ROAD TRIP~! Chicago: Day 2 - Things to do in Chicago without actually doing any planning

You can find the Day 1 report right here.

Saturday arrived and we had a vague idea of a plan. Matty P wanted to find a music store because "Stuff came out". And we were planning on a steak dinner at a fancy type place called the Chicago Chop House. Other than that, who knows what trouble we would get into?

The day began with us waking up and getting dressed and stuff for the day. We soon discovered that we could not call for reservations at the Chop House until after 1:00, which meant we needed to kill some time. The first thought was to get some "breakfast". Of course, is it really breakfast if you are eating it around noon? (*)

So, of we went to the mean steets of Chicago. (And by mean I mean, nice, relatively clean and safe.) After a lot of prodding and discussion, we finally decided on Potbelly which I initially assumed to be a small chain in Chicago. That assumption has been proven to be wrong.

Seeinghow this was lunch, and we were planning on dinner to be around 7:45, we allowed ourselves to eat a little bit more. Boyd and Matt got a "Wreck" sandwich, which invloves a lot of deli meat. I opted for the Italian, which also featured a healthy portion of deli meat, but not as much. As we ordered, Boyd and Matt opted to also get a cup of Chicken Noodle soup. As our sandwiches were prepared, we were asked if we wanted anything on them. Boyd and Matt proceeded to ask what they could get on the sandwiches. I, being occasionally observant, saw the big sign with the list of condiments available for the sandwiches. As I quickly rattled off what I wanted on my sandwich, Boyd remarked at how impressive it was that I could come up with that on the spot. It was then that he noticed the big list of condiments and went "Oh. Guess I could have just read off of there, huh?"

One "interesting" thing about Potbelly is that they make their prices difficult to locate. So, when our orders were rang through the till, it was like a little game. Shockingly, I did not offer this as a prop bet to Boyd (probably because it was going to be one that I won). My sandwich and Arizona Iced Tea came to $6.50, while Matt and Boyd's meals came to $10. It's no Quizno's, but hey, it's not like there are any Potbelly's in Milton. (**)

Next, we were off to State Street and the search for some sort of record store. As we wandered up State Street, we found out something quickly: there were no record stores on State Street. So, we found ourselves partaking in a common pastime - wandering aimlessly. Finally, we came across a huge Marshall FieldsMacy's (***)

The store was what you would expect from a higher-end department store: pricey and pretension. They had an iPod vending machine, and a Motorola vending machine. They also had an "arcade", but from seeing the said arcade, they are obviously using a more literal definition of arcade, as opposed to the more generally accepted definition (A place where you could play various games, most being of the video variety.)

But the department store did have a Wrigleyville area. Since we were going to see the Cubs, I figured I should pick up something to wear to the game. And thus I ended up purchasing a Stretch Fitted BP Cap, while Matt got the standard fitted cap.

Off we left, and we went into the shops that attach on to the Chicago Renaissance. What we found was all the shows save a Starbucks and a souvenir/convienience store.

(Aside: Chicago retailers did the worst job of trying to take my money. Most closed by 5 on Saturday, and some weren't even open on Sunday. Maybe it's just the south, but most stores down there seemed to be open until 9 or 10 local time.)

We went into the souvenir place and Boyd declared his new found love for collecting key chains and shot glasses. Matt and I avoided making a purchase in the tourist trap. From there, we walked around the Renaissance, and ended up on State Street again. We walked down a bit further, and found a Borders which we figured would be the closest thing to a record store that we could find.

While in Borders, Boyd asked if I had called for reservations. I had not, so I made the call. The earliest time they had available was 9:45 pm, and after some consultation, we had our reservation. And we left with Matty P picking up the Zombie Survival Guide. (I suggested a guide to Sudoku, but that seemed to be ignored.)

At that point, we figured we'd go back to the hotel and relax for a little bit before we got ready for our meal (the Chop House is a fancy place, after all). But before that, we were a little thirsty, so we had to stop off to pick up some refreshments. And though everybody else was initially going to purchase a bottle of pop, I knew better and went straight for the Big Gulp section. Not only do you get more for your money, but you can add your own flavour syrup (vanilla, cherry or lemon, or any combination of those). This is quite possibly the greatest invention ever created. I got the 44 oz Super Gulp (Vanilla Cherry Coke, which was fantastic), while Matty P and Boyd went for the 64 oz. Super Duper Big Gulp. We went back to the room and found that it had not been made up yet. But hey, we didn't really care, we were relaxing. We watched the Cubs and Cards finish their game, and then caught a bit of Lucha Libre, whcih included Zorro, who has scary red eyes that light up randomly, and "Alien", who had a mask that looked like the Alien from the "Alien" franchise.

I mentioned that I wouldn't mind going back out to take a few pictures and stuff, and lo and behold, housekeeping showed up around the same time to make up our room. So we left to take a few pictures of the Millenium Park area we were in.

First up, a fountain. There was a wedding taking pictures just to the right of this picture, but using my mad photog skillz, I managed to avoid getting them in said picture:



Next up, a statue of General John Logan:



How did I know it was John Logan? I read this sign:



In the distance of this shot is Soldier Field:



A couple of shots of Chicago's skyline:




These photos of a picket line at the Congress Plaza are only included because of the length of the strike - three years and counting. Cosmo Kramer has nothing on these fine folks.




This was the first of a few "pictures of Boyd". It's actually a photo of a Chicago traffic cop, and more specifically, her Segway. I'm always amused by Segways and their use, even if it's perfectly legitimate.



I should really know where this was taken - I believe it's by the Chicago Museum of Modern Art, but I can't remember (and didn't think of making any notes or anything - for all I know, I could be making up the Museum of Modern Art):



We had a near catastrophe as I was taking a picture of the water feature thingy, as Boyd looked like he was going to end it all and jump in:



Fortunately, fate (and the 6 inch depth of the water) intervened and Boyd was saved.

Surveying the kingdom:



One of the cooler things in Millenium Park is the water park:



The faces on the towers do change, and disturbingly, water will come out of the mouth of the picture if the mouth opens. (No picture unfortunately - we saw this later on when the camera had been retired.)

A picture of Jay Priztker Pavillion:



And then we get to a piece of odd "architecture" - the metallic kidney:



While it might look smooth and virtually impossible to stand on, the birds did not have a problem:



A picture of me taking a picture of the metallic kidney thing:



And finally, a picture of people walking under "The Cloud Gate", as it is called on the official website. Personally, I think it's a big coverup to allow the alien craft that landed in Chicago to be displayed in full view of an unsuspecting public:



One final picture: TSN on our TV screen in Chicago?!?



After walking around, we went back to the hotel room to chill for a little bit before getting ready to go to dinner. We watched a bit of the White Sox/Twins game, then got all dressed up for our dinner.

We took a cab to the Chop House, as it was a good 10 minutes away minimum. As we went, we got to see some interesting restaurants as well as locating the Hard Rock Cafe (basically across the street from the Chop House). We went in and asked for a table for 3, forgetting to mention that we actualy had a reso. After that mix up was cleared up, we were put on the third floor, which is non-smoking (****).

As we came in, we were given the menu, the specials menu and the wine menu. Water was poured and we ordered our apps: Baked Cherrystone Clams Casino for Boyd, Sauteed Lake Perch for Matt, Sauteed Cajun Shrimp for me, and Fried Calamari for the table.

The Clams were the worst of the apps, as they were only good. The Calamari was prepared extremely well; tender, but not rubbery. The Cajun Shrimp was fantastic; the perect amount of spice as it did not overpowwer the shrimp taste. As well, they were large shrimp. But the star was the Perch. Quite honestly, I don't believe that you will find a better Perch dish anywhere. The perch was juicy, light and tasty. Quite honestly, I can not properly describe how amazing this Perch was.

The main course was up next. Boyd ordered the 24 oz Prime Rib, along with a lobster tail (one of the specials of the night). Matt got the 24 oz New York Strip, while I got the Chop House Platter (Lamb Chop, Veal Chop and Filet Mignon). Boyd and I got a side of Asparagus, while Matt got some Sauteed Mushrooms. Along with this, we got a bottle of nice Red wine (*****)

Before our meal came though, we received a salad. Nothing of note for this salad - it was just your regular greens and a bit of tomato. But the meal itself was just, wow. The meat was sufficiently large (except for my platter, which was three smaller pieces). The lamb chop was the highlight of my meal. Done to medium-rare perfection, it was extremely tasty. Unfortunately, the filet mignon did not live up to standards. Partially because it was the last piece of meat that I ate, and partially because I think it was waiting for Boyd's and Matt's meals to stop mooing to be sent out. (******)

Once the meals were done, Boyd and I ordered a coffee each, while Boyd got enticed by the homemade chocolate cake. This cake was to die for. A fitting end to one of the best meals I have ever had.

All in all, for 4 apps, 3 entrees, 3 sides, a bottle of wine and a dessert, dinner cost $300, which was more than reasonable. We settled up and then went back to the hotel, where we rested up for the whole reason why we came to Chicago in the first place.

Next up: Wrigley Field and a lesson learned at Giordano's.

(*): (Please save all smart ass remarks about it being brunch. I'm trying to make a joke here, and I don't need to be getting caught up in little nuances like "facts".)

(**): I feel like Frank Tanana with the fat fastball I just grooved in there.

(***): In case you are curious about the whole striking out thing, read this.

(****): It also might be where they put the riff-raff that they don't want to show the public, but that's unproven right now and we'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

(*****): One of the more fun moments was the saga of Matty P and the red wine. Apparently Matt is not a fan of wine (which is interesting because the rest of his family enjoys a glass of red). But he got a "sampling" in his glass, even though he had ordered a beer along with his meal. And even though Matt left the wine alone, the server was sure to ensure that Matt had a full glass whenever he came by, no matter how many times we gently protested. It reached a point where Boyd had to drink Matt's glass to finish the bottle. (Hey, it was a $60 bottle. Why waste it?)

(******): I swear, both of their cuts of meat were at least 3 inches thick.