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