Chicago 2017

I had the opportunity to go to Chicago for a pediatric conference. I did not want to go on this adventure alone, so I called on my best friend, Janie Girven, to be my sidekick and she was more than willing. We arrived on a Saturday september 16th mid afternoon. It was to late for me to attend any classes that day, so we settled into our home for the next week and decided to walked around the town a little bit and see what trouble we could get into. We walked over to the river walk that was dotted with eateries and bars right on the river. There was a lot of people out socializing in the very warm sunny weather, riding bikes, drinking, walking, kayaking. It was a nice experience. We were able to see some awesome architecture and the Trump Towers hotel. It was definetly worth all the walking. We ended up walkimg down to the "Magnificent Mile". Wlhen we got up to the street from the river, we made a left to find a restaurant because we were HUNGARY! Most of the places were not really what we were looking for so we traveled down the Magnificent Mile for a little, checking out a few stores. We decides to start making our way toward rhe hotel, since it was dusk and since we didnt know the area. We ended up stopping at the bar the was called the "The Side Door". Our plan was to just get a drink or two and then go to dinner. That did not end up happening. The ambiance was low lighting and quiet conversation. It was the perfect atmosphere for the two of us to catch up with each other since it had been since March since we had last seen one another. The wonderful waiter was very helpful in helping us pick out beer choices. OKTOBERFEST was my fave and I think it was Janie's too. Too bad I didn't get the brand name...... We were having such a good time and we were so comfortable that we decided to stay for dinner. Our dinner was brought out on wood cutting boards (nice touch). The waiter was very puzzled and intrigued by how nice we were. We told him it must be a shock for someone that comes from California. We had a laugh about that. We spent a good 2 or 3 hours there because it was so comfortable. We finally decided to call it a night because it was going to be an early morning for me and Janie, of course because she is up before the crack of dawn and always up before me. 🌄Read more