Wisconsin

Who knew that traffic leaving Chicago at 5:30 a.m. on a weekday was so horrendous? Now, I do. First stop Taliesin, home of megalomaniac Frank Lloyd Wright. Very interesting - great architect, crummy contractor, everything leaks or is falling apart. Ideas and execution are very different beasts. The Atrium B&B in Eau Claire was our haven for the evening and it was fab - huge suite, plasma TV, reclining chairs, wine & cheese - aaahhhh. Too bad the owners have sold it and will be gone in a month :( The seatbelt in mom's Toyota was jammed but thanks to Markquart Toyota we now know how to pull off the door seal, pry back the seat belt mechanism and fix it ourselves next time! Next stop Chippewa Falls for the Leinenkugel Brewery Tour and Olson's kiwi/watermelon ice cream. Mom commented on how clean the air is up here and the friendliness of the natives - hope we can keep her in Cincinnati!

Chicago

Monday dawned bright as we boarded the bus on Lake Shore Drive heading south to upper Michigan Avenue - $2.25 for me one way and $1 for mom (but if she had a senior citizen bus pass - free!). The skies started to spit (gently and you dried off as you stuck your head in a store) as we strolled through and past Neiman Marcus, the Disney Store (not many of these around anymore), Crate & Barrel (my best job ever as assistant to the store designer for the Christmas season back in 1979 but I digress), Saks, etc. An early lunch at the Corner Bakery gave us a chance to get off our feet, peruse the local newspapers and split a Turkey Asiago sandwich - marinated artichokes, pesto, roasted sweet balsamic onions, spinach, mmmmmm. Mom is so healthy and active at 79 that I always try to behave around her. The skies cleared, the wind was blowing - Mom remarked that Kansas City & Chicago have lots of wind but Cincinnati doesn't so the air seems so different. Crossed Michigan to the Tribune Tower. For some unknown reason, mom didn't know that the Tower was adorned with stones from famous buildings and sites around the world. We figured that in all the years of us kids growing up in the Chicago area she must have sent us & dad in with whatever visitors we had while she had some time to herself at home! American Gothic as a 20 foot statue is now on display next door to the Tribune Tower - way cool!! Continued down Michigan Avenue with a stop in the Hard Rock Hotel in the former Carbide & Carbon building - nice bathrooms and grabbed a bit of time on their lobby computer. The Cultural Center housed in the old Chicago Public Library is a feast for the senses with the the largest Tiffany Dome, incredible mosaic work, a Chicago Information Center and changing displays. We sauntered across the street to complete one of our missions of the day - leaving dad at Millennium Park. Dad passed away in December but he is always near, accompanying us on our journeys and enjoying them with us. The bean, oh, I mean Cloud Gate, was wonderful as always and the shrieks of children splashing in the fountains helped us cool off. More to see as we popped in Posters Plus for a look at their incredible vintage poster selection. My fav has to be the Archicenter - we spent 45 minutes between their shop, exhibits, and a great, opinionated, intelligent docent whose name we can't remember (this old age stuff bites sometimes). Needed socks so a trip to Marshall Field's was in order - oh wait, I mean Macy's on State Street - whatever... lots of good retail on State Street - Filene's Basement, TJ Maxx, a huge Sears, H&M - just enough for window shopping before dinner at the Berghoff with Missy, Ted, Madeleine & Wally. Yes, it's still there after being shut by the owner's daughter in 2006 for purging/modernization. Sauerbraten, potato pancakes, and creamed spinach are still on the menu so I was a very happy camper. We slept well.

Life without internet is tough when you want to post...

Day 4 of the Chicago/WI/MN trip... I'll back up. Left Cincinnati at 9:17 a.m. on Sunday for a supposed 5 hour trip to Chicago. Roads were clear, traffic moving along, a lunch stop was quick & pleasant then %^*#. About 15 miles south of Crown Point, IN everything stopped. People took out cornhole games, others roller bladed between the cars, a skateboard whizzed past. Turns out a 6 car pile-up where the road condensed into one lane due to construction was the culprit. An hour later we were on our way. Breezed through Gary, soared across the Skyway then hit Lake Shore Drive. What were we thinking? A beautiful summer Sunday afternoon in Chicago and everyone from a 25 mile radius is flocking to Lake Michigan. FINALLY made it to my brother Wally's after 4:00 p.m. (subtract an hour for the change from EST to CST) and that's an 8+ hour trip. AAARRRGGHHHH

St. Louis is always fun.

My sister, Lise, has lived in St. Louis forever. She has unlimited energy, works hard and plays hard. Visiting her is not really relaxing but stimulating. Arrived Friday evening which meant drinks then a new Mexican place then home for the only activity in which I will compete with her at - SCRABBLE. I got killed 351-335. Humbling. Saturday brought yard sales, massages, picking up Maryann (her BF), the Missouri Botanical Garden, drinks & a cheese plate at Sasha's, home for grilled salmon, gazpacho, asparagus, cheesecake, drinks etc. THEN Lise rigged up a drive-in movie screen in her backyard, pulled out a movie projector thingy and we watched Shrek and Shrek 3, all the time munching on appetizers and guzzling more drinks. Heavenly, but all the sudden it was 12:48 a.m. and I had a 6 hour drive home the next morning. Relaxing but stimulating...

Farewell to KC

I'm over in Kansas City helping mom pack up. (OK, it was a few days ago, I'm slow...) Hard to believe I won't be doing the regular treks to my place of birth. I'm trying to see all my old favs - MY fountain in Mission Hills, Stuff (the coolest store in Brookside), The New Dime Store (the other coolest store in Brookside), Ward Parkway with it's stately homes, sculpture and more fountains, the Plaza, etc. Did you know that the KC area has more fountains per capita than any other city but Rome??

Explored some new places too - Nerman Museum on the Johnson County Community College campus and the adjoining Cafe Tempo - enjoyed a killer Mediterranean panini while mom ingested flatbread with shrimp (hard to describe but tasted divine). Highly recommend I Love A Mystery. Saw their sign and pulled a u-turn across 4 lanes of traffic - I wish I had $$$$ as I would have bought a copy of every book just to keep independent booksellers like this in business. Incredible collection of mystery board games, doors leading to Sam Spade, Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes' abodes and other wonderful mysterious things.

Lunch at Chacko's with Leslie was a highlight - delectable cookies!

One of the best things about KC is the abundance of estate, garage and rummage sales. I picked up some Lee jeans in my size, a beautiful Hallmark book (wait - aren't all Hallmark books beautiful?? Did I mention I modeled for them in my youth?) and some magazines.

My last day in KC was spent at Crown Center, home of Hallmark. Mom is a long time volunteer at Kaleidoscope, their totally cool, creative area for kids 5-12. Since she has logged in so many hours she's eligible to shop at the Double D store (75% off on old Hallmark stuff). We grabbed leftover Easter candy, heart shaped napkins, picnic supplies and another Hallmark book! Enjoyed lunch at the Hallmark employee cafeteria - their chandeliers are shaped like the Hallmark crown - I love them AND the food's good too.

Decided to forsake I-70 for US 50 over to St. Louis. The road surface ranged from 4 lane divided highway to 2 lane twisty, turny, a bit scary. Only took a half hour longer (4 1/2 hours) and the best vista was the state capitol in Jefferson City coming into view. How come it looks so big the first time you glimpse it then starts to look smaller as you approach it? Weird.

Kay's coming to town!

My dad, Bill, passed away in December of 2008. He and my mom, Kay, had called Kansas City home for the last 24 years as well as for 12+ years in the 50's and 60's. I figured she'd stay put but she's coming to Cincinnati! Having the only grandchild helps, I guess. Mom loves to travel. She always told us 3 kids to move somewhere exciting so she & dad could visit. We did and they did - NYC, Washington DC, Princeton, Minneapolis, Boston, Chicago, St. Louis and Brighton, England.

Now the 3 of us "kids" are middle-aged and settled and she's raring to go. I'm flexible with my time and can match her wanderlust. I'm plotting already. I offered California in June but it's the week she is physically moving so she demurred. I offered England & Europe in December & January - she said too cold. Mom wants to see the USA by car. I'll keep you posted!