OUR JOURNEY TO THE WINDY CITY

by Dave Friant

One of the perks of retirement life is to exercise (not the multiple rep sweat-inducing type) travel possibilities with our late teen/early adulthood grandkiddos. Doing so prior to that period when the issue of mobility rears its’ ugly head.

It had been a planned 4-day extended weekend. Get a dog sitter. Hop on a plane (or more realistically IN the plane as noted by George Carlin during the heyday of his comedic career) and head North to the home of the Cubbies, excessive wind, and deep-dish pizza. Our granddaughter, Ella, was in the midst of her first year at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). It was her first extended period outside of the DFW Metroplex. Absent the bitterness of the winter temps and unanticipated interactions with bothersome characters during travel on the elevated “L” train, her adaptability to college life was going well. Good grades. Development of valued friendships. An excellent push-off to a possible career in the arts with emphases on canvas compositions and creative writing.

We flew non-stop to Midway International on March 21st of this year. Will not name the airline, but we gave it a solid “F” regarding customer service, legroom space, and costs of carry-on bags (85 smackeroos for each). Bargains always seem to have some downsides. We threw the dice regarding the cost of the flight. Snake eyes. Busted.

That’s life. Such a minor misfortune considering all the more profound swerves we are required to negotiate. Not a biggie.

We utilized Uber on four occasions during our stay in Chitown. Drivers were friendly and skilled at navigating proper routes when faced with construction detours. The first was a 30 or so minute ride orchestrated by a likable Bulgarian gentleman who had mastered the finer points of the English language. The last a younger and quiet provider of travel who played classical music during the congested path back to the airport.

Our three nights of bedding down for the stay were smack in the middle of the theatre district. We secured a moderately priced and satisfying 5th floor room with a comfy king bed at the Cambria Hotel. No frills. Access to a shuffleboard table added just the right touch to the ends of busy day activities.

Temps? Primarily low-to-mid 40’s throughout most days with dips into the high 30’s at night during the week after St. Patty’s Day. The winds were biting as predicted. Rain most of one day, but not a factor regarding what had been planned during that stretch of the festivities. We walked 90% of each day (7-8 miles) amongst out-of-towners, well-dressed briefcase toters, and theatre goers.

Food? Arguably the finest part of the weekend. Culminated with an increase in poundage from the assortment of vittles. No one really cared. Petterino’s and Giordano’s were the source of our deep-dish pizza cravings and hankerings for phenomenal pasta. Having been purchased at Stan’s Donuts and the fabulous Magnolia Bakery, all but one morning hour feeds took place in our hotel room. All still in our PJ’s. Powdered sugar spillings galore. Flipping our lids with no intentions of tidying up the place. What a blast!

The most scrumptious pre-10AM belly expansion episode took place at Huckelberry’s; a well-regarded breakfast spot eight or so blocks from our hotel. Four covered pickleball courts located in an office building adjoined the eating location.

We were accompanied for dinner one evening by a trio of three exceptional classmate companions. Ashley and Irene share a dorm room with Ella. The third was the engaging Delia. Quickly established has been a unique bond of sisterhood; friendships taking root that go beyond classroom specialty pursuits.

Activities? We visited SAIC and saw several of the campus buildings, as well as the dorm room which houses Ella and her roommates. A stroll through Millennium Park found us up close and personal with “The Bean.” It’s a gigantic reflective sculpture conducive to picture taking. Two hours were spent at the American Writers Museum. Roaming thru it was a no-brainer for Ella and I.

Determined to be from a unanimous vote tally as the highlight of the trip was the Wendella Chicago River Architectural Tour Cruise. Light jacket/sweater weather as the two-level craft took us several miles along the green-colored waters (four days post-St. Patrick’s Day) to observe some of the most architecturally iconic and impressively large buildings in the USA.

To calm the overflow of our athletic contest juices (primarily mine), we enjoyed a Blackhawk hockey game at the United Center. A wonderful end to a great weekend. The ‘Hawks won, beating my Philly Flyers handedly.

The efforts of our proud collegiate granddaughter at arranging various activity/eating locations were flawless. She was excited with the duties of tending to the highlights of her temporary home away from Texas. Observing a measure of maturity in action from our youngest grandkiddo was a delight.