The weather had gone from bad to worse at this point, so Ardie and I tried to do as many things indoors as possible! The
was a must-see on our list of Chicago landmarks.
The building's design was the result of an international competition for "the most beautiful office building in the world," held in 1922 by the Chicago Tribune newspaper.
This winning entry, complete with a crowning tower of flying buttresses, is derived a French cathedral and gives the building its striking silhouette.
The base of the building is studded with over 120 stones from famed sites and structures in all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries. They range from the Parthenon, Taj Mahal - and even these stones from the White House and the Alamo:
In the courtyard you'll see this great statue of American revolutionary Nathan Hale:
In 2006 the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum opened, occupying two stories of the building. It's filled with all kinds of trivia - and even opportunities to hop on your soapbox!
Then with coffee in hand, we set out again into the weather...
To finish off our Chicago experience, Ardie took us to see
Jersey Boys - one of the best new musicals on Broadway, and the winner of 4 Tonys in 2006!
The musical is based on the lives of one of the most successful 1960's rock 'n roll groups, Frankie Vallie and
the Four Seasons.
Here is one blurry picture of the stage, and another of the interior of the Bank of America Theatre - simply another amazing building here in the city:
Then it was back to the loft to pack - but not without me snapping up one last pictures of Chicago...
Just another reason why we will always love the skyline and the city of...
Thursday the rain began in earnest, but that didn't dampen our spirits! We took the metro to
Orange - one of the best breakfast places in the city. We
have to come back!
Just take a look at their menu - they feature a BYOB policy, so you can make your own mimosa with their selection of fresh juices...yummy!
Ardie had the Popeye's Breakfast (eggs scrambled with spinach, oven-roasted tomatoes and white cheddar cheese) and I had the Green Eggs and Ham (eggs scrambled with basil pesto, pancetta and mozzarella). Here's a picture of the Fruity Pebbles Pancakes that we [also] had!
Next we went to
Wrigley Field - here is the front of one of the brownstones we saw along the way...can you say Cubbies spirit?
Well, then it started POURING rain...so we ducked into
Harry Caray's Tavern right across the street for one of the best Bloody Mary's that we've ever had!
Yikes...then it was back into the crazy weather...
And onto the subway!
We began at the
Magnificent Mile - probably the most amazing selection of stores and boutiques that I've ever been to...and guess where Ardie took me?
You guessed it - we walked out of there with a little blue box, and an
Elsa Peretti "l" inital pendant...thanks, honey!!!
Afterwards, we went to
Rosebud on Rush - a
fantastic Italian restaurant. We split the most fantastic stuffed mushrooms, and a meat ravioli to die for...here's a picture of us running in the rain to get there!
That night we got ready to go see
Wicked - one of the best Broadway shows for 5 years running!
We got to the
Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre in time for a vodka cran and a glass of champagne - or two!
The theatre is truely phenomenal...these pictures really don't even do it justice!
The set before the play began...
It was simply spectacular!!! And as they say...
Our last stop of the night was to
Second City - one of the best comedy and improv shows in the country. It was soo much fun - we couldn't stop laughing!!!
Here's the view of the lobby - complete with pictures of past and present comedy icons, like Tina Fey and tons of Saturday Night Live fav's!
We got home at 3 am - and couldn't resist some late night pizza...one of the top 10 foodie reasons to visit Chicago! We ordered a pizza from
Ranalli's on Clark (founded in 1937) - made of cheese, pepperoni and artichokes...yumm-o!
Friday was a very busy day! First we had coffee at
Intelligensia - one of the best coffee houses in Chicago. Their mocha and banana bread was the best start to our morning!
Here's the hubby getting his java on...
Next, we went on the city's
Architectural Boat Tour - what an amazing history the city has - and phenomenal buildings to boot. It really does take 1.5 hours to see it all.
Below you'll see the
Trump International Hotel & Tower - from the first seasson of
Apprentice fame...
A mixed-use structure, the
Civic Opera Building houses both a 3400-seat auditorium and more than half a million square feet of office and retail space.
And the best part of the ride...the bar onboard! ;)
We had lunch at
Reza's - and their lunch buffet was crazy...nothing like a little Persian food when you're far away from home!
Yummy kabob...but nothing like Nikou's! :)
That night we met up with Jon and Stephanie, who moved to Chicago so Jon can go to business school. They are such great friends!
They took us to
Tsunami - a fabulous Japanese restaurant in the Gold Coast, and can you say sushi...what a fun night!
Ardie and I traveled to Chicago this past weekend for a wee bit of rest and relaxation...it's the closest thing that we're going to get to a honeymoon this year, I think! Here are some highlights from the trip, and be sure to visit our Kodak Gallery link for all of the pictures!
Thursday we had dinner at the Lounge on 95th - part of the John Hancock Observatory. What an amazing view, and a handsome date!
Cheers, baby!!!
Gosh...just couldn't get enough of the view...
Our favorite winery - without a doubt - is
Bogle in Clarksburg. Not only did Ardie take me there on our 3rd date, but the wines are simply fantastic! On this hot day, here is a picture of our featured beverage:
Here I am with Sylvester, the winery's gatto:
And my sweet hubby, with a glass of Bogle's Chard:
If you haven't had a chance, make sure to get a bottle of their Phantom - one of Ardie's all-time favorites!
A pic of the beautiful winery setting:
We were so proud to watch Saam get his black belt from Kovar's...what an achievement!
Posing with his Dad, Ramin after completing his last exam!
With the whole family - yay, Saam!
Josh and Ardie throwin' a few back... ;)
Blowing out the candles on his Wall-e cupcakes!
Over the weekend we adventured with Ardie's parents and sister to
McNear's Beach - a bayside park in Marin County. While we were there, some folks fishing next to us caught a baby
Leopard Shark! It was pretty cool to touch it, and realize that soon it is going to be 7' long! Hello, sharkie...
Ardie and Naser; me with Shadi & Nikou...
And the other Mr. and Mrs. "Z" enjoying the sun!
Our trip to Tahoe was great - it started out with dinner at Mikuni's in North Lake Tahoe...I guess that this is beginning to be a theme with us? Anyways, it was really a lot of fun - especially after we got a few beers in the guys! ;)
Here's our cute cabin:
The next day we went tubing down the Truckee River - what an adventure...here is us before - and my smiley bear pancake from this awesome breakfast place in Truckee called
Squeeze In! Here are our yummy breakfasts:
Well, here's the adventure part...Ardie lost his shirt, sunglasses and - drumroll - wedding ring!!! We did get a replacement ring - the real question is: how long will it last? ;)
That night we went to the Hyatt for some champagne with everyone - what a fun time, and gorgeous sunset view...
And here's us sight-seeing before we left!
We celebrated Dee's 30th birthday at Mikuni Sushi Restaurant & Bar in midtown Sacramento last night. It was awesome, and so many friends came out to celebrate - what a fun night! You'll love your 30's, honey!!!
Here's a look at our house - all decorated up for the 4th of July! The cute flags in the front are from my favorite store...Target!
The family all together to celebrate Grandpa's birthday!
Look at that cake!
So I guess I'll start with the wedding... Gosh, it feels like so much time has passed, but it was really less than two months ago!! What a blast...we were lucky enough to have 240 of our family and close friends there - and we literally partied the night away! The poor people at the Granite Bay Golf Club...we were there until 2:30 am! I'm including a few photos from the 'big day'!
The happy couple!
