Something unexpected...

My sister and I visited my son, Michael and his fiance, Melanie last week. They live in Chicago. This was my sister's first time to Chicago. She loves the city. Our first night they took us to see a comedy show, "Rod Blagojevich Superstar." It was in this cool little theater and the show was hysterical. After the show we stopped by this cozy little jazz club, "The Green Mill."

In the 1920's The Green Mill jazz club became mobster territory and was frequented by Al Capone and his henchmen. The decor, the respect of the patrons as the jazz band played, the mobster looking doorman and enjoying this evening with Michael (who loves jazz), Melanie, and my sister, all made this a night I will never forget. If only the walls could talk.

The following morning we went to a quaint little restaurant called, "Cafe Too." Cafe Too is run by Inspiration Corporation. Inspiration Corporation provides essential social services to Chicagoans hardest hit by homelessness and poverty. They inspire their participants to take action to improve their own lives by helping them gain valuable skills and experience that lead to employment in the food service industry. They are truly changing lives. Not only was the food absolutely delicious, the employees were delightful and you could see the sense of accomplishment and pride in all of them. A remarkable dining experience.

Next we were off to the zoo. Michael and Melanie had to work so we were on our own this day. The Lincoln Park Zoo is free. We liked that. The monkeys and the apes were first on our list to see. They are incredibly entertaining and we watched them for hours. We saw kangaroos and tigers and other zoo animals but the apes are always our favorite. It started to rain so off we go to find a bus to take us into the city. We were feeling like pros traveling around as we admired the people and the city life.

Several hours and a few glasses of wine later the kids pick us up and take us to their favorite little Vietnamese restaurant, "Tank Restaurant," which is uptown. Everyone is ordering Pho. I have never had Pho before. Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup, usually served with beef or chicken. The soup includes noodles made from rice and is often served with basil, lime, bean sprouts, and peppers that are added to the soup by the consumer. There were several variations of Pho on the menu that I had never seen before. One included cows penis...ewwww. I chose the one that was like a chicken noodle soup. It was incredible and I could just imagine having this on a cold winters night. It's the kind of soup that makes you feel good all over.

In case you are wondering, yes, we did partake in Chicago deep dish pizza as this was a must and my first time. We went to "Pequod's" and I was afraid the pizza was going to be too heavy for me as I like thin crust pizza best. To my surprise, this too was a treat and I now understand the buzz about Chicago's deep dish pizza. Yummy!!

Our time in Chicago was flying by too quickly and my sister was dying to ride the "L" train. Next on the agenda, a day for the "L." She was trying to act like a pro as she boarded and I could see the excitement in her eyes. She was like a kid riding a merry-go-round for the first time, excited, maybe a tiny bid scared, wide eyed and happy. I took picture after picture as we rode the train and saw the city and the people that lived in it. Our first stop was Millennium Park to see "The Bean" (Cloud Gate). The 110-ton elliptical sculpture is forged of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates, which reflect the city's famous skyline and the clouds above. A 12-foot-high arch provides a "gate" to the concave chamber beneath the sculpture, inviting visitors to touch its mirror-like surface and see their images reflected back from a variety of perspectives. Inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture is among the largest of its kind in the world, measuring 66-feet long by 33-feet high.

Of course we took dozens of pictures of ourselves acting silly and posing as we saw our reflection in the bean. Michael noticed a large gathering and said, "Something's going on in the park." We follow him into the park. We pass hundreds of people setting up lawn chairs and sitting on blankets. Then we find ourselves in a line that immediately starts to move forward. Within minutes our hands are stamped "MP" (for Millennium Park) and "whalaa" we are in the VIP section 15 rows from the front of the stage and we quickly move from seat to seat to see which one we like best. All settled, we look around and wonder how we got in. We notice several people with tote like wine coolers, some on wheels, containing their favorite wine and glasses. We look around and see many people have packed food and drink and are settling in to watch the show. We are amuzed and delighted at our good fortune. For this was the night the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) had been preparing for. Riccardo Muti was scheduled to kick off his reign as the CSO's 10th music director in the CSO's 120 year history. We found out later that over 25,000 people attended. It was spectacular, emotional, exciting, and I couldn't believe we were sitting so close. Here we were in the middle of a big city listening to a world renowned orchestra, debuting their new conductor, and you could literally hear a pin drop. It's something I will never experience again and I know how fortunate I was to be riding the train that day and I'm so grateful Michael wanted to take us to Millennium Park. Who knew? The memory is priceless!

Our visit was coming to an end. We had so much fun and loved being with Michael and Mel. We hated to leave. The day we left was my sisters birthday. We had it all planned out. Leave around noon...take the bus from Hyde Park to Midway Airport. Relax at the airport before our 4:15 departure. My sister had one last wish. She informs me that she really wants to see a "Crip" or a "Blood." Apparently there is a show on TV called, "Gangs of New York and Gangs of Chicago." I am amuzed by her wish but at the same time I'm thinking...that's a bit scary...we joke about it and get on the bus.

The bus is almost empty...we immediately go to the back with all of our luggage and bags and take up the entire back row. We knew we would be going through some rough neighborhoods on the way to the airport. She was excited about this. I, on the other hand, am cautious. At each stop more people are getting on than getting off. Several stops later this lady gets on the bus. She is very vocal and vulgar...she has a very long, jagged scar on the side of her face...I immediately feel scared. She's walking towards the back of the bus...yelling profanity's and they are directed at us. I'm getting nervous...trying to hide my purse behind my back so she doesn't notice...looking at my laptop...trying not to make eye contact with her...wondering what she's going to do...heart rate accellerating....I'm afraid to move. No one is looking or saying anything to her. All of a sudden my sister says, "You have pretty skin"...

I stop breathing...

Then...the lady says, "I do don't I?"...My sister then says, "You're really pretty." The lady jumps up and says, "Oh let me give you a hug." They both get up...my sister gives her a kiss on the cheek and they hug. I still can't move. She then introduces her daughter, who is sitting a row up from her, and says, "This is my daughter, Red...she works the pole and her pole name is Red Hot." I swear the girl looked like she was 14. Then she continues with, "I used to work the pole but I don't anymore...when I worked the pole, my pole name was Caramel." I can't believe my ears. Then she starts hustling us for $5.00 so she can buy a drink. My sister tells her that if she had $5.00 she would buy herself a drink because it's her birthday. The lady (Caramel) says to my sister, "I like you...you're working me like I'm working you." She utters some more things that I didn't quite catch and then says, "See, we can get along...we can hang...I'd like to party with you." Then she looks me straight in the face and says, "I'm feeling kinda sick...I'm pregnant...I shouldn't be drinking...but you won't tell." The bus stops...she's gone!

My sister swears she hugged a "Crip". It made her day. It made my day. It was unexpected...

Happy Wonderful Wednesday - No Complaints. Sometimes it's the unexpected that makes a difference!