Date Night Extraordinaire: Thank Yous!!!

It was a Friday. This is our normal night to go out for a little "us" time, just the two of us, we call it date night. Sometimes we go to dinner, sometimes we take a sandwich to the park, sometimes we wander around the library or a bookstore, maybe have a drink and a chat and head back home. This time we had a destination...Chicago, alone! So there we were, downtown, strolling happily through the pouring rain, stopping in for a bite to eat or for whatever took our fancy, and it could not have been a better two days.

Having time to be together, with (almost) no agenda and no one else talking to us was simply marvelous. We felt like a young couple again, even if we look nothing like that description, and we could act like it, holding a hand, an arm, stealing a kiss in the rain. 

Thank you to my parents, for taking on the huge organizational task of being free and willing to watch the children on a weekday, not an easy feat when you are working, not to mention the overnight, taking them all roller-skating and feeding them royally.

Thank you to our neighbors who kindly agreed to watch our doggie at the very last minute, he and we are so lucky!

And thank you to the French Consulate for giving us an appointment at a convenient time on a Friday, making life ever so much easier.

Our original reason for returning to Chicago was in order to pick up my first ever...French passport! I have had dual citizenship for a number of years, but this was the first time I had applied for a passport. The practical side of having it: to get through the CEE lines in airports when entering Europe, the sentimental side is that I've always wanted a red passport too. The blue one is a beauty, and the French one is magical.

Chicago was like a second honeymoon. I found a mystery hotel through bidding on one of those hotel websites for the lowest price available in a few different areas of the city. We were very fortunate in landing a lush hotel at the heart of the city, one that has fantastic sound-proofing and perfect service. We had a peaceful, restful night, and still woke up to downtown outside our front door. 

As for yarn shops; I kept it down to a dull roar and only stopped in one: Loopy Yarns on Polk St. If you are remotely interested in yarn, knitting or crocheting, you need to make a stop here when next in Chicago. The yarns are luscious, the staff is the nicest and friendliest in the world and it would have been easy to spend an entire day or night there just browsing, thinking and dreaming yarn.

We had delicious fish at 3pm in a restaurant/bistro in the Jeweler's Building, a place whose top floor once housed a speak-easy frequented by Al Capone. Friday night we ate at an Indian place, Gaylord...beyond belief fabulous, and Pierre even ate with his fingers when I told him that was the only way to properly taste Indian food, what a great sport.

We managed to find one bike shop for Pierre while we were wandering around Uptown. This was a new area to us, and it was exciting to see the many African and Asian stores, restaurants and hair salons. I was this close to having my whole head braided, I've always wanted to. Now even more, as so many of the wonderful clients I serve interpreting are from Africa and have the tiniest, daintiest braids, sometimes all gathered up in a pony tail. Besides, I have the hair for it. Alas, time was growing short and we had to choose our last adventures. We took the time to walk for as long as we could back downtown. I did not make it all the way, but the bus was handily available.

Knitting...there was so much time to knit! Bus and train rides around the city, waiting for a bus, the little time we spent in the hotel room. Knitting all the way home in the car was second only to seeing my munchkins again; having them jump into Mama's arms one after another, sweet kids.