Picturesque escapades in the city...

Late Tuesday morning I decided to head off to the Art Institute of Chicago on my own. I love to get lost for hours upon hours exploring museums, and since Sonny was at work this was a perfect opportunity for me to do so. I was pretty impressed with the art exhibits at the museum. They had a decent selection containing Picasso, Matisse, Seurat, Monet, Wood & Hopper just to name a few. They even had an Egyptian exhibit which I have always been fascinated with, but it hardly compared to the Egyptian exhibit at the Met in New York (which I will be visiting again next week!).

Picasso

Monet

Seurat

Wood

Hopper

Later in the evening Sonny and I headed to Navy Pier. He had challenged me to a game of putt putt (which he totally kicked my butt) and he also wanted to show me the view from the Ferris Wheel. The pier was a little touristy, but it was fun to experience it nonetheless.




Wednesday afternoon I met Sonny for lunch at Rivers. We sat outside at a table right on the river. The food and the atmosphere were superfluous. Sears Tower is just down the street from Rivers, so I headed over there right after lunch. Sears Tower is another touristy attraction, but the view up there is spectacular.



To finish off our day we headed to a White Sox game. It was fun, but not nearly as fun as the Cubs game. There was a different feel at the Cubs game; the people there seemed to be more energized. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to experience both.

Ravinia...

Sonny asked me if I had any interest in going to a park outside the city to listen to string quartet perform while enjoying a picnic on the grass. I answered with a resounding ABSOLUTELY! The concert was on a Monday evening, so Sonny had to work during the day. I spent Monday afternoon packing an amazing, if I do say so myself, picnic for us to enjoy. Goat cheese. Check. Brie. Check. Prosciutto. Check. Almonds, hummus & cherries. Check, check, check. Oh, and how could I forget about the wine?! I packed 2 bottles for good measure.

With the picnic all ready to go I headed down to meet Sonny at the train station. The string quartet was due to start at 8 PM in Ravinia which is about a 45 minute train ride outside the city. We wanted to arrive early so we could set up our picnic and relax in the park. At Ravinia you can watch the performance from the Theatre (or the Hall or Pavillion depending on the concert) or you can purchase lawn tickets and picnic out on Ravinia's expansive lawn. The concert is broadcast out onto the lawn audience from their state-of-the-art sound system so we didn't have to worry about not being able to hear the concert.

The Martin Theatre

The Lawn

The Julliard String Quartet commenced promptly at 8. They performed beautifully. As the sun went down everyone began to light candles which created an amazing ambiance. Earlier in the evening the sky was slightly overcast, but as the evening went on the curtain of clouds dissipated to reveal the star encrusted sky. It was a magical evening.

A leisurely Sunday...

Sunday morning Sonny decided to take me to Chinatown to introduce me to Dim Sum. Apparently everyone else in Chicago had the same idea as us because we had quite a wait at Shui Wah. The wait was well worth it. It was a fun new dining experience and I encourage everyone go and to try it. After eating entirely too much food we explored the streets of Chinatown before hopping on the Red Line to Lincoln Park.

When we got off the train we walked through the most gorgeous neighborhood on the way to the park. The streets were lined with trees and decadent homes. If I were to move to Chicago someday this is the neighborhood I would like to live in.


While exploring Lincoln Park we stumbled across a charming lily pond. Chicago seems to have captivating little jewels strewn amongst the entire city just waiting to be discovered!

Adjacent to the lily pond was the Lincoln Park Zoo. Exploring the zoo was a perfect way to spend a leisurely Sunday afternoon. It's not too big, so you can go and see it all in a couple of hours. After viewing the animal exhibits we grabbed a table near the South Lagoon and people watched as we enjoyed a beer.
We had been nonstop busy since I arrived in Chicago and so this day was much needed interlude.

A Wicked good time...

Saturday morning we awoke with a bit of a hangover from the festivities the prior evening. There is no better cure for a hangover than a big greasy hamburger, so off we went to Boston Blackies which is famous for their "hefty" burgers. After lunch we decided to catch a movie. We went and saw The Happening (which is NOT happening in case you were curious). After the movie we headed home to get ready for our evening affairs.

We met Sonny's friends for dinner at Dao Thai before heading off to see Wicked The Musical. I must say that I was most impressed with Wicked. I wasn't too sure what to expect, although I had heard several people rave about it. It was very well written and highly entertaining. It was Sonny's idea that we go to see the show and I am so glad that we did!

30 things I want to do/accomplish before I'm 30...

While I have been in Chicago I have been doing a lot of walking around the city. I think that the best way to really get a feel for a city is to explore it by walking the streets. Sometimes it can't be avoided and Sonny and I must take the subway or a cab, but for the most part my transportation of choice is to go by foot. This week Sonny has been working during the day, and so I am left to explore the city on my own. While exploring the city I rock out to my I-pod and get lost in my thoughts. As I was walking down Michigan Avenue (The Magnificent Mile) to meet Sonny for lunch yesterday I began to think about what it is that I would like to accomplish in the next few years, or more specifically, before I turn 30. I decided to compile a list of 30 things that I would like to do/accomplish before I turn 30. As I began to compose my ideas of what I would like to accomplish before 30 I quickly noticed a recurring theme. Most of the things that I want to accomplish on my list over the next few years involve travel. This has confirmed that I have made the right decision to pursue my dreams to travel. Without further ado, here is my list:

1. Visit Greece












2. Learn how to sail








3. Learn another language












4. Go scuba diving








5. Visit the Taj Mahal









6. Visit the pyramids in Egypt









7. Pay off my debt












8. Visit Thailand









9. Visit Hong Kong









10. Replenish retirement account












11. Visit all 50 U.S. states









12. Visit Brazil








13. Visit Australia









14. Visit France












15. Visit Russia












16. Visit Switzerland









17. Go on an African Safari








18. Swim with the great white sharks








19. Visit Dubai












20. Visit Japan









21. Take some photography classes









22. Take some cooking classes in Italy









23. Visit Scotland








24. Visit Ireland









25. Visit England









26. Visit the Bahamas









27. Visit Canada









28. Visit Costa Rica








29. Live in another country












30. Live in a large metropolitan city









It will be exciting to see if I am able to accomplish all of these things before I reach 30. Let the countdown to the completion of my accomplishments begin!


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