• Chicken in the Car,  Family Fun,  Favorite Things,  Fun in Chicago,  Travels

    Cruzing Chicagoland: The Hancock Observatory

    When General Motors signed on as my major sponsor for my Chicago book launch event, I thought it would be really fun to take a 2011 Chevy Cruze out on the road to get up close and personal with some of the great attractions that are exclusive to the Chicago area. One of those places is high up in the sky, at the top of the world famous John Hancock Building on North Michigan Avenue. I took my mom with me for a special tour of the Hancock Observatory from Carey Randall (Sales and Marketing Director) and Stephanie Grady (Sales and Education Coordinator), and they totally rolled out the red…

  • Amazing People,  Chicken in the Car,  Family Fun,  Fun in Chicago,  Too Funny To Ignore,  Travels

    Cruzing Chicagoland: The Bristol Renaissance Faire

    Mention that you’re visiting a Renaissance Faire and you’ll be met with a couple of different reactions. One of them is a raised eyebrow and a slightly alarmed look. That usually comes from someone who thinks of a Ren Faire as a weird Star Trek-ish convention for 16th century fanatics. (No offense to the lovely @dearbadkitty, who is a Trekkie.) The other reaction is a wide-eyed, “I’m so excited for you” expression of happiness. That one comes from someone who has been to a Ren Faire. I took my trusty sidekick Michelle with me to do a “Cruzing Chicagoland” video shoot at the Bristol Renaissance Faire, which is located on…

  • Fun in Chicago

    It Was As Epic As I Had Heard It Was.

    I have heard for a while now that Threadless, a fabulous Chicago-based t-shirt company, has headquarters that must be “experienced”. I did that today. It was amazing. I left there wishing that I could work there (I even asked if they were hiring), and I could picture my sister as well as D working there, too. I hate to be a tease, but… I’ll have video and more pictures up on Friday.

  • Amazing People,  Friends,  Fun in Chicago,  We Are An Awesome Couple

    Like A Horse And Carriage.

    I had the most spectacular day. I had various appointments in the city (now, doesn’t that sound important?) and needed a sidekick, so I called upon my hilarious, awesome friend Margaret. I met Margaret all the way back in February of this year when I took her Chicago Pedway tour (her tour company is called Chicago Elevated, and it ROCKS.), and we became fast friends. Margaret and I made our way around the city, talking non-stop. The weather was PERFECT. We had a great time, we both learned a few things, and the day flew by. (Uh, for me, anyway.) Our lunch was one of my favorite parts of the…

  • Best Thing Ever,  Favorite Things,  Jim Has Mad Skillz,  My Kids Have Mad Skillz,  Something That Could Change Your Life

    Even *I* Didn’t See The End Of This Post Coming.

    I have been using the same camera since 2005. It’s an Olympus Camedia C-60 Zoom, which I purchased on sale at Office Depot for, I think, approximately $225. If you asked Jim to describe it, he would say, “It’s a brick.” It is indeed chunky (and heavy) for its size, when you compare with what’s available today. I had a little giggle when I googled it a minute ago and found the 2004 review of it on CNET (click here). Oddly, not one user said, “I anticipate this camera to be the best camera I’ve owned in my life so far, and I bet it’ll last me AT LEAST six…

  • Childhood Memories,  Confessions,  Do I Really Want My Readers To Know This?,  Too Funny To Ignore

    Like Mother, Like Son: A Mother’s Day Story About Similarities…And Vitamins.

    First, a “Non-disclosure Disclosure”: I am not being compensated in any way by the brands mentioned in this post (I WISH). The mention of their names is important to the flow of my story. Thanks for your time and attention. J and I stopped at the grocery store last night on the way home from a post-lacrosse game dinner out with Jim, who drove separately. We were walking through the health and beauty section when J disappeared into the next aisle over. Eventually I made my way over to him, just in time to see him place a hand on a bottle of Flintstone’s Sour Gummies vitamins. “What do you…

  • Amazing People,  Favorite Things,  Fun in Chicago

    The Rookery: A Chicago Trifecta

    If you enjoyed my pictures of the Chicago Cultural Center, hang on to your hat. (But only if you’re wearing a hat.) The Rookery, a beyond-gorgeous building (inside and out) that is located in the financial district, has had the hands of not one, not two, but THREE masters of American architecture all over it. It was designed by the famous team of Daniel Burnham (yes, that Daniel Burnham: the one who wrote the Plan of Chicago.*) and his partner John Root, who moved their offices into the Rookery in 1888. There they began designing the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition’s White City. (Seriously, this topic makes me all giddy. I…

  • Fun in Chicago,  Travels

    Getting Cultured At The Chicago Cultural Center

    A while back I wrote and posted pictures of one of my all-time favorite things in the world, which is the Tiffany ceiling (the world’s largest unbroken example of Favrile glass) high above the cosmetics department in Marshall Field’s (ahem, Macy’s to those of you who like to be current and official: *I* still call it Marshall Field’s) on State Street. I take all of my out-of-town visitors there and everyone’s reaction is the same: their jaw drops practically to the floor and they can’t stop staring at it. The city of Chicago is full of precious architectural treasures like that gorgeous ceiling that would be considered “must-sees”. Another one…