Overall the fast turn-around to get Rose to Chicago and get home again went well, but we will never do it that quickly again. The 16-hour trip is brutal when done back-to-back without at least a day of rest in between. However, we are home again safely and that is what counts at this point.
Highlights and tips:
- Who knew that the Illinois State Fair happened in August, just at the time we'd be driving through looking for a hotel room? And that it would overflow the town's hotels practically completely? We wound up at the downtown Abraham Lincoln hotel which was completely luxurious, especially when they upgraded the regular smoking room we would have settled for into a "club level" room. Oooo la la. Crabtree & Evelyn soap and shampoo in the bathroom ladies. And those fluffy bathrobes are quite nice. Yes, indeed.
- Tom and I daringly didn't make a hotel reservation in Chicago, having heard all those relatives tell their tales of "day of" reservations on Priceline getting fantastic discounts for a nice hotel. No such luck on our attempt. However, the downtown TravelLodge isn't too bad either price-wise or as a hotel, though it is fairly dumpy. But it was close to where Rose lives and just a block away from Grant Park.
- Let me highly recommend Thai Spoon. Highly. Really fantastic food. Also the price was actually inexpensive. Rose says that many Columbia College students like it because they can order a large meal and have leftovers for several days. We fed eight people, with three beers and a Thai iced coffee for $100 flat. In downtown Chicago. Absolutely delicious. Try it.
- After the Thai Spoon, Tom and I took a walk in Grant Park where we eventually wound up at Buckingham Fountain. We'd noticed a young couple taking photos of each other near us. The young man came up to Tom and asked, "Will you take our picture? And then will you keep taking pictures while I propose?" Can you see the smile on my face just thinking of it? It was sweet and romantic and we will treasure always being "that couple who took our picture" in this young couple's memories. Of course, she cried and laughed and said yes ... and had a huge diamond on her ring. I will be praying for them and their marriage every time that memory flashes across my mind.
- Finally we got to see the inside of Holy Name Cathedral for Sunday Mass, after having been kept away first by renovations and then by the fire damage. Overall it is absolutely gorgeous. It is too bad that someone came through in the 1970's (our guess) and replaced all the original stained glass and slapped on various other "improvements" that are all too indicative of the bad taste of the time. Those bits stood out like a bandaid on a Van Gogh. However, the original work is gorgous, as I said. Also, there was a wonderful girls' choir visiting from Germany. I thought that might be a little sample of how the angelic choir sounds.
- Stopped off on the way up to take Mom her new laptop and then on the way back to make sure it was connected to the wireless internet (woohoo! Hi Mom!) which is so much faster in their assisted living place than any sort of internet was at their house in the country. Now she can actually watch those videos I post. Also we went to lunch at Ocean Zen which is truly excellent and if you are near Springfield, MO, you should definitely try it if you've never been.
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