Chicago!

A Special Night: January 5, 2013

So, I have been tasked with giving a brief account of our special night over X-mas break.  Although Kara had some notion that this was in the pipeline, I think that it was still a bit of a surprise for her.  We didn't have much time together over X-mas break, as we were both trying to enjoy some family time during our only return to Los Estados Unidos.  Anyways, here goes: 

For those that know Kara and myself, you already know that we both love basketball.  While I am borderline obsessive, Kara and I have always loved to play basketball together.  This has been one of our important past times in Chicago.  Whenever we have time on a Saturday, we would go up to the gym at Loyola Medical Center where we would play pick-up bball for anywhere from two to sometimes four hours at a time.  Basketball was actually one of the first things that we did together (as our friendship developed late Freshman year), and it remains an important part of our relationship SIX (yikes...) years later.  So on the morning of January 5th we went up to Loyola to play bball together.  I'm happy to say that we played on the same team (always a good thing for a competitive couple...) and managed to string a few wins together.

Our HomeCourt

After a couple hours of hoops, I planned on having a lunch at Yum Thai.  For those who don't know about Yum Thai, it is a wonderful (and relatively inexpensive) Thai Restaurant on Madison St in Forest Park.  I discovered this restaurant (well, it was recommended to me...) my first year at Loyola, and since then Kara has always tried to make a stop here whenever she would visit from St. Louis for the weekend.  Try the Pad See Yew or the Massuman's curry, you won't regret it!

 

I try not to think about how much of my loan $ went directly to Yum Thai

View from Yum Thai

After Yum Thai, we had made plans to enjoy a show at The Second City.  This has become another one of our favorite past times in Chicago.  When Kara used to take the Megabus from St. Louis to Chicago, I would pick her up from the station and we would head up to North Wells where you could walk-in to see the Improv skits after the shows had ended.  Sharing laughs here with Kara is one of my fondest memories from our time together in Chicago. 

The Second City!

Front Row Seats!

After a couple of hours of laughing it up about the Cubs, Chicago politics, and a particularly funny skit concerning the summer tourists, we headed back to Kara's old neighborhood, Lakeview.  Kara was lucky to enjoy a year living with some of her closest friends here--Teresa and T-wong.  We walked a bit around her neighborhood and then sat down for dinner at her favorite local restaurant Cafe Orchid.  Cafe Orchid is a family-owned Turkish Restaurant that is bluntly honest about their platters--dishes include "Best Hummus" as well as entrees with "(highly recommended)" written behind their names.  Order the Iskender, feel free to thank me later...

 

 Hello Turkish Wonder fullness

After enjoying our Turkish feast, I suggested to Kara that we might go walk around a bit downtown.  I think that is when she might have started to get suspicious for the first time--it was a actually a bit colder than I had hoped and at one point I thought she was going to reject the idea completely.  We made our way out to the Adler Planetarium, one of the best views of Chicago (in my humble opinion).  So we took a walk...

 

And...

 

 

I must give a quick word of thanks to my older brother JP, who was in on the scheme and played the role of our chauffeur as well as provider of the much-needed hot-chocolate (peppermint Schnapps? check). 

Thanks mon frère "that means brother in french. I don't know how I know that, I took 3 years of Spanish"

 

Whats a special night without Chicago's finest hotel.

The view from our Lakeside Suite!

Sofa on the elevator?  Treat Yoself!

Our chauffeure dropped us off at the Drake where we took a minute to spread our good news.  Then it was off to the lobby for a drink and a dance.  We enjoyed some Michael Jackson including "I Wanna Rock with You" as well as "The Way you Make Me Feel." 

Some older couples cutting it up on the dance floor.  

Lobby of the Drake

A Few of our Favorite Things: Andre Champagne and Mint Meltaways

 

Morning View

Thanks to our friends and family who have supported us over the years.  We have been blessed to have this time in Bolivia together, and we understand how lucky we are to undertake an adventure like this together.  That being said, we are looking forward to returning to Chicago (very soon!) for at least a year.  Looking forward to seeing you all.