to find snow. 81 degrees in Silver Spring on Sunday and 37 degrees (and falling) in Chicago the next day. It started snowing as we taxied on the tarmac and we got over an inch when it was all said and done. Not unexpected and we packed for it, but still a shock from the day before.
Patti had never been to Chicago before and Patrick wanted to visit some particular locations so there was lots of eating and walking to be done. Sunday night we settled in to the hotel and then had a great German dinner at Berghoff's restaurant. Patrick's family had gone there for years so Patrick wanted to check it out and we weren't disappointed. Patti enjoyed beer battered cod and Patrick had a medley of sausages (wild boar, venison and duck). Plus beer.
We had a nightcap at the Palmer House - a hotel Patrick stayed in before with an incredible lobby - and then we trudged back to the hotel in the snow.
On Tuesday, we found a cafe that had once been the Old Heidelberg Inn. Patrick has a great picture of his grandparents dining there with another couple, but only the front facade remains.
We made a point of seeing "the bean." It is so simple and a little silly but somehow very neat.
We enjoyed every moment of the Willis Tower (previously Sears Tower). The view was fantastic and Patti even convinced a very, very reluctant Patrick to get in the new skydeck. Patti relished the view and Patrick feared it...greatly.
We had a great lunch of deep-dish pizza before retiring to the hotel. We had a quick catnap (maybe our first nap in years...) and then Patrick caught a cab off to his great-grandparent's house. He saw from Google Maps' street view that it was still there so he snapped off a few pictures and cabbed it back to the hotel. He has a great picture of his grandfather as a young man standing on the same doorsteps and another of his father as a youngster beneath the side window. Very neat.
We ended the day with a great Italian dinner at a restaurant Patrick had been to before and then we watched a movie at the hotel. It all sounds simple without kids and it really was.
Wednesday morning was a rush of buying presents and getting to our flight. It was a very restful two days, but it was nice to come home again and see our excited kids. Bill and Bonnie are saints for watching them and we're eternally grateful. The kids were apparently very good the entire time (Will cried a lot when we were leaving but was fine afterward) so maybe this was a good practice run for another long-weekend....
