What I did in Chicago...

It started with the view of my two favorite buildings in Chicago from our Amalfi Hotel window.

We walked and shopped on Michigan Avenue for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon, and had a late lunch at Redfish before heading to the Starbucks Avant Grande event at the Merchandise Mart.  It was a long, long night -- Katie had to check in at 5:00 and it wasn't over 'til midnight.  We did wander the Mart in the late-night hours -- way cool stuff.

The art was fun to see, the atmosphere was really pretty great, the hors d'oeuvres were very good, the Espressotini, Frostini, Mudslide Martini, Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale  -- all very good.  I was very disappointed that I wasn't able to speak with fiber artist Mary Lawrie -- I tried a few times.  Very intriguing work, no?  Did you read the fiber content of that first ball of yarn?  I just love it!  There was one ball of plied yarn where one of the plies was dental floss.  ; )

This afternoon, we drove north and shopped at anthropologie and Urban Outfitters, but not before driving the very, very long way "around the block" on Lower Wacker Drive to State Street, and then we drove even further north and met up with Christine (following her hubby's most excellent directions) at Knitting Workshop!  We spent an hour or so looking in cubbies and baskets, looking up and looking down -- there is so much to see in that shop!  It's very, very cute though.  And Christine!  It was so nice to meet her.  We both approved this photo -- and honestly, Christine, you look GREAT!  (Did I ever mention that the only plastic surgery I ever thought I'd go for -- this was before the chin started to be troublesome -- was an eyelid lift?  They're open, they really, really are.)

We took the very scenic route out of Chicago and saw the "houses" where the kitchen displays at the mart would fit!  We finally ended up in Highland Park (where I went to first grade!) at about 3:30 and had a late lunch/early dinner at Yummy Bowl -- Katie had Chinese and I had Thai!  It was, well, yummy.  ; )

Comments

[Carole]

Beautiful photos - sounds like a great trip!

[kmkat]

Looks and sounds like a wonderful, wonderful trip, the kind that gives both of you some precious memories.

I googled the fiber artist but found nothing. Her work is intriguing.

[yvette]

Sounds like you both had a great time, looks fantastic.

[Celia]

Oh, I'm completely fascinated with the Bathroom Fibers yarn. That was a nice artsy-fibery-girly getaway!

[DebbieB]

What a great mother-daughter moment! Did she get paged? That shot of Katie and her work hanging on the wall - priceless.

[Tipper]

I saw your hotel room photo and thought, "Is that the Amalfi Hotel?" I was going to suggest that to you when you were looking for a place to stay. The husband and I stayed there for our honeymoon.

It looks like you had a wonderful time, but how can one not in a beautiful city like Chicago? I very much want to live there someday.

[christine]

Hey, our picture didn't turn out too bad!
It was fun meeting both of you, and I'm hoping to do it again, for longer. Perhaps with some knitting?

[Sue]

It sounds like you had a great time ~ joy! I'm so glad that you were able to meet up with Christine, too. Double joy! :-)

[lyn]

ha! i recognized your hotel room at the Amalfi! Stayed there over the summer when I was in town for a bachelorette party! great hotel! great location!