Monday 20th November
Wendy woke to find quite a number of birthday wishes on her phone – largely from New Zealand and Australia which are many hours in advance of Chicago. It was a slow start to the day with nothing planned. The weather was a little threatening so nobody was in a hurry to venture outdoors.
Sarah had planned ahead and made a dinner reservation at Obelix, an upmarket French restaurant that typically has a three week waiting list. Light showers started falling mid-afternoon and persisted into the evening when it was time to walk the few blocks between Sarah & Max’s apartment and Obelix. Our wet jackets were taken from us upon arrival and we were shown to our table – part booth, part individual chairs. Sarah’s booking was for 5:30pm and the restaurant was already bustling with activity.
Instead of ordering individual dishes, the decision was made to share a variety of items so we could all get to taste what was on offer. The wait staff were attentive and understanding of the individuals in our group. Sarah ordered French fries to keep hunger at bay for Ana and Leah, while the rest of us perused the menu and selected our favourite dish to share. The wine menu was consulted, with Chris noting that they really didn’t want people bringing their own wines as the corkage charge was listed as USD$75. The wine selection was largely made up of wines from various regions of France, with a few high-end local wines included for good measure.
Needless to say, the array of dishes we got to sample were of a high standard, true to French cuisine styles with plenty of butter used in most dishes. The flavours were subtle with different cooking techniques applied. The octopus appetizer was crispy on the outside and soft (not tough) on the inside; the ratatouille was baked into a pastry that could easily double as a main course.
The rain had eased a little when it came time to walk the dampened streets back to Sarah and Max’s apartment for birthday ice cream cake with candles. The candles were quickly blown out by Ana who was keen to try the cake after a rendition of “happy birthday”. The rain had ceased when it came time to return to our apartment. Another birthday had been celebrated in a distant location with family gathered around.
Tuesday 21st November
It was a slow day today with the weather cooling off. We walked into the CBD to check out the large Northbridge shopping centre attached to a multi-level Nordstrom store that features upmarket brands – especially clothing, shoes and accessories. We were surprised at how quiet the shops were, but guessed it was a combination of the post-Covid retail downturn and possibly a lull before the Black Friday sales that are as much a part of the Thanksgiving celebrations as families getting together over a turkey-themed dinner.
A wander through the food court also suggested patronage was down – possibly due to Covid this time, as there were more food outlets closed permanently than there were those still trading. We continued on to Eataly, where we sat down and enjoyed a coffee before heading upstairs to select a loaf of bread for lunch from their in-store bakery which specialises in crusty breadsticks and sourdough loaves that have a rustic character about them.
Wendy had offered to prepare dinner tonight and, at Max’s request, was cooking Chicken Parmigiana. The chicken fillets were prepped and partially pan-fried before being laid out in a baking dish (with the obligatory tomato and cheese topping added) and finished off in the oven. A side salad and a few glasses of wine were well matched to the well-received ‘parmas’.
Wednesday 22nd November
Thanksgiving Eve felt a lot like Christmas Eve without the presents. We could see from our apartment that there was a lot of movement of people towards O’Hare airport, as people were heading home to be with family. The freeway westward was busier than we had seen since arriving. Sarah had suggested heading in to the Christkindlmarket which is held annually in the forecourt of the Richard J Daley building. This forecourt is typically occupied by a large Picasso sculpture, but at this time of the year it is filled with numerous stalls selling Christmas-themed decorations, food and drinks – all with an underlying German theme.
The Christmas Market had only been opened for a couple of days but it was already drawing a crowd. Maybe people visiting family for Thanksgiving had arrived early and were out sightseeing? Whatever the reason the event, which runs right through to Christmas, was well patronised. Anabel and Leah were happy to devour freshly-cooked pretzels, while Sarah and Wendy tried the gluwhein which was served in a specially designed keepsake mug.
Intricate Christmas decorations, all following the German theme, included glass baubles hand-painted with Christmas scenes. Wooden toys of men and boys in leiderhousen and milkmaids in white aprons were alongside wooden soldiers in brightly coloured uniforms. German beer could be purchased alongside mulled wine, hot chocolate and an extensive range of bratwurst sausages in bread rolls, smothered in sauerkraut and mustard. It was just after 10:00am when these items were being enthusiastically consumed by our fellow Christkindlmarket attendees!
One thing we learned from time spent at the Christmas Market was that there is a character (other than Father Christmas) who features in Christmas folklore. His name is Krampus, and he is a serious threat to every young person who may have been naughty during the year. He will take away the presents left by Santa and do all manner of despicable things. His image is enough to seriously scare children who contemplate being naughty!
As the crowds around the Christmas Market continued to grow, we decided it was time to move on and head over to Millennium Park to check out the recently unveiled Christmas Tree. We walked past Macy’s department store where an army of workers were setting up terraced seating for the Thanksgiving parade tomorrow. A large outside-broadcast van was also there, with technicians unloading equipment to capture the moment and broadcast it to people back in their homes around Chicago.
We crossed MIchigan Avenue and entered Millennium Park right where the city’s Christmas Tree was on display. Unlike back in Melbourne, the tree was real – not a synthetic, metal-framed structure with decorations. The Christmas Tree was close to an ice skating rink that was in full swing just below the Cloud Gate (commonly known as ‘The Bean’) sculpture. The ice skaters were of mixed ability, with some requiring the assistance of penguin-like Zimmer frames to assist with balance while others flashed by as if they were trying out for the local ice hockey team. While the day remained cool, the sun eventually peered through the cloud cover and made for an enjoyable walk back to Sarah & Max’s apartment.
After lunch we found it necessary to head up to Whole Foods supermarket towards the northern end of the Magnificent Mile (the colloquial term for Michigan Avenue). There were a few final ingredients required for the feast planned for tomorrow.
Sarah had a manicure booked for the afternoon and little encouragement was needed for Wendy and Yvonne to tag along. While they were pampered by their Latino nail technicians, Max and Chris got on with wrangling Leah and Ana while Chris prepped for a paella he cooked for the evening meal.
Six wonderfully manicured hands eventually returned from their pampering, in time for afternoon drinks and eventually a hearty paella.
Thursday 23rd November
Thanksgiving is possibly the biggest nationally-observed holiday in the USA. It is a time for families to get together over a 4-day holiday period. The official Thanksgiving day is marked with a feast where a turkey roast and side dishes are served, along with pumpkin and/or pecan pie for dessert. Today was planned to follow the traditional lines, with an excess of food and drink prepared for later in the day.
Sarah had started preparation for the big feast a few days prior, by making her own cranberry sauce to accompany the roast turkey. Fresh cranberries, rarely (if ever) seen in Melbourne, are prevalent in stores over here in the lead-up to both Thanksgiving and Christmas; over 65% of them are grown in neighbouring Wisconsin. On Thanksgiving morning, though, it was all hands on deck to prepare stuffing and various vegetable side dishes while also getting the turkey ready for the oven. All this activity was interspersed with various drinks: a freshly brewed batch of chai tea, followed by cocktails (Bucks Fizzes, and a Bourbon-based cocktail prepared by Max).
Sarah and Max’s friend Alex, who wasn’t heading home to be with family for Thanksgiving, joined us to participate in both the preparation efforts and the cocktail drinking at around 2:00pm. Max prepared some very tasty bite-size tomato crostini that were well matched with the cocktails being consumed. The turkey was stuffed with large slices of lemon and onions.
Larger quantities of herbed butter found its way under the turkey skin and into all cavities in an attempt to keep the meat moist during a lengthy cooking process. Sarah was in charge of time management, with various dishes going into or taken out of the oven. The meal came together at around 4:00pm, when we all settled down to enjoy the wildly over-catered meal – some of us adorned with appropriately themed headgear!
The Thanksgiving meal extended well into the night, with plenty of wine uncorked during proceedings. Conversation touched on a variety of topics including travel destinations and experiences, differences between the USA and AUS, college football and graffiti. We learnt that football in the USA functions at a number of levels, with NFL at the pinnacle and other leagues such as the American Football League and College Football subordinate to the NFL. College football players receive scholarships to play football but nothing else. The administrators receive payments for the broadcast rights and any sponsorships they negotiate, but the players are not paid and have to survive on their scholarships – even though they are the drawcards that the league makes money from.
We also learnt that whipped cream and cheese can be purchased in aerosol cans while paint cannot. The state of Illinois has banned cans of spray paint and, as a direct result, the amount of graffiti spotted during our time in Chicago is almost non-existent. Commissioned works exist throughout the city but the unnecessary tagging and defacing of public and private property barely exists.
Tasting plates of pecan pie and key lime pie lead us to declare that enough was enough – we were all beyond being full and needed to sleep off the excesses of an enjoyable day.
Friday 24th November
Given the excesses of Thanksgiving Day, nobody was in too much of a hurry to get out and about today. Commitments had been made to help Sarah with packing for a work conference she was to attend (with Max, Ana and Leah in tow) that commences on Monday in Salt Lake City. Our help would come in the form of occupying the girls in the playroom located in our apartment block. Sarah found the time useful to sort through things, while the girls enjoyed a change of scenery.
Chris was on a mission to cook a couple of loaves of sourdough bread – one for dinner and another for breakfasts back in our apartment. Preparing sourdough is a labour of love – it takes time and much of it is guided by feel rather than following a strict set of steps outlined in a recipe.
Between bread preparation steps, time was spent watching YouTube videos – one on how to build a full-sized house from Lego bricks, and another documenting the construction of a working motor bike made entirely from Meccano. Viewing then moved on to amateur videos of 4WD crossings of the Gary Junction Road between Alice Springs and Marble Bar in Western Australia. Wendy and Chris have plans to complete this crossing in the winter months of 2024; Max was concerned that the remoteness and rough conditions of the roads / tracks presented a risk he wouldn’t be happy accepting.
The boulles were baked late in the afternoon, with one ready for slicing at around 7:00pm. Gourmet sandwiches using leftovers from yesterday’s Thanksgiving feast were prepared and eagerly consumed. Temperatures had dropped when we made our way back to our apartment, a 50-metre walk from Sarah and Max’s apartment.
Saturday 25th November
It was -1C when we woke this morning. The apparent temperature was lower, but by any measure it was cold when we eventually emerged into the outside world. We had arranged to take the girls to a Maggie Daley Park – a large playground in Millennnium Park, beside Lake Michigan. We dressed appropriately and eventually caught up with Ana, Leah and Max who were also dressed for the weather. It was then a 30-minute walk through the center of the City Loop along with a growing number of holidaymakers to get to the park. Macy’s had their modest Christmas windows on display, but the seating that lined the street outside Macy’s for the annual Thanksgiving parade had already been packed away.
Millennium Park is a major drawcard, with a small ice-skating rink operating just below ‘The Bean’ and another, larger ice-skating circuit in operation close to Lake Michigan. Maggie Daley Park contains a number of low-impact play areas for children of different age groups. The swings were very popular with the girls until we moved to the slides which dominated their play for ages. Ana explored the stairs and a ladder up to a higher slide but on her second attempt learnt the hard way that 3 points of contact on a ladder is the best way to climb it. She confirmed that she slipped but didn’t hurt herself. She got back up and continued on her way, repeating the circuit a number of times.
Max guided us back home via the Pedway – a series of interconnected, underground walkways that link train stations with retail outlets and commercial offices. One could easily see how this heated, underground walkway would be well patronised during the winter months. Food outlets occupied many of the retail outlets lining the walkway and we stopped for the girls to refuel after their playtime in the park.
Dinner is now well under way (roast beef with Yorkshire puddings); leftover pecan and key lime pies are waiting for us if we do justice to the roast.
Sunday 26th November
Snow was falling when we parted the curtains in our bedroom this morning. The rooftops of the buildings below were white, as were the trees lining the streets around Sarah and Max’s apartment block. Over breakfast we watched the scene below as snow ploughs (not sighted since arriving) were being deployed to areas of greatest need, with a number heading west along the freeway towards the airport. As the morning progressed, the snow became sleet that fell vertically to the ground rather than floating around on the light breeze. The swimming pool at the large sports club / gymnasium opposite had a number of brave swimmers doing laps as the snow fell – it was possibly warmer in the pool than out!
Sarah, Max and the girls were leaving for Salt Lake City at 10:30am – Sarah had a conference to attend and the others were tagging along for a change of scenery. The weather conditions in Utah were forecast to be similar to those in Chicago. We helped with the luggage and saw them off as the snow decided to increase in intensity; cold stings of ice in our eyes reminded us of how chilly it was (the temperature was still hovering around 0C after a cold night). Hugs and kisses followed as we saw them on their way. We returned to their apartment to relieve them of the perishable goods that wouldn’t last the distance while they were away; we’ll be back there twice a day until Tuesday to feed and water Rambo in their absence.
The snow / sleet / rain eventually eased up around lunch time. The slightly warmer conditions and rain made short work of melting the accumulated snow. Grit or salt has been dropped on major roads as one suspects that even with the snowfall easing, a drop in temperatures could turn the roads very icy.