breakfast we jumped on a Double Decker Tour Bus. If you are ever in a big city that offers these, I can't recommend them enough. I have now done them in Chicago and NYC and it is the best way to cover a lot of ground. The tours are called "Hop On, Hop Off" and you get to do that at any stop you want. This gives you the benefit of a guided tour when you are on board and the freedom to get off at any stop you want- all day. Then you just return to any tour stop and rejoin a bus tour.

It was VERY cold this morning. When your tour guide is saying "Brrr..." and staying in the bus to get warm, you know you are in trouble... they live there!! We enjoyed the tour for a bit (and warmed up!) and then got off at Millennium Park. I took Mom over to see "Cloud Gate" which is affectionately known as "The Bean". It really is a cool sight and one I recommend. It is made of stainless steel and reflects the city in such an awesome way.

(That's us in front...)

Even more cool than The Bean from afar, is standing under it. Here are some funny pictures that we took!

(That's us... three times!)

A side note: From this point on during our trip, everything thing we did was new for me! Even though I had been to Chicago before, there were still enough NEW things to see! My first trip was our Honeymoon and we spent 4 PACKED days there. My second time was a touristy trip with my friend Gina. I still didn't see everything. If you are ever considering a vacation and want to do it in a big city... I can't recommend Chicago enough. It offers the variety and energy of a large metropolitan city without some of the pollution and gridlock of other cities. Their public transportation system is awesome and very user-friendly. Speaking of friendly- so are the people!! Despite common reputations that large cities like NYC or Chicago get, I have ALWAYS met super nice people in Chicago. They are helpful if you look lost on a train or in the street and offer to help. I have never felt unsafe there either. Cab drivers are the same though... pushy, crazy and boy, do they love their horns!!

Then we walked across the street to the Chicago Cultural Center. While researching things to do on our trip, I ran across an art exhibit that I thought might interest my Mom (Special Ed Professor). The artist is Autistic and was being showcased at the Project Onward Gallery inside the CCC. Project Onward is an art program for those with "developmental, cognitive and mental disabilities". It provides studio space for these individuals allowing them to interact with others artists, display and even sell their work. It was really fascinating to see the art. My Mom pointed out so many characteristics in the art that she was familiar with. This is year-round studio, check it out if you are there.

We went to the CCC for this exhibit but found so much more there! The building itself was beautiful. It was built in 1897 and was used as Chicago's first public library. The main hall upstairs is just breath-taking. It is covered in marble, glass and brass mosaics. The ceiling of this room boasts the world's largest Tiffany stained-glass dome. (Worth $35 million!) It was awesome.
After checking all of that out, we browsed through a few other art exhibits and then decided it was time for lunch! Prior to our trip, I had purchased Visitor Passes for the Bus/Train system and it was time to put them to use... we were heading to Greektown!!

Chicago Day One: Springer, Stained Glass & Steak...

Last Thursday I caught an early morning flight to meet my Mom in Chicago. I arrived at the hotel just as my Mom was wrapping up a morning session for the conference. We hadn't seen each other since Christmas, so I was excited to spend a few days with her. This would be my third visit to The Windy City, so I was looking forward to not only acting as my Mom's tour guide, but discovering some new things in one of my favorite cities.

Our room was on the 24th floor and had an AWESOME view of Lake Michigan and Lake Shore Drive!! A tourist's dream!
After dropping off my things in our room, we headed out for some lunch. As the elevator opened to the lobby, you will never guess who was passing by... Jerry Springer!!! He is a Chicago local and although he is mostly known for his raunchy TV show, I have found memories of him from Dancing With The Stars. I didn't get a picture of him since it happened so fast, but it was him- there was no doubt! Not exactly Chicago's MOST famous talk show host, Oprah, but I will take it!!
We ate lunch in a very unique food court at the Water Tower Shopping Center. Of course, I had some Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza! Then we jumped on a bus and headed down to Navy Pier. It is a very touristy area of Chicago and it is currently the off-season, but I felt that Mom wouldn't have truly SEEN Chicago, without going there. It is also the place that has the best picture-taking view of the city. It was quite windy and in the low 30's, so we didn't stay outside very long! However, we checked out a cool fountain, a fun sculpture of children playing and got some pictures of the skyline.

As we made out way through the indoor portion of Navy Pier, we strolled through the Stained Glass Museum. It was actually quite interesting and unexpected. It is the only museum of its kind in the US.

I was quite tired after catching a very early flight that morning, so we opted for a low-key night. We knew that we would be busy the next couple of days. So, after resting in our room for a bit, we ventured out for a swanky dinner. It was our one "splurge" for dinner... yummy food at McCormick & Schmicks.


We returned to the room in time for me to watch "Grey's Anatomy" while Mom read. Then we watched "ER" together. Having followed this show for its entire run of 15 years, I felt it would be unthinkable to miss one of the last 3 episodes while in the city where it is based! It didn't disappoint.

So, our first day came to a quiet close which was fine. We would need our energy for Friday. It would be a day of The Bean, crazy Greek waiters and funky architecture...

The Windy City...

I am back home after a great Mother/Daughter trip. Jason picked me up at the airport with two doggies in the back seat that were SUPER excited to see me. Although it was a great trip, it was nice to be home to my husband and critters.

I will post a few blogs in the next couple of days to fill in everyone about the trip!

Na-Nu, Na-Nu!!!

Who said those famous words??


That's right folks.... the man, the myth, the legend, Robin Williams. Now, you may be asking yourself, "Why is Amy writing a Blog about Mork, aka, Patch Adams, DJ Adrian Cronauer & Popeye?" Because we are going to see him in a live performance!!!!


I am so excited! On our 4th Anniversary this year we are going to see Robin perform at the Frank Erwin Center. Jason and I have both been fans of his and, honestly, never thought would see him live. I saw a TV commercial for it the other day and just about fell out of my seat.

We don't have the greatest seats, but really, who cares? He's not that attractive anyway... but he is darn funny! Happy Anniversary to us!!!

My Sunday Project...

This weekend was all about the bathrooms. Sunday was the Master Bath. I have known since we first looked at the house that I would eventually paint some of that room. It is a large bathroom with high ceilings and all the features we wanted (double sink, garden tub and separate shower) which is awesome... however, it had no personality and you would just get lost in the room.

I knew I wanted to do one wall red to bring in the bedding we have in our bedroom and to tie in the Texas Flag theme. One wall led to a couple and then I began thinking I wanted more but was chicken when it came to committing to such bold colors. The previous owners had left some of the blue paint they had used in the Master bedroom- so I wanted some of that in there too! After consulting Kara and Kasi, they both basically told me, "Just do it!" Well, actually, I think they said those words!!!!

Kasi came over today and we spent the day painting. She had been out of town for the past two weeks, so this also served as a good catch-up time for us. Kasi usually comes over every Monday to watch "The Bachelor" with me. While she was gone, I PROMISED her I wouldn't watch it. So, not only did we have top catch up on our lives, but we have four hours of "The Bachelor" to watch!! We put on the primer and then watched an episode of the show.

Then we put the paint on and then watched the final episode. We threw in a pan of Rice Krispie treats along the way too.

The transformation is amazing. It feels cozier and more personal in there. I just love it. It isn't complete yet. Kasi is going to come back next Sunday to help me finish the edging and detail work. Thank you so much Kasi- it was a fun day and you helped SO much!

We were closely supervised throughout the day by the cats and Cheyenne. Chey even managed to get a sideswipe of red paint on her backside! Oops! I can't wait to install the new towel racks and other decor... I am excited to see the finish product!!