home again, home again, jiggity jog

Friday we spent the whole day with our friends David & Michelle and their daughters Abby (almost exactly a year older than Nina) and Julia (just turned 1). It was a wonderful, relaxing, happy day. They live in Oak Park, which is where I lived when Larry and I started dating. It borders on the city and is like a small town close to the city (two of the train lines go there, as well as one of the commuter lines). There's a Whole Foods, lots of independent shops and restaurants, and many, many Frank Lloyd Wright houses. Most homes in Oak Park are Victorian, Arts & Crafts, or Prairie style.

Larry took the two older girls to the library while I poked around some shops, Michelle had a much needed nap, and David had a massage. It was really nice to get a little time to myself (I went into the Borders where I used to work and the woman there asked me if I wanted a rewards card; I told her that I didn't have enough alone time to go to bookstores). I picked up some plane treats (including this book which I will save for another occasion) and recharged a little (couldn't be complete without a trip to Paper Source), then picked up Larry and the girls from the library. This library was nice when I lived there but it has been renovated and is now stunning.

We ordered some dinner from a Middle Eastern place (mmmm, falafel) and then Michelle drove us back into the city. It was a magical, refueling kind of day.

Saturday we woke up and checked out of our hotel, leaving our bags there so we could walk around the city for a while. We checked out the Lincoln Park zoo, which is really good and also free. It's really amazing that is is so close to downtown and also free.

It started to feel like lunchtime, and I remembered that there was one last restaurant I wanted to hit...and it was in within a few blocks of the zoo. It doesn't seem to be in the Lonely Planet guide that I got from the library but it really should. It's called Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder and it has a pretty unique menu, including the pizza pot pie and the mediterranean bread, both of which are delicious. We walked back to the hotel where our luggage was stored to allow Nina a chance to nap.

We were flying out of O'Hare this morning so we spent the night in a hotel closer; it's a bit far from downtown. After a good night's sleep we got on the plane and headed home. My mom picked us up at the airport and we stopped by Blue Water for takeout to avoid having to cook dinner.

It's nice to be home. Stay tuned for pictures and thoughts on the trip.