Chicago without the kids

I asked a couple walking by to take our picture to prove that I was there-sometimes it's not obvious

When all else fails for a topic to flesh out a blog post, I can always go to the vault of near disastrous wipeouts.  Perhaps one could refer to the post last year where I almost wrapped myself around a pole while biking and carrying a coffee table.

I love the yin and yang of life that provides the extremes of experiences to keep one's ego in check.  A life full of travel and cultural experiences and advanced education tempered by experiences such as the not uncommon one today where I nearly flew backwards off the treadmill at five miles per hour completely to my surprise and the guy next to me's surprise seeing how close he came to being sideswiped and taken down as well...oh God, and the people behind me...thankfully I couldn't see their faces because I really don't want to know what it looked like from behind as I drifted left before crashing into the side of the treadmill.

And it's all Ellen Degeneres' fault as you can imagine.  Closed captioning is not a difficult task for me under most circumstances.  I do read as quickly as the next person, but it's a little tricky I came to find out today trying to read Ellen's rambling monologue at the start of her show.  In my struggle to stay with the shaggy dog story she was telling about rearranging her furniture, I had drifted slowly left and lost my place on the mat and faltered.  With a clank and a clunk and a yelp, I just barely managed to stay upright.   Eyes forward henceforth, that was the end of the Ellen show for me today.

Good Friday across a church pew

Architecture cruise

Just a few days ago, Chip and I took a quick trip to Chicago sin las bambinas (bad Spanish is my new thing I'm doing since I'm the only one in the family that doesn't know it and it really irritates the kids).   It is the first time we've left them alone to face all of my chores in addition to staying overnight alone.  A few friends made queries as to the time that the Hunter kegger might start.

Chip and I did live in that world a little bit when we were kids, but between strict athletic codes and the prying eyes of an overly social, inquiring and chatty neighborhood full of adults all up in your business, it truly wasn't and isn't a worry...this time anyway.  At least I think the vodka bottle is still full of vodka.  Maybe I should check that...

I'm moving here when I get my personal injury settlement money from Hupy and Abraham

So many happy families at the Art Institute during spring break and it just reminded me of the love and strength I draw from my own merry little band.  And the beauty of this trip was that whenever anyone started to cry or whine I could just walk away, so that was awesome.

Such commonly known and embraced images in American culture being enjoyed on so many different levels for so many different people.

Little girl whose mom had just told her she looked like the girl in the painting...which she did!

Two brothers sit patiently while their parents are nowhere to be found

A mom and her daughter share the audio

A grandmom and her granddaughter discuss Vincent's depressingly short life 

Sisters in agony while dad tries to take their picture.  

A painting in every mother's top ten I would imagine.  Certainly in mine.

A Chicago hot dog or as Chip calls it, a hotdog with salad

So, just some pictures to remind you and myself and my doll of a husband that Chicago is one of the best cities for adult entertainment.  Oh yeah baby...a museum, an architecture river cruise, a hip and trendy vegetarian restaurant, a bike ride along the lakeshore and a trip to Crate and Barrel.  My girls could not have been more delighted to stay home.

Green Zebra restaurant in Westtown.  When in Chicago you should go.

The Allerton, old school and central and recently renovated

Night before the iPad launch...the store was abuzz

Aqua, Lakeshore East, designed by female architect Jeanne Gang, her first skyscraper 

For the last time, Oprah does not live here.