TnT Travel Adventures

Chicago

Halloween 2015

Another smooth non stop flight from LAX to Midway. #LUVSWA. Always grateful for how Southwest operates with efficiency and courtesy. But this trip was special. T found us $86 fares. Roundtrip! Yup. Non-stop day time flight for under $90 there and back to Chicago. I cant repeat this enough. We watched a movie (Glen Cambell doc) and we were there. Hopped on the EL for the orange line ride to just south of the loop.

We booked a new to us hotel at the wonderful Marriott Renaissance Blackstone for a different vantage point of this beautiful city. We are usually River North or the Marriott on Whacker-also beautiful-see past posts for wonderful experiences there. #MarriottRocks. We checked into this smaller and historic hotel and we were treated to a room upgrade facing the lake over Grant Park. It was night when we checked in but before we finished our pre dinner cocktails with Elisabeth, fireworks erupted on Navy Pier. It was a great view of a great show for Halloween night.

Dinner was in the hotel at the anticipated yet underwhelming Jose Garcas Mercat a la Pl anxa. It was tapas that left us wanting for Purple Pig. It was very good but the bar is high in Chicago.

Lis and I headed to a Scouts, a local watering hole, to take in the Halloween vibe and watched ND football and World Series at the bar. It was a blast and the costumes were everywhere.

Great vibe, great service.

Set the clock the next morning to see sunrise over Lake Michigan then took the train to Mass at St. Clements.

We walked through the beautiful Lincoln Park neighborhood checking out the spooky decorations on our way from the train to church. A beautiful and brisk Chicago morning, we are appreciating the 40 plus degree
weather.

Off to brunch lunch at Little Bad Wolf. This is a small fantastic place serving great eats and featuring inspired cocktails. What a great combo to share with Elisabeth pal Katie not far from the Hollywood Beach Palace. We would go here again, we wish we had a place like this near home. Our Sunday stroll continued spotting not one but two corgis!

It is an obsession and we probably have startled more than one dog owner with our star sighting reactions. Of course we meet and chat and photograph. Winston and Molly the cardigan were more than happy to say hello as we share corgi stories with
their owners.

Back to the Marriott for evening views and concierge snacks in our beautiful panoramic room. We watched the sunset light up soldier field while the Bears were trying their best. We headed to a bar to take in the world series and munched on wings for a light dinner.

Monday morning was sparkling and we stuck to our plan to walk Grant and Millennium parks. The fall colors were in full glory and the skyline followed us along our path.

A great way to start any morning with a walk in this amazing city. After getting cleaned up we met Lis at the train station to transfer to the green line out to Garfield Park Conservatory. It was like a paradise in the middle of a soon to be bleak winter. Flora and fauna were spread over an acre and we walked for a couple hours enjoying the sights and snapping cell phone pics at every turn. Like these.

I got a hankering for a Chicago dog and with a quick yelp search and an Uber tap we were off to Jimmys Red Hots for a stand in line and know your order dog that included fries in the bag. Maybe not the best dog we have had but it qualified and hit the spot only the way a true Chicago dog can. Back to downtown for a some shopping and walking and shopping and more walking.

Looks like broccoli, tastes like amazing.

Evening was spent in paradise which is of course The Purple Pig. #PurplePigAmazes. This is a must try spot which will require an hour in line outside in the cold but they have added cocktail service while you wait and a tent outside adds some much needed table space. The food is out of this world and the tapas dishes and great brews are fun to share and fawn over and post and text.

The last day we spent wandering through Old Town and exploring another Chicago hood. We bought olive oil and fudge. Sounds like necessities to me.

A short walk from our hotel to the orange line for the goodbye view of the city back to Midway.

Another great outing to one of our favorite places. We'll be back.

Chicago/Notre Dame/New York
September 2015

Well this was a first. T and I went to different places at the same time. Separate vacations? No, just a coincidence.

It started with a call from my brother about a Southwest sale. #Southwest #LUVSWA. He had wanted to travel somewhere other than L.A. where he grew up and Phoenix where he lives now. Not much else. It was time. We made plans and put together a NY 4 day overview.

A few weeks later the Chi-daughter called and let us know her alma mater, University of Portland, was again offering tickets to an ND game at! ND. Yes it was the same weekend I booked NY and I tried to reschedule but the deals were too good.

So off I went and off she went.

As soon as she say on the plane, the magic began. Our dear friend Jenn, sat down right next to her with her friend who was an ND football player Mom. They too were headed to the game. The texts were flying before departure. Small world sometimes.

T arrived late into Midway and cabbed it to a hotel to catch the morning bus to the game from the lobby. Joined by E's friend from Loyola Chicago, departed for a 3 hour or so ride to South Bend and they were greeted by Father XXX for a personal tour of ND along with snacks and libations.

Into the stadium for a great win over Georgia Tech. The pomp and circumstance of Notre Dame now felt in person was a very different feeling. The camaraderie and revelry is unmatched and all in a solemn historic Catholic place.

Mass was offered after the game (of course!) as it was in 14 other places on campus all at the same time.

The bus ride back was quiet and comfortable, picked up suitcases from the bell desk and cabbed it back to E's condo. T's first chance to have a sleepover at the new pad and enjoy views of the lake and walks on the beach just outside. Hey, its September so it was beautiful.

Two days were spent shopping and cooking and enjoying mo daughter time. They share home grown basil and a single tomato grown indoors. Its no the yield, its the pride. T even slept in the inflatable bed. A real trooper, afraid I wouldn't fare well in that.

Headed to a wonderful play The Rainmaker at the American Blues Theater. A real treat T had read a review about it in the LAX terminal in the Wall Street Journal. A real treat in a theater city where we have seen no theater.

Back home on Tuesday on the $82 non-stop round trip. #Southwest #SWA. The fare so good we bouth it twice, heading back on Halloween 2015. Stay tuned.

T and friend Katie at ND

As I flew over that Saturday and the game was on my device thanks to Southwest free TV. Got to love the technology, knowing they were there and I was at 30k feet streaming NBC Sports.

New York City

The bro-trip started really in Dallas. We ended up on the same connecting flight on Southwest. #LUVSWA #Southwest.

Since this was Mikes first time east, he ordered up the texas bbq sandwish at Love Field. Dickeys, but still bbq in Texas.

The flight to La Guardia was a "Narcos" binge ending with bro staring out at the western sunset and east coast cities below. We landed on time and cabbed it to downtown Marriott. #NYMarriott #Marriott to be put in a room with a view of Lady Liberty and Governers Island.

We turned around and walked Battery Park to the Staten Island Ferry terminal for a quick round trip to say hello to NY from the water...at night. Weather was warm and perfect. 70's during the day!

After the ferry ride we headed for what is called the oldest bar in NY, Fraunces Tavern. Shared a couple beers with G. Washington since this is where he saluted with his troops.

We left and headed in no particular direction to discover pizza in a small shop around the corner. Of course we stopped. #BestPizzaEver.

Then around another corner to find a closing street festival of some sort and wandered to see inside another bar. Stone street maybe? Cool hopping place.

Our first full day in NY was all about seeing the newly opened One World Trade Center. We left the room early and headed a block to the site of ground zero. A ticket is no longer required and we were free to explore and reflect at this hallowed site.

Virtually no crowds we got in a short line to head up the elevators to the Observatory. Spectacular view on a spectacular NY fall day. But the elevator ride wsa the star of the show. Made entirely of video walls you take a virtual ride up 102 stories as 100 years of NY unfolds on the "window" you are looking out. The ride down is even better so I wont pimp it. Go!

Lunch at Katz's deli. The best. Next to Mulberry street to walk the annual Feast of San Gennaro.

We took in the sights and SMELLS but didn't eat sadly due to a Katz induced food coma.

Enjoyed the old Italian guy with the mic and a backing track on stage. Then headed into the church to see St. G. We entered from the back side and exited through the front. Into Chinatown. It was like a time warp. Sausage and peppers to bustling Chinatown.

The evening was spent walking Greenwich Village and waiting then eating at the bar at the famous Spotted Pig. Great selection of beers and bites and wrapping up our busy day.

Monday morning we checked out of the room, left our bags and headed to Brooklyn. Mikes first subway ride.

Exited at Clark and walked the beautiful waterfront with sunny vistas of NYC. Construction is booming and there will be about a gazillion units on the water there soon that should go for the low $100k. Not. Pizza at Julianas (not Grimaldis cause this is actually owned by Grimaldi now) was very good and gave us leftovers for later.

Subway back to downtown to pick up the bags and subway to 46th street to the Marriott Marquis. #MariottMarquis #Marriott. Another amazing view of Times Square from the 38th floor.

Out the door for a midtown overview.

South to Madison Square Garden and Penn Station, Macy's Herald Square, Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, St. Patrick's, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall etc etc...

Night was more mid town spending time in Times Square then off to Central Park and the view of many of the same spots with night views.

Our last full day was spent walking Hells Kitchen area to the Intrepid Carrier. This was the day to try and see a Broadway show without having tickets in hand. We walked to the box office of The Book of Mormon and were able to find seats priced at either $260 or $430 each.

Musical business is good. We returned an hour later for the lottery to be edged out by visitors from all over the world. Only in NYC! We headed back a little dejected to our hotel and passed Kinky Boots. I had seen it last year (See NY post 2014) so we walked in to see about tix. Back row balcony for $50. Done. Great seats in the beautiful Theater. Fantastic show. After theater dinner in a local sports bar ended another full day of sore legs and feet.