Diana comes to Chicago!

After a 3 hour delay, we immediately stopped for some food. We went to Labriola Bakery in Oak Brook, IL and it was amazing!! We couldn't decide between a couple of dishes so we picked two and split them. The homemade chips were awesome!

Burger and Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Brought home dessert

We headed downtown that night to grab some real Chicago pizza at Pizzeria Uno.

Numero Uno minus mushrooms on one side- I still don't care for mushrooms

SUPER excited!!!

I've been DYING to try Gibson's steakhouse since I moved. We went there for lunch on Sunday which was perfect. It was just as delicious as I expected. It was definitely my favorite from the weekend.

Calamari

Diana tried a sampler of filets with 4 different crusts. I just wanted steak and mashed potatoes. Probably my favorite meal. Shrimp and Grits comes in a very close second.

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 Gibson's is known for their HUGE desserts. One dessert would be plenty for a table of 4. It took me two weeks to finish the Turtle Pie.

Despite the size, Diana managed to finish the ENTIRE creme brulee. I helped with a few spoonfuls but she took on the majority. I was quite impressed. If you love creme brulee I guarantee you have never had any that is this good. 

We were quite full and tired after lunch and accidentally passed out when we got home. As soon as she woke up she was ready to eat again. I took her to Portillo's which is famous for hot dogs and Italian beef. Diana had a true Chicago dog...and then wanted custard. 

I couldn't let her eat alone :)

The original Italian Beef was created at Al's in little Italy. Another thing to check off!

Don't worry, we split it and it was delicious!

The snow started to come down right as we were leaving Al's. So we headed to Navy Pier. It was cold and SUPER windy. They don't call it the Windy City for nothing. Despite the cold, we went all the way to the end of the pier to look at the frozen Lake Michigan and play in the snow.

 I made her try another Chicago staple...Garrett's popcorn

It was sooo cold outside and we didn't have much time left before heading to the airport so we stopped into the Museum of Science and Industry. I have a membership and their OMNIMAX movies really are cool. It's a 5 story domed screen. Definitely a neat experience.

We goofed around for a little bit but the snow was coming down really hard and we decided that the best thing to do was to head to the airport. It's about a 30-45 min drive from downtown and it took us 2 hours!! Horrible driving conditions but we made it. Her flight was then delayed like 5 hours. I'm so happy that she came and we had such a blast!!! I was able to check off so many things that I've been wanting to do and had some awesome company! I couldn't have asked for a better weekend!

Mom Visits

Mom drove to Atlanta and took the MARTA to the airport. Thank heavens for Libby! She was going to drive her to the airport but made the call that the train would be better. GREAT decision!! She and the girls helped her get onto the train and waved farewell for a few days.


As soon as she landed we ran into the grocery store to grab a few things. This is where I found her. She couldn't get over how much liquor was in the grocery store. It's strange to walk into CVS and see booze. I guess I don't even think about it anymore.

Made sure she got a Chicago hot dog. She chose a chili dog...I stuck with my onions only.

Took Mom to the Italian side of the city for some pizza and pasta at Pompei

We ventured out to the Museum of Science and Industry. Mom had a blast!!! It's a science nerd's play land.  We saw every single exhibit and spent almost 6 hours there.

Coal Mine

Heading down into the Coal Mine

Farm Land

Mom the Milkmaid

Omnimax movie- 5 story domed screen made out of Aluminum

Speakers hidden behind the screen

Images are projected from the middle of the room

We both almost fell asleep in the movie

WW2 Submarine

The U-submarine

 They had a Disney exhibit going on that I couldn't wait to check out! I had been waiting for a month and a half to go with Mom.

Walt Disney's desk

My FAVORITE!! Mary Poppins!

That's a full sized 747

Playing on a 747

Tesla coil

Wind Tunnel

Tornado simulator that's three stories tall

Avalanche simulator

Trees from around the world

Periodic table of the elements

Robots!

After Wisconsin the day before and the museum all day Sunday I was beat!! A huge weather system was heading our way and the temps were dropping. We were going to spend the day downtown but with the winds it would have been very cold. So we headed to the ATL for an extra day with the family.