Chicago, Illinois

Three quick hours on the road and we found ourselves in Chicago. Headed straight to Bucktown to meet Andy and Claire (A/C). First things first: A drink or two on the back deck (“best ever” margarita for Laura, 312 for me) with A/C and Andy’s dad and stepmom. Before leaving for the big hockey game (Chicago Blackhawks vs. Philadelphia Flyers)*, we took a quick tour of their new-ish house (a gorgeous mix of old/modern, and well-equipped with post-wedding gadgets, etc.). Very jealous of their room, the skylights, biggest-TV-set-on-the-market, ample outdoor space, and especially the kitchen, which is incredible. I’m sad even thinking about the inadequacy of our pathetic little “kitchen” in DC. Now we have an image of perfection.

A/C’s friend Heather picked us up and drove the four of us to Emmit’s for the game. The place was full of hockey fans, loud, and really festive. Blackhawks 6 Flyers 5. Lots and lots of scoring (which meant lots of tiny, disgusting blue shot and several times through the goal song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wchH7xL4tdE/)** and a home team victory = happy crowd. LVL texting back and forth with Rox, watching the game with Darren and baby Banks in Denver, all of whom were in great spirits, one would imagine. On top of it all, news of Roy Halladay’s perfect game. Go Phils.

We took a “Laura Lloyd-style” long walk home, stopping at Bucktown Pub for a beer on the way. This part of town – and I’m learning, the entire city – is full of cool bars and patrons that enjoy themselves. A drinking city, to be sure. DC could afford one or two of these kinds of places and a bit of the neighborhoodiness (minus the type of supershitcanneddude we passed walking home on Ashland street), I think.

A little chit chat to end the night. Claire kept us up a bit longer than expected by attempting to set up a bug zapper they’d been given recently (the first of several clever/bizarre/quirky gifts given to A/C by Claire’s brother we discussed during our visit; others include a sparkling water maker and the goldfish plate). Incidentally, zapper set-up not as easy as you might imagine, maybe owing to the several components and engineer-level sophistication needed to make the whole thing operational. Or the blue shots. Either way, entertaining.

*As a die-hard Phila Phillies/Eagles fan, I guess I was cheering for the Flyers, but not really (sorry, Dad). Mostly, I’m completely indifferent to hockey. Don’t know the rules, don’t understand basic strategy, etc. and haven’t really cared to learn. Not sure if this series (or anything) will change my mind…

**[Ed. note: Not to be confused with this little nugget of Blackhawk fandom: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOYJflRrwtY.]

Earlyish-start to the morn, especially after the long night. Beautiful weather again. Images from the walk to The Bristol for food and caffeine: Open house at the local fire department, with little kids staring up at the big rescue crane in action; tons of dog walkers, runners, and misc other ready-for-summer peeps out for the day.

Sweet bun to start. Biscuits and gravy for Laura and Andy; corned beef hash for Claire; and pork belly fried egg sandwich and deep-fried potatoes for me.* All great, from what I gathered. Another in our recent string of excellent, locally sourced, food spots. No surprise from Andy, with his well-established foodie cred and knowledge of the city. A bit of neighborhood get-to-know-you on the way home. Cool, unique, and widely varied architecture; homes of all sizes, shapes, and looks. Checked out the monster corner fixer-upper that and Claire reluctantly passed up. It would have been very cool, and possibly the stuff of personal bankruptcy. Can’t forget to mention the interesting papered-on graffiti, the popsicles, and the WWII vets giving a two-gun salute in front of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Legion Hall.

[As I’m typing, Ashley Judd on TV running toward husband Dario Franchitti, who just won the Indy 500. Go Hoosiers.]

Very low-key afternoon. Laura finished up some writing for work, I chilled/napped, sent out emails, made calls, etc. Perhaps a bit boring for a beautiful day here, but necessary all the same. A welcome respite from the constant moving/going of the last week or so.

Walked twenty minutes to Thai Eatery on Western Ave. Chi is dramatically different kind of city than DC. In addition to its “neighborhoodiness” and seemingly closer-knit sense of community, there is an integration (of nationalities/races/cultures/classes; of businesses and homes; of architectural styles/choices/emphases; etc.) that is unknown where we live, and something we both really appreciate. Also fun to see so many people out and about. Maybe there is some truth to the notion that in their excitement to have come through the winter misery people here make the most of the warm weather stretch.

Thai Eatery is big enough to hold maybe 15 people and the kind of cheap, solid place that is the stuff of neighborhood gems. Convos in Thai between the waitress/hostess and the people next to us (who were playing on the Internet and watching the tube in the corner; Laura, too, seemed to be enjoying the Bachelorette(!) [Ed. note: No comment.]) added to the charm. Shrimp shumai and tom yum soup to start; pad se ew with tofu for her; curry noodles for him. Stomach/appetite still not cooperating, which left us with a huge pile of leftovers. Slow walk home and early to bed. Laura worked til two, racing toward a Tues am deadline. Ugh for her.

* Perhaps the sandwich would have been a bit more enjoyable/appetizing if my stomach weren’t doing flips. Not sure what was to blame – my lack of sleep over the past few nights? the Addie/Adam flu bug? The Blackhawks? Some mysterious other? – but I’ve certainly felt better. Sad, because this spot was pretty sweet.

Rain. Tons of it. Even Andy’s eggs-bacon-sausage-bread-jam breakfast couldn’t overcome the crappy weather (at least for us; the next door neighbors continued their hammering, sawing, and extra loud talking throughout the storm). Laura continued to try and finish her remaining work while Claire and I sat in front of our own laptops. Pretty funny/dorky scene.

Perhaps needing to break away from the computers, the three of us went to The Art Institute of Chicago. Stopped at Claire’s parents’ apartment building to park the car and then took a 5 min ride from Claire’s mom to the museum. We entered through the new modern wing and began by checking out an exhibit examining the use of everyday ‘vernacular’ in photography. Ed Ruscha, Richard Avedon, Arbus, etc. Though not a real hit for anyone else, I especially liked the images of big industrial machinery. From there to a big Matisse exhibit. Not super crazy about most of his stuff, but was struck by how prolific he was and the diversity of his styles, media, etc., over time. After Matisse we wandered around looking for food/drinks, to no avail; the big cafeteria was closing just as we arrived. We managed to re-group and continue browsing, eventually coming to American Gothic and Nighthawks. I remember seeing both the last time I was in the museum – probably when I was ten or twelve – and was excited to see them again. Some impressionist stuff to end the tour.

Before moving on, two surprising things to note:

1) The past-his-prime college linebacker-sized white dude who got on the elevator with us and began speaking fluent Japanese with what looked to be his girlfriend. Caught us both off guard. Delightful.

2) The middle-aged European looking (Danish? Polish? German? Dutch?) father who appeared to be making his ten year old son do push-ups in front of Hopper’s Nighthawks. The dad seemed to be trying to line up a photo op. Small price to pay: scarring the kid for life.

Though neither felt at the top of our museum-going game, I think we did pretty well. The museum is huge, and we managed to cover some good ground, if not much beyond than the biggest hits and special exhibits. What a great resource for the city. The building itself is amazing (speaking mostly of the new wing), with its huge windows, exposed metal beams, and high ceilings.

I’ve spent more time in museums over the last week than I have in the last several years combined. In that time I managed to forget how much I enjoy checking out creative work and being among other art fans. The social norms in an art museum – the hushed conversations, the unwillingness to block another’s view of the painting, etc. – also make me happy.

Museum closed at 5 and we decided to cruise around Millennium Park for a while. The grounds themselves are amazing. Loved walking through the garden area, with the purple wild flowers and taking pics in front of the huge reflective jellybean thing. Pritzker Pavilion is incredible, a work of art in itself. Frank Gehry knows what he’s doing.

Though we really regretted missing some of the Blackhawks BBQ at Andy/Claire’s, we weren’t quite ready to leave the park, especially as the weather had completely turned. Bright, sunny, and perfect temp. Decided to kill some time on Michigan Ave. before the Volcano!/Hum show started on the Pavilion stage. Went to The Gage for a snack (chicken noodle soup and a 7 Up to passify a still-wonky stomach and some fries with great curry gravy for Laura) and then back to the park. Seeing free music outside hit the spot. Lots of hilarious stuff to report, including the hipster dude taking long pulls from a bottle of Knob Creek; leather chaps on mohawked guy; superlong rock and roll p-tail; and the weird beehive thing on the security guard; guy singing along word-for-word with the Rush playing between sets, among thousands of others. Great.

A quick drive back to A/C’s for the end of the game. Huge spread of food on the table, from burgers and chicken to pesto pasta salad and grilled veggies. Food/drink/Chicago 2, Philly 1 = happy crowd. Great fun hanging out with Andy/Claire/Heather/3 Bald Dudes/Libby and Geert-John (phonetically; Dutch origin; proper pronunciation the topic of much discussion and near-impossible for those trained in US English)/etc.** Apparently, the neighborly clanging-banging-sawing-yelling was not all for naught: loud, camp-firey sing-a-longs (Paul Simon, Neil Diamond, Jack Johnson, Beatles, Oasis) are much more enjoyable with new wooden benches. Something tells me that may be a source of conflict between now and Labor Day. [Ed. note: In the battle of the back decks, my money is on Andy. Clearly, they'll never compete with his iPad-fueled sound system when it rocks the likes of Ace of Base.]

A stop with Andy for a drink at Marie’s Rip Tide, a third shift type of place around the corner from the house was a highlight, as was the celebratory beer with Laura just after she finished her work (approx. 2:30 am).

**[Ed. note: And by "etc" Josh means the 3 other lovely friends whose names we're not doing a good job of remembering.]

Rewarded ourselves with a later wake-up this morning, hard earned from last night’s after-three-am finish. Laura met an old friend, Amy Arendt, and her daughter, Nova, for brunch at Milk and Honey. (Maybe she will have a few details to add about it. Maybe not.) [Ed. note: Details will be in the form of picture captions. That justifies me uploading a gazillion pics of my adorable lunch dates.] The pictures of the kid were really cute and it sounds like fun was has by all. I headed out about 11:30 for the Map Room on Honore St. Ordered an iced coffee and settled in to a corner table for some only-on-vacation-style-mid-day-internet-surfing. Very enjoyable. Walked 20 or so mins to a place called Feast on Damen for lunch. Not super great food, but the company was (eventually) great: Laura finished her date with Amy and met me mid-meal. Walked to the train, psyched up for some shopping.

We spent the afternoon walking and walking and walking and walking and walking around Michigan Avenue looking for wedding-related stuff. Great weather and high spirits helped us (me) overcome the mild annoyance of shopping. Four hours later, one Brooks Brothers shirt and a pair of silver shoes from Macy’s richer [Ed. note: The latter of which may or may not be worn for the wedding. I still have time to order 30 or so more pairs from Zappos, Piperlime, and/or Endless], we took the blue line back to Andy and Claire’s.

Dinner with A/C at Rick Bayless’s newish place Xoco, which, according to Wiki “opened in early September 2009 in Chicago's River North neighborhood and serves Mexican-style street food.” It’s true. Bayless is somewhat of a Chi food celeb, recent winner of Top Chef’s “Masters,” and a Bucktown resident (a few streets down from A/C). Frontera hot sauce/salsa is sold in supermarkets across the country and originated in another of his Chicago restaurants, also called Frontera.

Per usual, we stuffed our faces. Started with chips and guac. Fresh, excellent. For mains, Laura got a very hearty vegetable soup; Andy a chicken milanesa sandwich; Claire a similarly hearty, tasty soup with shredded beef and tons of veggie; and I got a chorizo/roasted pepper/cheese sandwich. Yoooo! Rick Bayless sighting! Yoooo! Though I think the chorizo may have been the weak link, it was still very good. Three churros and a vanilla soft serve/brownie cube for dessert (incredible as a combo). I told you, Tour de Gluttony.

Sadly, dinner was our last few moments with Andy and Claire. Incredible to get so much time with them this past several days. We wish there was more. They are a major reason we would consider a move to Chi. Generous with their home, their food, their friends, their time, everything. We couldn’t have asked for more. Counting on more time with them soon.

After dinner, we met Maura and Aaron for a drink at Branch 27, a restaurant/bar on Chicago located on the ground floor of their apartment building. Regrettably our only time with them this trip, we had a few hours to catch up. Joined by some of their friends, Chris and Mei Lin. Chris just finished his grad program and is taking the summer to bike through Kashmir. In the battle of crazy summer trips, he probably wins. To quote our favorite, brilliant Shakespearean scholar: Chris, “you’re just so crazy that your crazy plan just might work.”

Great to hear about Maura’s dissertation progress/teaching prowess and to see how happy she and Aaron are together. Their apartment is cozy, quirky, cool, smart, interesting. Definitely a product of its occupants and their creative energy. We especially liked the clock in the bedroom, the museum-grade chair (despite its mild disrepair), and the tilefish on the fridge. Wish we had more time/energy to hang out. The only consolation is knowing that we’ll be seeing them again soon, hopefully with Marisa and Ignacio.

Summer in Chicago, we love you. Cold weather months in Chicago and the bullshit arctic air you bring, we hate you.

Is it possible to take back all of those nice things we said about Chicago? Our final half-day here could have been better. A frustrating hour or so at the Map Room (limited/slow internet for the Mac user) cut our next-step research and coffee enjoyment (very) short. Headed back to A/C’s for a surefire Internet connection and a quite place to hash out our first noteworthy dust-up. Ha. More frustration: bad weather predicted at the several potential camping sites we had found, which only meant more time on the computer. We settled on a B&B three hours away in Sabula, IA and managed to pack up the car in relative tranquility.

Route mapped online, Garmin charged, and an iPhone on the ready in case of rare malfunction/confusion. Problem is, all the techy stuff in the world can’t account for user error and terrible conditions. After lots of mixed signals from our various devices, we were able to make it to the proper highway (which was just around the corner from A/C’s). Five minutes later I managed to miss the exit from 94 East to 290 West (curses, 51H), which meant that we had to spend the next 30 minutes or so driving in circles. Oy. Finally made it to 290, road to the city's western suburbs.

290 under massive construction, cutting the normally four lanes of traffic in half. Looking for a good way to perpetuate a petty but still simmering squabble? Try bumper-to-fucking-bumper for at least an hour. Seething, silence (not really, but pretty close). Almost two hours (HSOMGWTSICE**) after leaving and very, very low on gas (we thought the little we had would be plenty to get us away from the high city prices), we both felt the car sputter. In a mild panic, with the gas light laughing hysterically at us, we exited quickly (Exit 17, if I remember right) and were (thankfully) able to fill up. Back on 290 for a bit and then ultimately to the smoother sailing of 88 West. Crisis averted, but not without some (considerable) stress.

**Holy Shit. Oh My God. Worst Time Spent in Car. Ever.