Chicago fangirlyness...
Hey Everybody! (Whenever I think that phrase, I always think of Charlie's band on Lost.)
So I'm back to tell you the rest about my vacation. Let me precede my further ramblings by first telling you that I have fallen in love with Chicago. It is such a beautiful city and we had such a lovely tour guide in pamalax along with the map that miss_mazzie provided for us. Last night I watched The Lake House just to look for things I would recognize, and it was so fun. Besides landmarks that connect the movie to PB and our walk through there, Cynthia Kaye McWilliams has a bit part in the movie. In case you don't know who CKM is, she played Kacee Franklin, C-Note's wife. She must be a Chicago-based actress.
Also, I just wanted to take a moment to thank pamalax publically. She made the trip so enjoyable for all of us with her easy going manner and the ease with which we got everywhere. I had such a good time, and I know it was in large part due to her preparation. A couple years ago I traveled overseas, and my traveling companion had a very poor sense of direction, so I felt like it was on me the whole time to keep track of everything. Needless to say that added to my stress level. So I appreciate Pam and all she did more than I can sufficiently say. SO THANKS SO MUCH PAM! YOU ROCK AND RULE THE WORLD!
Clickety-click for the Chicago portion of the trip (and no, I didn't see Oprah!)
We got up relatively early on August 14th and went down for a *continental* breakfast at the hotel. After we ate, we said our goodbyes to Cin and Ashlee and made our way to the Joliet train station. We took the Metra from Joliet to downtown Chicago (getting off at LaSalle). Apparently Amtrak and the El run through Chicago too, which I knew, but I'd never heard of Metra before, but when I was watching The Lake House last night, Sandra Bullock totally rode the Metra! So it was about an hour train ride, but it was nice to see the city appear.
Then we walked, and walked, and walked. And saw, and saw, and saw. And squeed and squeed and squeed. It was so fantastic. Where did we go first? I can't even remember now. But I saw the El soon after we left the train station. Now, as a girl who has watched ER for 14 years, seeing the El was like seeing an old friend. So cool. We went to what was my favorite part of the whole excursion: the post where Lincoln leaned, shivering, calling Michael (who was attempting to sex up his brother's ex-girlfriend) asking for help. We took pics there, strapped barbie!Linc to the pole and were generally gawked at as we did it. It was so fun to know we were where Dom had been--for sure and for certain (I'm convinced he slept in our hotel room in Joliet too). Right across the street from that pole and parking garage is the Cultural Center, which is where they filmed the courtroom scenes for Linc's trial, and also used the stairs for a shot of Sara talking to her father, when she's trying to convince Frank of Linc's innocence. That building was simply breathtaking, and not a courthouse at all. We took lots of pics there too, some with barbie!Linc :D
Oh, first we went to Millenium Park, which is a gorgeous park with water towers that have faces on them and this cool bean-shaped metal structure that contorts the skyline, and where Veronica met and talked to Letecia Barris, early in S1. There were lots of little children running through the water, trying to cool off.
We also went to the bank Michael held up, but we didn't go inside. We walked to several buildings that were just used for *production value* which isn't hard in Chicago, because there is simply some of the most beautiful architecture I've ever seen. I took pics of the Chicago Tribune building and Sun-Times.
We found the pub where Michael and Veronica ran into each other; which is only a few walkable blocks to the building that was where Michael lived. Colleen and I were trying to determine if they actually walked all that way, because Veronica was pretty laced. We decided they took a cab, and that Michael's intentions were definitely not noble, otherwise he would have just had the taxi take Vee to her house. :D
Some funny stories from the general walking around-ness: We stopped at one point to use the toilet and Sarah and I decided we needed a drink too (you know, unload, re-load) so we walked to this fastfood counter to get something. I got a soda, but Sarah asked for a water. The cashier had a middle-eastern accent, and he couldn't understand Sarah's Aussie/Kiwi accent. It was quite funny, because I served as a translator. :D
When we were in the gift shop at the Cultural Center, we found a book that's title was "A Gay and Lesbian Guide to Chicago." I made a crack about wondering if straight people would see a different Chicago than gay or lesbian folks, and someone said, "It's for the slashers!" So Simone decided to take a picture of the book so we could show it to you all later. She took the pic, and of course her flash went off and the grumpy lady at the counter shouted, "No pictures are allowed in here!" What's really funny is we took pics all over the place thoughout the building, but NO, NO PICTURES IN THE GIFT SHOP! Arrrggghhh!
Finally, we came to the end of tour, which was at Michael's apartment building. Then we walked back to the train station and said goodbye to Simone, who stayed in Chicago that night. It took about an hour to get back to Joliet, where we said goodbye to Colleen and Andrea and her mother. Pam, kids, Sarah and I loaded back into the van to drive a few hours up the road to sleep near Lake Michigan, which BTW, Route 66 goes right through Joliet, and we were on it for a little bit before we got back on the freeway headed toward Michigan. We stayed at the Super 8 in Sawyer, Michigan, which I thought was funny, being a Lost fan. Once we were in the hotel room, Emma realized she had left her sleeping buddies at the Joliet hotel. I tell this story, because I feel this is a perfect representation of how great Pam is--great mom, great friend, great hostess. As soon as they were sure the stuffed animals were not with us, Pam called the Joliet hotel. It was late, and the desk clerk wasn't very helpful, but Pam promised Em she'd call first thing in the morning. She quietly spoke to Emma to make sure she was all right (after all, her best friends had been left behind accidentally), and then we bedded down for the night. The next morning (the 15th), Pam called right away and sure enough the rascals had been found, and they were going to be mailed back to their rightful owner. Also, Sarah let me read her in-the-works Linc/Jane fic...which is very promising and quite long already, so I'm excited to read the rest of it once it's done!
Then we went to Lake Michigan, but it was a little overcast and rainy, so only the kids swam. The three ladies just stood in it up to their kneecaps. But still, the Great Lakes are amazing, and it was so interesting to feel the wake of the lake, but it wasn't the tide of the ocean, though it looked so ginormous. I was too tired to swim anyway, after all the walking we did.
Then I was taken to the airport and dropped off to fly on home.
On Friday, I had a few errands to run, and I had to go to the mall. I walked through Borders, not intending to buy anything, just passing through, but they had this giant picture book of Chicago! I got it for less that $10, but I had to have it. I would go back to Chicago in a heartbeat (well, as soon as I have money to do so). It is truly one of my favorite places on this earth now.
So I'm back to tell you the rest about my vacation. Let me precede my further ramblings by first telling you that I have fallen in love with Chicago. It is such a beautiful city and we had such a lovely tour guide in pamalax along with the map that miss_mazzie provided for us. Last night I watched The Lake House just to look for things I would recognize, and it was so fun. Besides landmarks that connect the movie to PB and our walk through there, Cynthia Kaye McWilliams has a bit part in the movie. In case you don't know who CKM is, she played Kacee Franklin, C-Note's wife. She must be a Chicago-based actress.
Also, I just wanted to take a moment to thank pamalax publically. She made the trip so enjoyable for all of us with her easy going manner and the ease with which we got everywhere. I had such a good time, and I know it was in large part due to her preparation. A couple years ago I traveled overseas, and my traveling companion had a very poor sense of direction, so I felt like it was on me the whole time to keep track of everything. Needless to say that added to my stress level. So I appreciate Pam and all she did more than I can sufficiently say. SO THANKS SO MUCH PAM! YOU ROCK AND RULE THE WORLD!
Clickety-click for the Chicago portion of the trip (and no, I didn't see Oprah!)
We got up relatively early on August 14th and went down for a *continental* breakfast at the hotel. After we ate, we said our goodbyes to Cin and Ashlee and made our way to the Joliet train station. We took the Metra from Joliet to downtown Chicago (getting off at LaSalle). Apparently Amtrak and the El run through Chicago too, which I knew, but I'd never heard of Metra before, but when I was watching The Lake House last night, Sandra Bullock totally rode the Metra! So it was about an hour train ride, but it was nice to see the city appear.
Then we walked, and walked, and walked. And saw, and saw, and saw. And squeed and squeed and squeed. It was so fantastic. Where did we go first? I can't even remember now. But I saw the El soon after we left the train station. Now, as a girl who has watched ER for 14 years, seeing the El was like seeing an old friend. So cool. We went to what was my favorite part of the whole excursion: the post where Lincoln leaned, shivering, calling Michael (who was attempting to sex up his brother's ex-girlfriend) asking for help. We took pics there, strapped barbie!Linc to the pole and were generally gawked at as we did it. It was so fun to know we were where Dom had been--for sure and for certain (I'm convinced he slept in our hotel room in Joliet too). Right across the street from that pole and parking garage is the Cultural Center, which is where they filmed the courtroom scenes for Linc's trial, and also used the stairs for a shot of Sara talking to her father, when she's trying to convince Frank of Linc's innocence. That building was simply breathtaking, and not a courthouse at all. We took lots of pics there too, some with barbie!Linc :D
Oh, first we went to Millenium Park, which is a gorgeous park with water towers that have faces on them and this cool bean-shaped metal structure that contorts the skyline, and where Veronica met and talked to Letecia Barris, early in S1. There were lots of little children running through the water, trying to cool off.
We also went to the bank Michael held up, but we didn't go inside. We walked to several buildings that were just used for *production value* which isn't hard in Chicago, because there is simply some of the most beautiful architecture I've ever seen. I took pics of the Chicago Tribune building and Sun-Times.
We found the pub where Michael and Veronica ran into each other; which is only a few walkable blocks to the building that was where Michael lived. Colleen and I were trying to determine if they actually walked all that way, because Veronica was pretty laced. We decided they took a cab, and that Michael's intentions were definitely not noble, otherwise he would have just had the taxi take Vee to her house. :D
Some funny stories from the general walking around-ness: We stopped at one point to use the toilet and Sarah and I decided we needed a drink too (you know, unload, re-load) so we walked to this fastfood counter to get something. I got a soda, but Sarah asked for a water. The cashier had a middle-eastern accent, and he couldn't understand Sarah's Aussie/Kiwi accent. It was quite funny, because I served as a translator. :D
When we were in the gift shop at the Cultural Center, we found a book that's title was "A Gay and Lesbian Guide to Chicago." I made a crack about wondering if straight people would see a different Chicago than gay or lesbian folks, and someone said, "It's for the slashers!" So Simone decided to take a picture of the book so we could show it to you all later. She took the pic, and of course her flash went off and the grumpy lady at the counter shouted, "No pictures are allowed in here!" What's really funny is we took pics all over the place thoughout the building, but NO, NO PICTURES IN THE GIFT SHOP! Arrrggghhh!
Finally, we came to the end of tour, which was at Michael's apartment building. Then we walked back to the train station and said goodbye to Simone, who stayed in Chicago that night. It took about an hour to get back to Joliet, where we said goodbye to Colleen and Andrea and her mother. Pam, kids, Sarah and I loaded back into the van to drive a few hours up the road to sleep near Lake Michigan, which BTW, Route 66 goes right through Joliet, and we were on it for a little bit before we got back on the freeway headed toward Michigan. We stayed at the Super 8 in Sawyer, Michigan, which I thought was funny, being a Lost fan. Once we were in the hotel room, Emma realized she had left her sleeping buddies at the Joliet hotel. I tell this story, because I feel this is a perfect representation of how great Pam is--great mom, great friend, great hostess. As soon as they were sure the stuffed animals were not with us, Pam called the Joliet hotel. It was late, and the desk clerk wasn't very helpful, but Pam promised Em she'd call first thing in the morning. She quietly spoke to Emma to make sure she was all right (after all, her best friends had been left behind accidentally), and then we bedded down for the night. The next morning (the 15th), Pam called right away and sure enough the rascals had been found, and they were going to be mailed back to their rightful owner. Also, Sarah let me read her in-the-works Linc/Jane fic...which is very promising and quite long already, so I'm excited to read the rest of it once it's done!
Then we went to Lake Michigan, but it was a little overcast and rainy, so only the kids swam. The three ladies just stood in it up to their kneecaps. But still, the Great Lakes are amazing, and it was so interesting to feel the wake of the lake, but it wasn't the tide of the ocean, though it looked so ginormous. I was too tired to swim anyway, after all the walking we did.
Then I was taken to the airport and dropped off to fly on home.
On Friday, I had a few errands to run, and I had to go to the mall. I walked through Borders, not intending to buy anything, just passing through, but they had this giant picture book of Chicago! I got it for less that $10, but I had to have it. I would go back to Chicago in a heartbeat (well, as soon as I have money to do so). It is truly one of my favorite places on this earth now.