Windy City

This past weekend, I took a trip to Chicago, the windy city of the midwest, to see John David. We both took a break from our grueling jobs (or just his, rather...mine is quite pleasant on the time commitment) and had a great weekend, full of fabulous foods and adventuring. Saturday we kicked the day off with brunch at Orange with a couple of John David's friends before walking about the city and tending to a few things on the day's agenda. A good walk through the city is really all you need in Chicago, as you can catch great views of the city from almost any point within it. Architecturally, it is the greatest city in the United States. Hands down. Plus you have Lake Michigan to the East that provides a wonderful contrast to the complexity of the nearby streets.






Saturday night was a biggie. A bit earlier in time, John David and I won a gift certificate to this fancy restaurant company in Chicago, and it just so happened to encompass one particularly famous institution, Tru. We made reservations about a month ago, and while we could only get a spot at 10 at night, we were pretty excited about the promised dining experience. So, we held out on eats, watched a movie, Ratatouille to pump up our culinary experience, got gussied up and then headed downtown to Tru. What followed was madness, ridiculous culinary madness: 12-14 courses of bite-sized delicacies, all prepared and served beautifully, to be savored with every taste.






And we tried to do so! It was easy from the beginning. We were hungry and bright-eyed. Each dish brought surprise, articulate assessment. But by course 8 or 9, our stomachs got a bit tight; and by midnight, when we were still eating, our eyes got a bit tired. Nevertheless, we made it to the last course with a bit of caffeine, and were even sent home with more food for the morning after! The whole experience was incredibly fun and unearthly. Needless to say, it was a truly special occasion. (:







And the next morning, we immediately went for a long run. All that food got me craving a good work out! The rest of the day was spent exploring the outskirts of the city, making sushi, and more walks. We also visited John David's brother-in-law's culinary colleague, at her own bakery, called Sweetcakes. It was a great little coffee/pastry shop and reminded me a lot of Austin kitschyness. Plus the walls were a great seafoam green. See photos above and below...

























Oh! And here are the beautiful snapdragons that greeted me when I first arrived in Chi-town!

An 18-hole Hike

Catie and I took a trip this weekend with our new pup, Princess. We took the subway out to Swampscott, Ma, where her Uncle Charlie picked us up and drove us back to his house. Before arriving there, we stopped and had a walk along the beach front with Princess and Andy, Catie's uncle's dog.

Once at her uncle's house, we lounged about for a bit, taking in the country life and drinking cocoa, until we decided to pack up her uncle's car and drive out for a bit of hiking. We arrived at Lynn Reservation in Lynn, MA and hopped out of the car and onto a trail. I was amazed by the snow covering the ground and how it can change the appearance of a place so drastically.



The trail we were on soon opened onto these beautiful and open plains, trees on either side and ponds scattered about, and I said outloud that, "This almost looks like a golf course." Catie agreed but we both thought well that's probably not the case, until, that is, we stumbled upon a sand trap...it was then that we realized we were right in the middle of a giant golf course, beautifully covered in snow.









We had the whole place to ourselves and let Princess off the leash to enjoy the open expanses of land. Here is Catie and Princess dancing about on the snow.






I couldn't resist the urge to make a snow angel--the first real one of my life!
Or to walk on the ice...if only I had brought my skates. (:
At the end of the day, we made a little stop by Target, a time-old friend, dearly missed at times, and indulged in a few neccessties/unnecessities. The day was topped off with a pretzel and lemonade, that hit the spot for the ride home. Princess has slept all day today, a result of a long and satisfying trip.

Philadelphia, Shiladelphia

After my first day with Jossie ended (our Amish adventure, see below), we dedicated the next to Philadelphia itself, aka Center City. We greeted the day with some Swedish sugar waffles--scrumdidliumptious! And a walk along the river, which took us directly to the Philadelphia art museum aka the stage of Rocky Balboa's triumphant step run. This called for many photos, in attempts to capture a believable run along his same path. Once satisfied with what we got, we walked on through the rest of the city. I got to see the skyline up close, Love Park, Reading Terminal Market, as well as Independance Hall and the Liberty Bell. We finished the day with a great dinner at a diner, and a cozy night at Jossie's Apartment.










Doing the Rocky Balboa at the Philadelphia Art Museum.















Love Park, downtown Philadelphia.






















Liberty Bell in Old City.













Random statue in the middle of a dry fountain in Center City, Philadelphia.












Rittenhouse Square, where Jossie lives in Philadelphia. The lights at night were gorgeous, and I hope for Jossie's sake they stay up throughout the year!










Jossie in her cute little studio apartment! which looks just like an expanded version of her dorm room last year.