Archive for October, 2009
Way back in 2007, we took Michelle and the Prince to BlogHer in Chicago. We had a hard time getting home, to say the least, and found ourselves in the city on a Monday with nothing to do before our flight left. So, we wandered Michigan Ave. We ended up at the Museum of Contemporary Art where there were some great outdoor pieces and we were dying to go inside. Unfortunately, that museum is closed on Mondays. Just another nail in the Chicago 2007 coffin.
Michelle has always wanted to go back when it was open but last time she was here, we went to the good ole Art Institute so for this visit, I made sure we went to MCAChicago.
We planned to visit after the Chess Records trip and before the Filene’s shopping. We did not plan for a very long lunch break at Mity Nice and we also did not plan for the museum to close quite as early as it did. When we arrived, we had just over one hour… we were worried and we should not have been.
It’s a tiny little museum. An hour was plenty of time to see it all and to spend an awful lot of time in the museum store. I liked the Calders the best and I know TW did too. I’m not sure what Michelle liked the best, probably the nifty gift shop, heh. Just kidding. I think she liked the paintings on the top floor the best.
After Chess Records, we headed down Michigan Ave toward our next destinations and we realized we were all hungry. It was freezing (there were threats of snow that weekend) so we parked in a garage and I dragged TW and Michelle towards the Water Tower Place mall. I knew there was food in there and I knew it would be warm.
We rode up and down the escalator and finally landed in Mity Nice and except for the lack of wifi and ATT service for our iPhones, it was mighty nice.
The cheese popovers they bring to the table were so good that we devoured them and TW begged for more. We ordered the ginger chicken potstickers as an appetizer, not realizing the cheese popovers would keep coming… They were good. Michelle ordered the sliders and they came covered in onion rings. (you can see them in the header photo if you click the link.) I ordered the mac & cheese and OMG it was amazing. TW ordered the grilled cheese and I thought it was pretty darn good, TW was a little blah about it.
Great restaurant, I just wish my iPhone worked while I was in there - it was worth tweeting about.
I asked Michelle a half dozen times what she wanted to do when she visited Chicago and I really didn’t expect her to come up with more than “shop”. But she did. She said she wanted to go see the old Chess Records building. Huh. Not something I’d have thought to do but I was game.
The building houses the BluesHeaven foundation and has a small gift shop downstairs, lots of photos and LPs and blues paraphernalia in all of the rooms of the building and shows a video about the history of Blues.
It was really an interesting little trip and I think we all enjoyed visiting. You should go. Before you do, read these links:
Michelle and Christopher wanted to go to The Alley when they were here for Christmas. Unfortunately, we ran out of time - and I didn’t know exactly where it was, either. I vowed I’d figure out where it was and get them both there on their next visit to Chicago. Success - Michelle and I found it on Friday and it was fun in that gothy, punk, alternative store kind of way.
I love the shoe selection - quirky, fun, colorful, strappy, awesome. Michelle got a pair of boots that she loves so much she swore she was going to sleep in them. I really wanted to buy Christopher a pair of funky green shoes but they didn’t have his size. TW could have shopped there for her “Community Keynote Dress” - or at least had fun checking out the options.
I can’t wait to take Christopher when he comes to visit next month.
Tiffany’s is one of those restaurants that we’ve passed a million times and only briefly considered stopping to try. On the way home from the airport on Thursday, Michelle was starving so we stopped.
When we walked in it smelled like old fashioned food - turkey dinners, roast beef, you know the smell I’m talking about. (We have begun calling that smell the Seven Brothers smell because that’s what Seven Brothers smells like.) It was also very, very empty. Just a couple of tables seated with older groups of people. We weren’t sure we were going to have a good food experience.
The menu was extensive - and sure enough, the turkey dinner was on the menu. We ordered - all of us chose some sort of croissant sandwich meal and we ordered a ham dinner to go, to bring home for TW’s mom.
The food came quickly and it was good. Not great, but solid. Well worth stopping for and significantly better than the Seven Brothers.
It’s time for the DonorsChoose Social Media Challenge. That means it’s time for you to pull out your wallet and donate some dollars to a project that will help students in Chicago public schools.
Click. Donate. It’s super easy and the kids (and their teachers) will thank you - really, you’ll get mail from them. Very nice mail. It will make you smile.