Chicago tour and Magpie dinner!

The Aussie 'pies wanted to go downtown to especially visit Millennium Park and "the Bean," a reflective metallic sculpture also called Cloud Gate.  They learned about it from a video called "Where's Matt?"  Nann researched the train schedule from the station nearest the hotel, determining the train we should take into town and the one we needed to catch to get to the planned dinner at Julie's house later that day.  We also thought that going up to the observation deck of Sear's-Tower-now-called-Willis-Tower would be a good idea, to get the overview of the city.  It was a beautiful, clear day, though a bit on the cool side (especially for the Aussies who came from late summer/early fall and are used to warmer climes!) and they were bundled up with scarves and gloves.

Terri still needs to send me the photo she took of me out on one of the Sky Deck bumpout platforms (clear to the ground! -- but I wouldn't let go of the solid part of the building...); here's what one looks like without anyone on it.

The Sky Deck was where Terri decided that Lake Michigan was mis-named, as she told me about lakes in Australia, most of which aren't very deep or wide.  She decided it should be called the Michigan Sea because "you can't see the other side!"  Promotional information said we could see 4 states and a Canadian province on a clear day, and I'd say that was true this day.

On the walk from Willis Tower to Millennium Park I tried to remember where the old Marshall Fields department store was located, but we never found it.  We did stop into a Starbucks to warm up (and get warm drinks!) before braving the brisk breeze again.  I think we only passed 8 different Starbucks stores on the route we took... I wonder how many there actually are downtown!




The Crown Fountain in Millennium Park was our first stop, and many youngsters were having a great time splashing and wading in the water, which was warm from the sun.  The tulips were in full bloom and gorgeous colors (a kind stranger took a photo of the three of us -- with Terri's camera -- so I can't share it here).


And then we finally came upon the Bean, which fascinated us for at least a half-hour.  All three of us snapped multiple images from many different angles, just because it was so cool.

It was before noon when we decided we had seen enough in Millennium Park, and didn't need to catch our train until almost 2:30, so we hiked up the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Avenue as far as the Water Tower (northern extent of the Great Chicago Fire of 1876).  We just happened to pass an Apple Store on the way, and T&G had been in two previous stores (in San Francisco and Seattle) to drool over the newly released iPad (not available in Australia until June 2010).  As we were greeted near the door, their first question was, "Do you have the iPad in stock?" and the answer was "Yes, what size do you need?"  It wasn't long before each of them had their own iPad-containing shopping bag complete with matching protective covers. :-)  The envy of all Australia, indeed!

It was time to start heading back to the train station, but we were getting hungry; we didn't see any good fast-food places near Michigan Avenue but did manage to find some good paninis in another Starbucks to tide us over.  Then we really needed to hoof it to the train station so we didn't miss it.  It was a bit farther than I expected, and I kept speeding up (I would have jogged, but knew Terri couldn't), but we arrived with about 5 minutes to spare!  Hurray!  Terri and I chatted most of the way up to the end of the line (just south of the Wisconsin state line) in Waukegan, while Gilly listened in and sometimes added a comment or two.  And when we arrived and got off the train, there was Nann, who had JUST arrived to pick us up.  Everything went just right.

Julie and Bob were hosting dinner, and we joined the rest of the 'pies who had gone separate ways earlier in the day (some staying at the motel, some revisiting the Show, some seeing other sights in the area, such as the Bahai Temple and the Pyramid House -- fascinating!).  Thank you for sharing your lovely home, and thanks for the wonderful dinner (lasagna, both meat and meatless; spinach-strawberry salad; and various libations)!  Show and tell of Julie's fabulous quilts ensued, before we moved on to Nann's house, a short drive away, for dessert (strawberry-rhubarb crumble) and more show and tell.  I found Nann and Stephens's antiques fascinating, especially the radium water treatment urn from the early 1900s!  (I guess that's not much different than the spring water you might get at fountains at Saratoga Spa State Park in New York.)

After a wonderful evening it was time to head back to the hotel; we loaded into cars for the trek.  I rode in Nann's Honda CR-V (identical to my husband's down to the model year!), and she took us "over the state line for moral purposes" as it was only a few blocks away from her home.  :-)

Sunday morning departure times were staggered, and we took turns staggering into the breakfast room for our last joint meals, our last hugs (for now) and our goodbyes.  The Boston crowd (Verdi, Celia, and Ellie), the Aussies, and I all had departure times near 1 pm so we were able to share the airport shuttle and extend the goodbyes a little longer.  It was a great time!  I can't wait 'til the next one.  What a wonderful group of women we are.  :-)