The Windy City

I just got back from Chicago with Janice, my mom, Pam & Yvette. I got tickets to the Oprah show a few weeks ago and I knew my mom was definitely going. I asked Janice and Pam and got enthusiastic responses from them, too. Yvette is usually up for any trip, so I'm so glad she came along! We had a great time, ate great food, didn't spend too much shopping, and had fun sight-seeing. Oh, and we went to the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Pam got there earlier (mid-afternoon) on Monday and the rest of us showed up around 9pm. Pam got to enjoy authentic deep-dish Chicago-style pizza with a childhood friend of Sean & Drew's, Annie McMannis (she's married with a new name now, but we all called her Annie McMannis). It was great to meet them at the hotel for a quick drink before Annie had to go home to her lovely family. Before she left, though, Annie gave us some great tips on what to do and see in her very fine city.

We stayed at the Hotel Affinia on Superior, a block off Michigan Avenue. The location was perfect, the hotel was gorgeous, and the staff was amazing. I can't think of a time I've had better service at any hotel. We decided it was just because we were their favorite guests.

Tuesday, we had lunch, shopped and went to the top of the John Hancock Building for drinks before we went to dinner. We enjoyed a good meal at Sushi Samba, an Asian/Brazilian/ Peruvian fusion restaurant. I mostly went the Asain way, but other tastes were enjoyed, as well.

Did I mention we ate a lot? We were there for less than 72 hours, but in typical Ordal/Ealy fashion, we managed to fit in plenty of times for dining and drinks.

Wednesday was our Oprah day, and it was really a day. We left our hotel at 10:00, got to the studios at 10:15, got in line and waited to get into the studio. We then waited to have our coats checked, bags searched and our identities proven. Then we went upstairs and waited for over an hour, so we could go back downstairs to get into the studio to wait for Oprah. I'm just going to say that the topic was curious and generally low energy all around. It's supposed to air Tuesday, October 14.

After a quck bite and a beer, we headed back to meet Yvette at the hotel. We hung out for a bit before heading to the rooftop bar at Affinia. It was almost sunset, and just absolutely stunning!

Yesterday, before heading to the airport, we enjoyed a stroll to Navy Pier, a delicious waterfront lunch and a beautiful walk along the beaches of Lake Michigan. Janice, Pam and I talked about what a great place Chicago would be to bring children. There are great museums, beaches, walks, and other attractions kids would just love. This was only my second trip to Chicago and I can't wait to go back!