Tourist in my town

Technically, I've never actually lived in the city of Chicago, but since telling someone you're from Gurnee tends to be met with blank stares, Chicago is the closest thing to "my" city. (I'm actually about the same distance from both Chicago and Milwaukee; I even went to college in Milwaukee. However, Wisconsin is an entirely different state, plus Chicago is infinitely better, so it wins.)

Anyway.

I went downtown this past Saturday, and met up with my friend Laura (whom I went to college with in the aforementioned Milwaukee). We realized it had been almost a year since we'd gotten together (thanks in large part to the Kidney Stone Incident of '05), and decided it was high time to rectify that. We started at the Art Institute of Chicago, which is one of my favorite places in the city. Once upon a time, I visited it with my cousin Sarah, who is an artist and undoubtedly had a deeper appreciation of it than I did. Despite my limited knowledge of the subject, I still enjoy being amidst all that beauty. I do not, however, understand abstract modern art.

We spent a few hours wandering around the museum, then stopped for an absolutely delightful lunch in the restaurant there. The weather was in the 70s, which made it a perfect day for eating in the outdoor courtyard. We even managed to score a table right next to the large fountain in the center. The bits of detritus floating down from the trees were a little distracting, especially when then made for unintentional garnishes to the food, but it was a small thing that we didn't really mind.

We left the museum at a little before 2:30, as we had reservations at the Hotel Intercontinental Chicago for afternoon tea! We were quite excited about the prospect, and eagerly made our way up Michigan Avenue. We were running a bit early though, and as we walked, we realized that we would be going past Millennium Park, which neither of us had seen yet. Despite being several years overdue and who knows how many millions of dollars over budget, the park is really quite delightful. We saw a couple wedding parties taking pictures, as well as the usual tourist crowds. My favorite part was Cloud Gate, affectionately known as "the Bean."



Impressive enough from a distance, but it's even more fascinating close up. You can actually walk beneath the entire sculpture, and the curved surfaces make it seem rather like a gigantic fun-house mirror.



After a bit of fun at the park, it was off to tea! It really was the highlight of the day. The tea itself was wonderful, and the food was delicious. We even had scones with lemon curd, which made me think of all my wonderful Arizona family! I managed to get past my lifelong aversion to mayonnaise and eat some finger sandwiches, but the real treats were the pastries and my personal favorite, the plate of fresh strawberries with whipped cream.

Overall, it was pretty much the perfect "Ladies Day Out," and Laura and I have made a solemn vow to do it more than once a year from now on.