Now, where was I...

I meant for this to be one solid blog of our first 24 hours in Chicago, but things got a little tense with the roomies when no one would pick where to eat...

So after Petterino's we came back to our hotel room because I had to take a quiz for an online class. Mom flipped the ol' sound machine (her personal lullaby) on around 10:00, so Dad and I read by computer light (we've come along way since candlelight) until a more decent bed time. Yeah, we're really party animals. You probably couldn't hang with us.

We started today off with Dunkin' Donuts (conveniently located on our block) and a stroll to Millenium Park. This park is full of photo ops, from the giant fountains to the immaculate landscaping to the ridiculous sculpture-- and I think I have a future in contemporary art, as Dad and I are convinced any three-year-old could do it.

Post-park, we hit Hot Tix, your half-price theater ticket destination. We bought tickets for our show tonight-- Shrek the Musical-- and chatted up the sales lady about her favorite shows (she's really into artsy-fartsy stuff, for the record... we were looking for sketch comedy). We decided to take a "leisurely stroll" to Navy Pier to catch a lunch cruise-- unfortunately, our leisurely stroll turned into something like 2 miles. But ce la vie-- we were on the way to an all-you-can-eat buffet. After strolling up and down the Pier and taking in a little free AC via the Stained Glass Museum (a real thriller, by the way), we boarded our ship: The Spirit of Chicago. We used and abused the buffet and then settled onto the outdoor deck to admire the skyline from Lake Michigan... or Lake Erie... tomayto, tomahto. And that's where the magic happened.

Sure, the sights were delightful, the lighthouse quaint, and the narration interesting, but the real show was brought to us by one of our fellow travelers. Ladies, gentlemen, Britney Spears, and other celebutantes: we are in the Windy City. This is indicative of the presence of wind. Don't play dumb, don't make excuses: you knew there would be a steady breeze here on the lake. So when you chose your black mini dress and high heels--and don't get me started on your travel-savvy outfit, princess-- and leaned over the boat rail to enjoy your cig, surely you felt a draft as your dress lifted and swayed in the wind.

I know what you're thinking, readers; I know you're thinking that's a little harsh... even if your dress were blowing in the wind, your undies would surely protect your fanny from the draft. Well, sure, IF you were wearing underwear you'd have a perfectly legitimate excuse. However! Our dear friend was not in fact wearing drawers today on the Spirit. So there on Lake Erie-Michigan-Hugo-Whatever, in the middle of the day, we were exposed to a full moon.

Moving on.

Next up: adventures in public transit. Now this is exciting because Disco Tim isn't known for his Daniel Boone sense of direction. I want any Friends fans to recall the episode where the crew travels to London for Ross's marriage to Emily. Joey's map has pop-up structures for landmark buildings, and he puts it on the ground and stands on it to orient himself when trying to get around. Hopefully you get the visual. Luckily, I was there to guide us home.

Tonight we ate at Tavern at the Park-- I had scallops, Anna-- before heading to Shrek the Musical. We've just returned from the show, and I give it two thumbs up. The last show I saw was Wicked, and that was a tough act to follow... so while it wasn't the best show I've ever seen, it was very enjoyable.

I'm not sure what's on the agenda for tomorrow, but I'll keep you posted... get it? like a blog post...