Hi.
Breaking news. My sinus infection is G.O.N.E! I’m finally feeling better and so relieved.
Mr. SOTSS and I spent a few days in Chicago to celebrate my birthday.
It was so much fun and jam-packed with activities! Plus, aside from some rain on Saturday morning, the weather was perfectly crisp and Autumn-like with temps in the high 50s and 60s. Have I mentioned how much I love the fall? Have I mentioned how my I love my boyfriend?!!!
We stayed at the Hotel Chicago which is right in the center of the city and so accessible to everything.
There was a bottle of wine and some cheese and crackers in the room to welcome us thanks to Mr. SOTSS. He’s so sweet. He did the same thing when we went to Cape Cod last year for my birthday weekend. Hmmm, setting a precedent. Boyfriend, if you’re reading I hope you’re taking note ;).
I ran on my actual birthday (Sunday) along the Chicago Riverwalk and the lakefront trail (along Lake Michigan) and covered about 7 slow miles but boy was it nice to have some new scenery. Newsflash: Chicago and Garmin = no bueno. I had to transfer my data to Runkeeper and adjust the map. All the tall buildings in the city made the Garmin struggle to locate the satelite and it basically showed that I went berserk in the river. LOL! Actually to be fair, Mr. SOTSS used Runkeeper and it was also just as berserk. But the map is editable so that’s how we got our routes and mileage correct finally.
Happy Birthday to me!
I tried to take a panoramic shot with my phone.
And I also ran about 3.5 miles yesterday before we headed to the airport to catch our flight home.
Hotel room selfie before I set out.
The foliage!
Mr SOTSS ran twice too. I love that we both enjoy going for solo runs while vacationing together.
We ate so much! From stuffed pizza at Giordano’s to filet mignon at Chicago Cut Steakhouse to BBQ Ribs at Weber Grill restaurant. And then there was my birthday hot fudge sundae.
No candles but Mr. SOTSS sang Happy Birthday to me and then I made a wish!
The cook all the food on Weber grills right in the restaurant!
That is pizza perfection right there.
two crusts with the cheese melted in between like a real PIE and then the sauce goes on top of the upper crust.
If you go to Chicago GO HERE!
We walked along the Magnificent Mile and boy was I excited to see they had a Garmin store.
I asked when the Garmin 235 that was announced would be available and they said probably another 2-4 weeks. So now I’m trying to decide if I should just get the 220 before the NYC Marathon on Sunday. I only have the Garmin 10 at the moment and it has a 5 hour battery life and I’m pretty much 100% sure I won’t be crossing that finish line sub 5 this year.
Some other fun things we did in ChiTown…
Took in a Chicago Blackhawks game
The time it takes me in photoshop to protect Mr. SOTSS’ identity with these smiley faces…..he’s worth it.
Went on an architectural river cruise to see and learn about some of the well known, and not so well known buildings in the city. It poured on us for the first 10 minutes of the cruise but we stayed mostly dry thanks to our well spent $2 for ponchos.
my favorite building just for the reflection
As we were going down the river they had to open this particular bridge for a larger boat. I just loved the compositing. So angular and really cool.
They call these the Corn Cob Condos. People live on the top half and their cars (and public parking) are on the lower half. So crazy.
We took the train out to the suburbs of Oak Park where we took a tour of some Frank Lloyd Wright homes including the first home he ever designed and lived in.
Different than the NYC subway in that most of their trains travel above ground
An odd detail on the roof of one of the homes Frank Lloyd Wright designed
Another Frank Lloyd Wright house behind us
Frank Lloyd Wright was known for his lead glass designs.
I scored while we were in Oak Park because we found a Fleet Feet store and I bought a new pouch to put my phone in while running the marathon. I needed sommething big enough to fit the iPhone 5 in the Mophie battery case so I’ll be sure to have enough juice for all those hours.
We also went to Millenium Park and saw the famous Bean sculpture.
Bean selfie!
My feet are so sore because we’ve walked more in the last 3 days than I have in my life a while. About 25,000 steps daily. And that’s not counting the running! We’re both exhausted and will have to rally for sure to get through the rest of the week.
taking a power nap at gate B8
Another trip in the books with my favorite travel life companion.
happiness is…
I’m hoping to get one or two super short and easy runs in this week. And then it’s Expo time…And then it’s GO time…AHHHHH! Starting to panic.
How was your weekend?
Ever been to Chicago?
Ever eat stuffed pizza?
Interested in architecture at all?
i love chicago, such a great place to run!! looks like you had a great birthday, that ice cream looks delicious.
it totally was!
Happy (belated) birthday! I’ve always wanted to visit Chicago. Looks like a fun city!
Thank you!
Happy belated birthday – looks like an amazing way to celebrate! I was just in Chicago with my family this past weekend, too. I live in the Milwaukee area which is less than 2 hours away, so my husband and I love to take our girls to Chicago several times a year – so many greats museums, restaurants and sights to enjoy : )
So glad to hear that your sinus infection is finally over! I came down with symptoms the week before my early October marathon and kept hoping it would go away but nope, still sick. I just saw my doc. today and am starting a round of antibiotics for good ol’ sinusitis as well…hoping to be on the mend at long last! Hope you are feeling great for marathon day!!
We were talking about the fact that so many states were just a short drive away. That’s so funny that you were there too. Feel better soon!
Sounds like you had a great time! I’ve never been to Chicago, but I’m sure I would love it. I love big cities in general.
That ice cream sundae looks amazing! Looks like you had a wonderful birthday, hope you’re all rested up for this weekend!