More Chicago adventures

Yesterday afternoon I started feeling too cooped up in the hotel room, so I walked up to the Drake Hotel, where, something like 30 years ago, I had my first drink in a bar with my dad. I went and sat in the Palm Court, and watched rich people. Afternoon tea was just finishing up and they were bringing out the dishes of fancy no-peanuts mixed nuts, and starting the cocktail hour. I had a Beefeaters gin on the rocks with a twist of lemon, dad's drink, and sat there reading my book and sipping until they turned the lights down.

We went to dinner at a seafood place, Devon Seafood Grill, and that was fun, I had grilled salmon with garlic mashed potatoes, and then we decided to go see a movie, In the Land of Women, which turned out to be a nice enough romantic comedy, but all the actors were too pretty, and it was hard to believe that anything bad was happening to them - I feel more tragic, hitting menopause and watching my body age, than the Meg Ryan character who was facing breast cancer.

This morning, thinking that Mark was going to need to be out early for his meetings, I accepted a breakfast invite at an old friend/work colleague's and wended my way on the 29 Bus down to Dearborn Park. Even though I had to get up way too early, and leave Mark behind in bed, it was one of the highlights of the trip, a chance to chat with old friends, all 50-something women, and Meg made pancakes with dried cherries, and real mapel syrup. And I got a free ticket to Artopolis, from my hostess' art librarian husband - so off to that now.