Chicago 2011

Watching the Chicago Marathon today reminded me I never posted pics from the "vacation" part of our trip to Chicago.

We loved the city.... lots of interesting culture and history, beautiful sights, wonderful shopping and entertainment, tons of vegetarian and vegan food options, and much cleaner than NYC. What's not to love?

We stayed at the Palmer House Hilton, just a block from Grant Park. It is a beautiful hotel, but way overpriced. They don't even have free wi-fi! Luckily, we got a group discount for the race and the Corner Bakery Cafe (canopy in the left of the pic) was the perfect place to stop in the mornings for breakfast and internet. 

Saturday, we walked down to the race expo and saw some beautiful neighborhoods and architecture on 

the way. 

After lots of wandering around, we made our way over to the theater to see West Side Story. (Nancy bought us tickets for our birthday!) The theater was gorgeous, the performance was fantastic, and it felt so amazing to get off our feet and rest our legs. 

That night, we had reservations at Karen's on Green, a local vegan restaurant. That was probably the best meal we've ever had in our life.

We made our way home and went to bed early. Our race was the next morning- it took a little nap and some IcyHot before we were ready to get back out that afternoon. We headed up north to Magnificent Mile, and strolled through the most gorgeous neighborhoods. I could just die over how beautiful these buildings are...

John Hancock Tower was one of our favorite parts of the trip. David Schwimmer narrated an audio tour of the view from each window, which was absolutely breathtaking. 

This is the moment I decided to get a better camera, because these pictures don't do justice to what we actually saw.

The shopping on Magnificent Mile was fabulous, just as good as Fifth Ave. IMO. We did a 'lil browsing through Kate Spade, Tiffany's, Nike, and the Lego Store.

Harry Pottah Legoooosss!

I'll leave this post with a pic of this gorgeous chapel on Michigan Ave.

Can you tell I love the architecture in Chicago?

To Be Continued...

All Things Apple

It seems odd to say about someone who worked for Apple, and about someone I've never met, but it's crazy to think about how much he changed our lives. Obviously, not in a deep, meaningful way. But he did change our lives from a social, entertainment, and technology standpoint. Think about how different 2011 would be if he had never come back to Apple, had never dreamed up an iPod, iTunes, and eventually an iPhone and an iPad. 

It would be crazy different. Like the Dark Ages. 

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.”- Steve Jobs

I think it's safe to say he succeeded at both.

While on the subject of Apple, it seems worth mentioning that we have a new addition to our Apple family. Brandon finally has a decent computer! He deserves it for all his hard work and for helping me make it through school, and he needs it now that he is going back to school. (Because I can't be expected to give up my beloved computer. Oh, no no no.)

A few final words of wisdom from Steve-

Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. -Steve Jobs