Cheesecake at Woodfield
Note: Backdated due to LJ maintenance.
Ideally I'll make this quick, because I'm tired, but we'll see.
Months ago, my dad acquired a Cheesecake Factory gift card. We don't have one in the immediate vicinity, but we knew there was one out at Woodfield. Since mom was off this week, and dad could get the day off, we decided to do a day at the mall with one goal to eat at CF.
We left about nine and got there about ten, apparently just beating the crowds. We walked around for a bit before going for lunch, and we got seated right away; it wasn't long before it got crowded and there were long lines at the door. I wasn't super-hungry and went with a salad; dad got this humongous burrito that looked like it could feed a family of four. Both of us took half our food home. Mom went with this salmon plate and forced herself to eat it all. We still all had cheesecake, of course, but all of us brought part of it home. On the way out, I used the bathroom, and just before I finished I heard someone say that you had to go outside and come back in to get to the mall--this restaurant had dual entrances. I had no idea what they were talking about, and when I finished all I saw was this huge line of people waiting to get seated but nothing blocking the way. I met mom outside, who also asked if I had to go out and then back in--turned out someone had gotten sick and they had to call an ambulance, and there had been a gurney blocking the door going directly to the mall. Whoa. The ambulance was still outside, but the gurney had left. I hope they're okay.
We wandered the mall for quite some time; it was almost four when we left. I did managed to pick up a few gifts, so at least the trip was worthwhile for me. I also got to check out the Borders Express--realize the WB there closed around the time my store closed, and I'm not sure there's been a bookstore there since. This one looked like a kiosk, actually, like it was there just for the holidays the way the back of the store was set up. I was disappointed, but then again I'm not that familiars with the BEs and that could just be what they're going with these days. I was jealous that their kiosk was directly across the hall; how many years did I spend running across the mall for change and what-not? But I wonder if they were completely independent stores. Curious. I may have to ask my spies to see if they know anything.
Other interesting tidbits...we saw a pillow--embroidered--at Lord & Taylor that said something like "Sisterhood is a GIET." Nice. We saw all sorts of ornaments, but I was more interested in the stocking stuffers at Penney's--they had battery-powered glowsticks! They were so cool! I made such a fuss about them that my dad about bought me one. He was more into the bouncy balls that lit up. And we saw deli meat slicers in a big stack on display; I noticed them first and cracked up. (It's an in-joke in my family.) Dad really liked the white Christmas trees at Macy's; they totally glowed when they were lit up. Very pretty.
The weirdness happened when we left and went to the car. As we got close to where we were parked, mom and I both heard a car running--and it sounded like mom's car. We thought dad used a remote starter--but mom's car doesn't have one of those, I don't think, and dad swore he didn't do anything. Then, when we got in, I saw that dad had to press the button twice to start it (mom's car doesn't use a key to start--you hold down the brake and press the ignition button). I'm pretty sure dad somehow left the car running. He'd gone out for a cigarette and to drop off our leftovers after CF, though he said he didn't go in the car, just the trunk, at that time. SO WEIRD. And he didn't hear the sound of the car running, either. Now he thinks I'm just trying to cause trouble by saying he left the car on; look, I know what I saw on the dashboard. It has this little readout on it and when I got in the car, it had the readout it has when the car is on, not when it's off and you first get in it (where it reminds you how to start the car). Gotta remember to keep an eye on him with that car. (Meanwhile, both of them think that the car can't run if the key fob isn't near it; we may have to experiment.) Then, on the way home, there was an accident on Golf where a car ran into a pole, so just getting past that point took 20 minutes and involved everyone getting into our lane, which was a blast, especially when this huge truck was like an inch from the car. Hello, you just got here; we've been waiting in this lane for a while. Just let us through. Let's not cause another accident. But we made it out and home and it's nice to be sitting. The floors there are so hard. When we went to Nordstrom, it was all the more jarring because they had this super-soft carpeting in places. It was like you sank into it. Frankly, I preferred sinking into a chair...which is where I am now. Hooray.
Ideally I'll make this quick, because I'm tired, but we'll see.
Months ago, my dad acquired a Cheesecake Factory gift card. We don't have one in the immediate vicinity, but we knew there was one out at Woodfield. Since mom was off this week, and dad could get the day off, we decided to do a day at the mall with one goal to eat at CF.
We left about nine and got there about ten, apparently just beating the crowds. We walked around for a bit before going for lunch, and we got seated right away; it wasn't long before it got crowded and there were long lines at the door. I wasn't super-hungry and went with a salad; dad got this humongous burrito that looked like it could feed a family of four. Both of us took half our food home. Mom went with this salmon plate and forced herself to eat it all. We still all had cheesecake, of course, but all of us brought part of it home. On the way out, I used the bathroom, and just before I finished I heard someone say that you had to go outside and come back in to get to the mall--this restaurant had dual entrances. I had no idea what they were talking about, and when I finished all I saw was this huge line of people waiting to get seated but nothing blocking the way. I met mom outside, who also asked if I had to go out and then back in--turned out someone had gotten sick and they had to call an ambulance, and there had been a gurney blocking the door going directly to the mall. Whoa. The ambulance was still outside, but the gurney had left. I hope they're okay.
We wandered the mall for quite some time; it was almost four when we left. I did managed to pick up a few gifts, so at least the trip was worthwhile for me. I also got to check out the Borders Express--realize the WB there closed around the time my store closed, and I'm not sure there's been a bookstore there since. This one looked like a kiosk, actually, like it was there just for the holidays the way the back of the store was set up. I was disappointed, but then again I'm not that familiars with the BEs and that could just be what they're going with these days. I was jealous that their kiosk was directly across the hall; how many years did I spend running across the mall for change and what-not? But I wonder if they were completely independent stores. Curious. I may have to ask my spies to see if they know anything.
Other interesting tidbits...we saw a pillow--embroidered--at Lord & Taylor that said something like "Sisterhood is a GIET." Nice. We saw all sorts of ornaments, but I was more interested in the stocking stuffers at Penney's--they had battery-powered glowsticks! They were so cool! I made such a fuss about them that my dad about bought me one. He was more into the bouncy balls that lit up. And we saw deli meat slicers in a big stack on display; I noticed them first and cracked up. (It's an in-joke in my family.) Dad really liked the white Christmas trees at Macy's; they totally glowed when they were lit up. Very pretty.
The weirdness happened when we left and went to the car. As we got close to where we were parked, mom and I both heard a car running--and it sounded like mom's car. We thought dad used a remote starter--but mom's car doesn't have one of those, I don't think, and dad swore he didn't do anything. Then, when we got in, I saw that dad had to press the button twice to start it (mom's car doesn't use a key to start--you hold down the brake and press the ignition button). I'm pretty sure dad somehow left the car running. He'd gone out for a cigarette and to drop off our leftovers after CF, though he said he didn't go in the car, just the trunk, at that time. SO WEIRD. And he didn't hear the sound of the car running, either. Now he thinks I'm just trying to cause trouble by saying he left the car on; look, I know what I saw on the dashboard. It has this little readout on it and when I got in the car, it had the readout it has when the car is on, not when it's off and you first get in it (where it reminds you how to start the car). Gotta remember to keep an eye on him with that car. (Meanwhile, both of them think that the car can't run if the key fob isn't near it; we may have to experiment.) Then, on the way home, there was an accident on Golf where a car ran into a pole, so just getting past that point took 20 minutes and involved everyone getting into our lane, which was a blast, especially when this huge truck was like an inch from the car. Hello, you just got here; we've been waiting in this lane for a while. Just let us through. Let's not cause another accident. But we made it out and home and it's nice to be sitting. The floors there are so hard. When we went to Nordstrom, it was all the more jarring because they had this super-soft carpeting in places. It was like you sank into it. Frankly, I preferred sinking into a chair...which is where I am now. Hooray.