Weekend Getaway

Remember how I said in my first post that I like to travel but don't get out of the Midwest very often?  This past weekend was an example of that.  Friday morning, I loaded up the car & drove north to Chicago to visit my best friend, Jessica.

Let me back up & provide some background info.  Jessica & I have been best friends now for over a decade.  It seems hard to believe that it's been that long sometimes, but we've known each other since our freshmen year of high school.  We didn't really become best friends until our junior year, though, when we sat next to each other in religion class.  We bonded back then over our first boyfriends &..well, our first heartbreaks.

I realized Jessica held a special place in my heart when I was at home one night, sitting at the kitchen table after school, just minding my own business, when my dad asked me why I had such a silly grin on my face.  I didn't realize it, but a smile had crept across my face as I was replaying the day's events in my mind & laughing to myself about an inside joke between Jessica & myself (Gucci shoes ;-) ).  From that point on, we've been pretty much inseparable.

Well, kind of..we've had to maintain a long-distance friendship for some time now.  We went our separate ways for undergraduate & grad school, but we kept in contact through Facebook & text messages.  And last summer, she accepted a big girl job in Chicago..so now I make special trips up to the big city to visit her from time to time.

So, as I was saying, I packed up & headed north early Friday morning.  I met Jessica downtown when she got off work & we grabbed a late lunch.  Then, we set out to do some touristy stuff.  Our first stop for the weekend was the Shedd Aquarium.

Outside the Shedd Aquarium with the Chicago skyline & Lake Michigan in the background
(it was a little breezy that day)

I had never been to an aquarium before (sad, I know..I live a very deprived life), so I was excited to go & see the aquatic show.  Unfortunately, by the time we got there, the aquatic shows were sold out for the day.  But we were still able to see the marine animals with their trainers & some other exhibits, so I was still happy.

That night, we decided to stay in & relax.  We made some dinner & just hung out around Jessica's apartment.  The next morning, we got up bright & early to take in some views along Lake Michigan.  The weather was beautiful, so we walked down to the beaches & strolled along the lake.

As we got closer to the downtown area, the beaches & parks got busier & more crowded.  We eventually walked right into a 5K run/walk for Epilepsy & also came across several children's soccer games.  On the way back to Jessica's apartment, we strolled along Lake Shore Drive.  It was nice to take in the scenery & experience that side of Chicago.

When we got back to Jessica's apartment, we got cleaned up & then headed over to Wrigley Field.  One of Jessica's friends hooked us up with some free Cubs tickets, so we went behind enemy lines that day.

See that orange section in the bleachers above?  That entire area was full of NY Mets fans..  I got a kick out of that ;-)

Jessica wouldn't let me wear this shirt to the game.  Apparently Cubs fans aren't very friendly..

Surprisingly, the Cubs won that day.  And of course, the fans were ecstatic & got to sing their song after the game.  I can't really blame them, though.. I mean, if my team hadn't made it to the postseason in 5 years (or to the World Series in over 100 years!), I'd celebrate as often as I could, too :-P

We were nice, though, & kept our comments to ourselves to avoid any confrontation, even after Jessica got kicked in the arm when a foul ball landed in our section & all the Cubs fans around us scrambled to get it.

After the game, we headed over to the Lincoln Park Zoo.  We meandered around to kill time before dinner.  We were about to leave shortly before the zoo was closing but then decided to go into the African exhibit at the last minute. 

I think this area was my favorite part of the zoo!  We were able to get a lot closer to the animals than at the St. Louis Zoo, & the exhibit really seemed like we were on a safari.

I liked the waterfall in the background of this photo, but it's hard to see behind the post of the bridge.

After the zoo, we headed to dinner.  Jessica had received a promotion at work the week before (congrats!!), so I told her she could pick any place to eat that night & I'd treat her to dinner.  She chose Lou Malnati's, so we got pizza & drinks to celebrate that night.  She also mentioned that she had been wanting to see The Great Gatsby, so after dinner, we capped the night off with a movie.

The next morning, I drug Jessica to church & then we went downtown to Michigan Avenue to do some shopping at Water Tower Place.  I wish we had more time to shop, but I had to cut it short because I had a long drive home later that day.

It was a great weekend getaway.  I love visiting & exploring new places.  Last time I visited, we hit up the Skydeck & Navy Pier, so this time we had to find some other sites to see.  I'm already looking forward to my next visit & all the adventures we'll have!

I love you, Jess..wish I could be there with you more often, but I'm looking forward to hanging out with you this weekend when you come home!

Please keep all the military men, women, & their loved ones in your thoughts & prayers this holiday weekend.  This year, Memorial Day has a special meaning to us.

AJR 3.18.13