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Twosday XVI: Chicago & South Bend Edition

Published on June 24, 2014 By Emily. Updated on June 27, 2014

This weekend, Brian and I took a quick trip to South Bend for a college friend’s wedding.   Since we were headed that way we decided to make a mini-vacation of it and spent a couple nights in Chicago.   Brian hadn’t been in forever and I hadn’t seen Chicago since the 2010 Healthy Living Summit.   The wedding was lovely, the weekend was great and now we’re easing into the summer routine.

Emily at the bean

Things I hate about airports, generally and O’Hare specifically
1. The “hurry up and wait” mentality…be early so you can wait in line for security so you can hurry to your gate so you can sit for the remaining 45 minutes so you can hurry to get in line to board 30 minutes before take-off during which time you will sit on the tarmac.  No, thanks.
2. There is a serious lack of signage at O’Hare for the rental car locations.  We probably spent at least half an hour wandering around O’Hare trying to figure out how to get to the rental car place, were given unclear/incorrect directions multiple times and when we finally got there had to wait almost another hour because they were so backed up due to everyone’s flights being delayed on Thursday.

Things that were awesome about our flights
1. No major flight delays, just an hour for arrival and half an hour for departure.  I can live with that.
2. Even though our flight to Chicago was only 2 hours long, there were TV shows (Beat Bobby Flay and Shark Tank) available to watch.  Yes, please.

Decisions I might choose to make next time I travel to that area
1. Flying into Midway.  I’ve flown through O’Hare multiple times before and it was the best deal, but we were not impressed.
2. Skipping the car and using public transportation, though we did drive around a very nice Nissan Frontier for the weekend and I’m not sure how we would’ve worked out the South Bend end of the trip without it.

giordanos pizza

Chicago style foods we made sure to eat
1. Stuffed pizza from Giordano’s, which we ate at 10:40 at night after we finally arrived at O’Hare and found our rental car.  Thank goodness the people at the Rosemont location were incredibly friendly and didn’t seem to care that people, including us, were there after closing.
2.  Chicago-style hot dogs.  I don’t care for ketchup and after a busy morning at the museum we were so hungry.  We purchased our dogs from a food truck just outside the Field Museum and they really hit the spot.

field museum main gallery

Chicago attractions we made sure to visit
1. “The Bean”
2. The Field Museum, which was my primary motivation for wanting to go to Chicago.  It was even better than I could have dreamed; the place is huge!  We checked out the Chicago World’s Fair exhibit and all the other things we could fit in before we felt overwhelmed.  I may have an obsession with Sue, the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

studebakers

Facts I learned over the weekend
1.  Studebaker cars were manufactured in South Bend.  And you can have your wedding at the museum.
2.  Chicago is on central time.  I always forget this.  Adding to the fun, South Bend is on eastern time.  Math is hard.

Books I added to my “to read” list over the weekend after seeing them in stores
1. The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story
2. The Lions of Tsavo: Exploring the Legacy of Africa’s Notorious Man-Eaters (the lions are on display at the Field)

Purchases we made with the rationalization that it was just past our 10 year dating anniversary, almost Brian’s birthday and almost our 5 year wedding anniversary
1.  Spending $25 on a package of mini Vosges chocolate bars in O’Hare
2.  Taking the trip, in general, which included direct flights (see my feelings about airports above), hotels, meals out and the like.  This basically concludes the travel portion of our summer.

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Filed Under: life, travel Tagged With: chicago, travel, twosday

« To Do: Summer 2014
5 Wedding Gifts I’d Register For Again »

Comments

  1. Kelly says

    June 24, 2014 at 9:33 pm

    Oh my gosh that Giordano’s pizza looks amazing. It’s been too long since I’ve had a good Chicago style pizza!’

    • Emily says

      June 27, 2014 at 8:31 am

      Oh, it was amazing! I’m already ready to go back and get more!

      • Kelly says

        June 27, 2014 at 9:11 am

        Fun fact: You can order them and have them shipped to you! They obviously aren’t as good as they would be fresh, but they are still tasty when you are craving that classic deep dish style!

  2. katie says

    June 25, 2014 at 10:15 am

    Its been a few years since I’ve been to chicago, and that really needs to change!

  3. Krista @ Can't Survive on Yarn Alone says

    June 26, 2014 at 10:48 pm

    MIDWAY all the way! If I can help it, that is my departure airport out of here. I’ve even paid slightly more (not a ton more) to not have to deal w the madness of O’Hare.

    • Emily says

      June 27, 2014 at 8:35 am

      I’ve flown through O’Hare before with no problems AND we could get direct flights from Albany there, which saved us a lot of time and stress. If we do it again, at least we’ll know what to expect.

      • Krista @ Can't Survive on Yarn Alone says

        June 27, 2014 at 9:05 pm

        TOTALLY makes sense then. :)

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Emily
This week I - drove across the state for 4 days of This week I
- drove across the state for 4 days of 8 am to 4 pm professional development
- was incredibly impressed with the facilities and food at @wyliecenter and @tuppermanor
- wandered my undergrad campus at dusk
- started to wrap my head around @openscied
- spent quality time with @ryntintin12
- enjoyed several of Beverly's breweries and restaurants including @thecastlebeverly, @backbeatbrewing, @lavictoriataco, @oldplantersbrewing
- Enjoyed an evening with one of my closest friends from college
- took deep breaths and watched birds at the ocean 
- visited the mall and Whole Foods primarily to see what life is like for the other half of the state
- rediscovered a love of taking the scenic route, making unplanned detours and checking out small towns along the way
It was a cold and cloudy morning, but we made it t It was a cold and cloudy morning, but we made it to our second annual strawberry picking at @mountainviewfarm413, which included E's first tractor ride (she was very excited). We picked about 9 pounds of strawberries and I'm looking forward to eating them! 🍓
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Scenes from this morning in Adams, featuring @shir Scenes from this morning in Adams, featuring @shiredonuts, Poseidon Coffee, the Ashwillticook Rail Trail, St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Adams Free Library and beautiful flowers.
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I don't have clear words to express my feelings ab I don't have clear words to express my feelings about the state of the world lately. As a teacher and a mother, it has been extra difficult this week to be fully present in my roles without thinking about innocent lives that should have had longer on Earth. How what has happened in each of the many mass shootings this year can happen anywhere. If you are feeling sad and frustrated too, you are not alone.

I don't have answers, but I'm trying to take care of myself and my biological and school families. I'm saying "I love you" a lot to my children and my students. I'm closely following and sharing the work of @everytown while contacting my state and federal representatives and the president. I'm going for walks and getting fresh air and trying not to overload on news. I'm sharing good resources in my stories as I see them.
UPDATE: the giveaway is now CLOSED. Congrats @aloh UPDATE: the giveaway is now CLOSED. Congrats @alohr3!

 @thelazygenius' second book, The Lazy Genius Kitchen, is finally here and I'm so excited! I don't purchase many books, but I pre-ordered this last July because I knew it would be right up my alley and then I pre-ordered a second copy because I knew that I'd want to give one away.

Author Kendra Adachi has been one of my favorite voices in recent years. Her principles (shared through her first book, The Lazy Genius Podcast and her Instagram) have helped me focus my priorities and give myself more grace. 

This book is NOT a cookbook (it has just 2 recipes), it is a kitchen guide - to help you "have what you need, use what you have, and enjoy it like never before". It is beautiful (full color!) and thoughtful.

I'm very excited to send this book to one of you.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below with one of your greatest kitchen struggles. 
I'll draw a winner at 8 pm on Friday, May 6.
This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram or The Lazy Genius, Kendra Adachi.
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This morning we took advantage of @massmoca's Berk This morning we took advantage of @massmoca's Berkshire Teacher and Social Worker Appreciation Day free admission. After enjoying the student Art Invitational exhibit, the 4 of us took in several of the other galleries. Mass MoCA always impresses and it was delightful to be able to be out in the world with my kids.
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Today I finally found my way into @plantconnector, Today I finally found my way into @plantconnector, in its new location on Main Street in North Adams. The shop is incredible - the displays are great and the plants are delightful. There's a refill station with bottles and jars for soaps, detergents and other products, a terrarium bar, and an abundance of sustainable and beautiful products. I'm now in the process of pondering who I can purchase Plant Connector gifts for in the coming months.
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This is your periodic reminder that @berkshiremuse This is your periodic reminder that @berkshiremuseum is a great visit for all ages. The current Voyage to the Deep exhibit, which involves an interactive Nautilus submarine that my 5 year old spent literally hours in.  We also thoroughly enjoyed the Aquarium and Berkshire Backyard. Highly recommended - we'll be back soon!
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My January and early February menu plans for my @m My January and early February menu plans for my @mightyfoodfarm vegetables are finally up on the blog. See how we're making use of these beautiful items, as well as the items from the other pick up we made in the past month. 
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