Nurse on the Run

I love Chicago.  Hands down my favorite city (well, maybe it’s second to Rome…).  Summers in Chicago cannot be beat, and winter is pretty fantastic up until about January 1.  Then it loses all appeal as the holidays are over and it is just plain FRIGID.  However, Christmastime in Chicago is a real treat, and I wasn’t going to miss out on it this year just because I moved to PA!  On Friday, my dad took the day off of work and we headed downtown to experience the holidays in Chicago, which usually includes the following assortment of fun:

Christkindlmarkt

Christmas markets are HUGE in Germany, and Chicago embraces the German Christmas Market by hosting their own!  Many vendors actually come over from Germany to sell their goods to eager buyers for the four weeks leading up to Christmas.  Cute little huts are set up downtown, little German crafts are everywhere, and you can enjoy some fantastic food like bratwurst and sauerkraut!  It’s always fun to roam around, so my dad and I headed there first.  Check it out:

Oh, just some German crafters with a Picasso in the background…

Rows of crafters!

Tannenbaum!  I thought it looked a bit Charlie Brown-ish…

  
Lunch = Bratwurst with Sauerkraut, Potato Pancakes, and Spiced Wine in boot mugs…I think we win.

Bad picture, good food!

I bought two little ornaments…the tag says “Made in Poland.”  I won’t tell if you won’t tell.

 Macy’s

Macy’s used to be Marshall Fields, and every year they put up some awesome Christmas decorations in the windows of the store on State Street.  In past years they’ve done story lines such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Wizard of Oz, and they’re usually pretty spectacular.  We wandered over to use the bathroom check out the windows, and I must say I was a bit disappointed this year!  The theme was “How a Letter Gets to Santa” and it was kind of wimpy.  Maybe next year…

Front of Macy’s.  I didn’t even bother taking close-ups of the windows!

The Walnut Room inside Macy’s is a pretty good restaurant that always has a really well-decorated Christmas tree right in the middle of the dining area.  People head up to the seventh floor just to check out the tree (I know I do every year…), so naturally we headed that way.  I was impressed with this year’s creation!

 The whole tree didn’t fit in the picture…
  Words of wisdom on the tree!

The Bean

You can’t take a trip to Chicago and not visit the Bean.  What’s the Bean, you ask?  Well, it’s a piece of art actually called “Cloud Gate,” but it’s called the Bean by most people since…it looks like a giant bean.  It’s made up of stainless steels places that were put together to appear seamless, and it makes for awesome views of the city, as well as for fun picture taking!  Check it out:

Chicago in the Bean!

 
Dad and me in the Bean!

My dad is an architect, so of course he pointed out the tallest building designed by a woman!  It’s the building second to the right, kind of set back.

Millennium Park is so pretty!

Art Museum

My mom is an elementary school art teacher, so she somehow managed to get tickets to the Art Museum for free!  They recently opened a new Modern Art wing, so my dad and I checked it out since it was…well, free!  I’m not super into modern art (not sure I understand paint splatters…), but it was still fun to see.  My dad pointed out all the finer design points of the building and kept telling me how famous architects died in some rather unappealing manners.  I don’t know how he knows all this stuff!

Walkway to the new wing of the museum.  My dad said they had all the museum employees stand on it at the same time to test its strength.  Sounds safe to me…

 
Wreaths on the lions in front of the museum.  They once put Bears helmets on them too. 

chicago girl for life

LOVE this city.  People at work get really confused when I tell them I’m “going home.”  Pennsylvania is where I live, Chicago is home, and there’s no place like home…