Some random shots…

There were some photos from our day in Chicago I wanted to share with you.

This is of some random guy enjoying the parade.

I think as Hilary was the only single girl on the trip,she missed her chance there.But sadly for some reason he was not her type?

We couldn’t resist a shot of this pregnant lady having a rest from the heat.

Now there were people everywhere.Hanging of bridges,out of windows,every vantage point was used.But take a look at this vantage point.

Look at the top right hand corner of the dark building in the middle.

now look a little closer.

rather them than me……

This is a shot of how near we were to the Black Hawks team.They were on a stage in front of a huge screen(where the camera is).The roar from the crowd was amazing,every time one of the team spoke at the podium.

Below ground was like a scene out of a police car chase film.

We walked through these underground columns to get to Millennium Park.It was the cooler option.Chicago is built on reclaimed swamp land.So all the skyscrapers and buildings you see at ground level,are in fact all built on columns.Its totally hollow underneath all them skyscrapers!!!!!

So there is a whole other world going on right under them.

Usually you can get right up next to the “bean”sculpture in the park.But because of Health and Safety,due to the number of people it was cordoned off.

We still managed to get a picture of our reflection in the bean though.

I must admit though it was a great opportunity to get some pictures of the bean on its own.

As you can see we were a long way from home.

I hope you appreciate this post .The first one failed and it’s taken me 2 hours to get this one on line.Its 12.30pm and I am still in my PJs!!!!

Having technical problems.

I am having problems loading a blog post I have written so this is just a trial one.

At  least someone missed me……

2 million people,plus 3

At this point in my post I’d like to apologise for my previous blogs,spelling mistakes and bad grammar.I would like to blame the fact that I was jet lagged,writing my blogs at dawn and heavily medicated.But really the truth is,I am just thick!

So sorry again,but at least it proves,even I am not perfect.Well almost!

Back to Chicago.

We had conserved our energy the day before,for what was supposed to be a mammoth day of sightseeing in Chicago.Bike rides and boat trips and maybe a music festival thrown in.

I had planned that we would take the car to the train station park there and hop on a train into Chicago.The car park was just $4 all day!!!!And the train tickets just $2.55 each way.To do the same trip in England would have meant I’d have to take out another mortgage.

Sandra and I looked out of the window in the morning to see grey skies.So I decided we didn’t need any sunscreen!Then we popped on some layers and comfy clothes.Hubby rang me to tell me that there was going to be a parade downtown at 11am and most of the roads were to be shut.So it was very fortuitous of me to have already arranged to go by train.

As soon as we got out of the hotel the heat hit us.We toyed with the idea of going back to change but dismissed it.(What a mistake.)

So off we went to catch the Skokie Swift.

I’m afraid I got the giggles when I saw the notice above Hilary’s seat.

She had a few choice words for me.Its hard to take when you aren’t used to swearing.

I heard words on that holiday I never want to hear repeated again.Of course not a bad word came out of my orifice!!!

 

The trains were packed with Black Hawk supporters on there way up to Chicago for the parade.As soon as we got off the train we experienced the colossal amount of people who had gone to the celebrations.

The heat was tremendous.It felt like we had arrived in Singapore.It was soooooo hot and humid.We were soon covered in a layer of sweat.As were all those other bods.Erghhh.

It turns out that apparently on the day we had arranged to see the sights in Chicago, 2 million other people had arrived as well.The atmosphere was awesome.The joy in peoples faces was amazing,this was seen as a once in a life time event.Just like England winning the World Cup.

 

The Black Hawks ice hockey team had won the Stanley cup only 2 days before.

How the city had arranged such a mammoth parade in such a short time amazed us.There were flags everywhere.

Even the coke cans had been printed with a congratulations.

 

We abandoned our original idea of a bike ride around the sites.There were so many people and the heat was so oppressive that we decided to walk it.

We hit Millennium park and then walked along Lake Michigan to The Navy Pier.

We took a pit stop on Navy Pier to grab a quick bite to eat.As we sat down I looked outside to see that,the heavens had opened .We had missed the thunder storm by minutes.By the time we were fed and watered the rain had stopped and we stepped outside to a glorious sunny day.

Perfect for our Architectural boat trip.

at this point we could have done with the sunscreen we had left back in the hotel.

We grabbed a cab to the Wildfire restaurant.But amazingly none of the cab drivers know there way around Chicago.So we had to wake Hubby back in the UK to find out the exact coordination's of the restaurant.Even though I had shown the cabbie on the map the location and street.It seemed he couldn’t read a map either!

So an uneventful ride back home on the train bought our long day to an end.

I’m back

Well I am back.

I will fill you in on our other adventures in another post.

But first the good news.I lost half a pound whilst in Chicago.Result.

Or bitch as some people probably think!

The bad new is,I am not supposed to use my computer on the osteopaths orders.So I have sneaked on.So don’t tell.

As I am sure you are aware,I was still suffering in Chicago.I had an appointment today with the osteopath for dry needling,which is acupuncture.We expected all the medication and rest would have helped me,but I am just the same.

It turned out that I ended up looking like a pin cushion.He had never used so many needles on any one person.In fact he ran out!

I had forgotten my camera ,but he has assured me he’ll take a picture for me next week.He was concerned everyone would see my bum.But I told him that wouldn't be new to my bloggers….

It was a very weird sensation,some I hardly felt,others were stingy and painful.It turned out they go in about 2 inches into the muscles,so no wonder some hurt.

The last one at the back of my good,right knee was the worst.Apparently it joined all the dots up.

I have now seen both of the osteopaths at the practice and they wanted me to go straight to the Doctors to ask for an MRI.So off I went.

I have to wear my old back brace  for an hour a day and it greatly helped getting to the Doctors.Plus I bought a long reach grabber to help me get dressed and do the chores.

The Doctor was great and examined me and thinks its my hip joint,so has sent me for an x-ray on my hip and spine tomorrow.Then I think if its inconclusive and I am still in pain,he will get me an MRI.

So fingers crossed……

Reservations for 3

Every morning we pop over the road for breakfast.

I think they know we are coming as they kindly reserved our normal car park space.

Our same man is always waiting to take our order.In fact he got Hilary and Sandra's ready for them without having to ask.He remarked what lovely people we are,I think especially for Australians.Everywhere we go people think we’re Australian.

The girls have experimented more with all the pastries,But I have been boring keeping to my cinnamon scone.I’ve been through all Panera has to offer in previous years.

 

That's me taking my Valium ready for the plane journey home!!!

In fact I have been given it by the Doctor to help relieve my Sciatica all long with a bag full of other drugs.All of which have not made a blind bit of difference.Sandra's shoulder has been giving her a bit of gip.

We sound so funny to listen to getting in/out of bed.We sound like a pair of geriatrics.People in the room next door must think our room is a hot bed of activity.With all the ohh and ahhs.A bit disconcerting seeing we are two women in  the same room and its Gay Pride week!

Then it was off for a bit more scrapbook shopping to Michaels with a pit stop to Target for some snacks.

Then back to Panera for some lunch.

This was a full day of shopping locally.In the afternoon parked up at the Mall and went our separate ways until 8pm.

We met for dinner at a beautiful Italian restaurant called Maggianos.The portions sizes here are huge.I once ate here with another couple ,who left the dinner with 4 carrier bags of leftovers.

We look so funny after each meal trying to work out what we each owe on the bill.American money all looks the same to us.

but we always get there in the end.We have spent the past week passing dollars backwards and forwards to each other.Settling up what we each owe each other.

We were all exhausted and this was to be a rest day.We were conserving our energy for the next day,a walking tour of Chicago.

Cocktails in the clouds

I kept saying to the girls before we left that” anything we could ever want is over the road.”So we have made full advantage of that.

The Westfield Old Orchard mall is just across the street.Its a beautiful outdoor mall with piped music playing and lots of fabulous shops.

After a bit of retail therapy we drove up into Chicago.It was a glorious sunny day and we made a few stops on the way.

We parked at the Hancock Tower,up a very twisted corkscrew ramp.Not so bad in the Summer but a white knuckle ride in the snow and ice I can tell you.

We weren't bothered about shopping on Michigan Avenue as its all the same shops as our mall.But I couldn’t resist taking them into The American Girl doll shop.I think the concept of the dolls is amazing.In the massive shop their is a doll hairdressers,hospital and a restaurants for mothers and their daughters to take afternoon tea with their doll included.

But Hilary and Sandra weren’t into dolls as children,so they found it all a bit freaky.

 

 

 

I always buy Ugg boots when I come to Chicago,so off we went to the Ugg store.

 

Hilary was an Ugg virgin.But she was soon tempted after watching us try ours on.I choose a lilac pair,Sandra's were tan and Hilary was talked into buying a grey pair.

 

Then it was off to the cheesecake Factory at the bottom of the tower.

I sadly don’t have any pictures of our time there as I spent most of the time in the loos.I suffer with IBS and had a very bad attack just before my food arrived.So I had other things on my mind!

Every Wednesday and Saturday night there are supposed to be fireworks from Navy Pier in the evening.

My Husband had never taken me to the Cocktail bar or restaurant at the top of Hancock tower.Always insisting I wouldn’t like it?So this was my chance to go.

So we hit the lift and ascended at a fast rate up into the sky.The view was amazing from the tower.We were there just before the sunset and managed to get a table by the windows.Sandra was a bit freaked out as she could feel the building swaying.

We sat and sipped our cocktails and waited for the fireworks.We waited some more,but still no explosions.I have no idea why there were no fireworks .But after 12 years of coming to Chicago I still haven’t seen them.

At one point we could see some going off in the distance over a stadium.The black Hawks ice- hockey team have one some sort of tournament and there is a massive parade in Chicago today to congratulate them.

Then it was back to the hotel to grab a few hours sleep before our next adventures.

Scrapping heaven

our first day dawned and it was going to be a wet one.It is scheduled to be the only rainy day whilst we are here.But it fitted in nicely with our schedule.So macs were worn and off we went.

First stop Archivers.

Just a few purchases made as you can see from our bags.We have booked a mega crop for Saturday night at Archivers.They said they’d put on Aussie bingo for us especially.We were a bit puzzled then we realised they thought we were Australians!!!

Next stop lunch at California pizza where we were joined by another good friend of mine Bernie.

Everyone ordered salads but I went for a chicken pesto pizza.Mmmmmmm

Then it was a quick nip back to the hotel,grab our scrapping kits and head downtown to Chicago for a handwriting class we had booked at Windy City scrapbooking.We were shown to the crop room and dumped our stuff and hit the magnificent shop.

Then the lovely “Al”

came to speak to me.It turned out the class had been cancelled.But she said “we are going to make this into a positive”and boy did she.

25% off everything in the shop.40% off Creative Imaginations and Creative Cafe and buy one get one free on Thickers.

I said could she go and tell my friend Sandra who was having an orgasm in the Thickers corner.

 

To say we were pleased is an understatement.

So we spent a pleasurable evening perusing the shop and made a FEW purchases.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyday we pop just over the road to Panera for a delicious breakfast and we even went back today for lunch.

Most mornings I go for a cinnamon scone and a pile of painkillers,whereas the others have yoghurt/fruit and granola with a varying pastry.

We went to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch and dinner yesterday.We had our pudding for lunch and the main meal at night.Anyone who has ever eaten there will know why.The portions are so huge you can’t do the two in the same sitting.

Why you may asked is the glass so steamed up?

Well it was all the heavy breathing Sandra was doing,at the thought of the cake.

As you can see our diets aren’t going to well.But I am sure the miles of walking we have done shopping in the mall must have burnt off a few calories.

I must dash now as its midnight and I  have to grab a few Zzzzzz .

Sandra and Hilary will be hitting our pool at dawn ,but unfortunately (luckily) for me I can’t walk in the mornings because of my sciatica .So I take advantage of the peace and quiet from Sandra's snoring and get an extra hour in bed.

Only joking I haven’t heard a thing  and luckily,neither of us have  started talking and walking around the room as we are both known to do in our sleeps.

So goodnight for now.