I Feel Like We've Been Here Before...

Chicago, that is!

I'm sure you had enough from the last three recaps, but this weekend was completely different I swear! I thought I had seen most of what Chicago had to offer, but now I realize that one can never really see it all as a tourist. Plus, it's a whole new ballgame when it's on someone else's dime. Have a I mentioned that I love my job?

The first night was all about going to see The Book Of Mormon, so we ate at Rosebud Prime, which was right next door to the theater.

Totally didn't plan these outfits to match. Great minds just think alike.

Good ambiance and decent food, but I'm not going to rave about it. I will, however, rave about The Book Of Mormon, because I now see why it is touted as the most happening show on Broadway. You have to know beforehand that it is from the creators of South Park {per usual, it pushes everyone's buttons}, but if you enjoy Religious Satire, you will LOVE this. It takes me back to my College days studying Chaucer and Voltaire, both of which I think would be fans. It does stir up a ton of controversy, but anything having to do with religion will do that. The head of PR for the LDS Church said it best:  

"... parody isn't reality, and it's the very distortion that makes it appealing and often funny. The danger is not when people laugh but when they take it seriously—"

After that, we took an awesome little Pedicab ride to the House Of Blues to continue the fun. The ride was a new experience, the venue was awesome, and the music made me want to go back to New Orleans asap. I hadn't known it, but Chicago is known for Blues, Soul, Jazz, and Gospel, which I loved getting to experience this time around.

Then it was up early so that we could enjoy our only full day in town. Jess and I were left to our own devices, so we decided that shopping was to be the main dish with a side of sightseeing, and the weather was perfect for it at 65 and sunny.

I was in LOVE with that dress, but it ran SUPER small and they were running out of sizes :( If anyone comes across a size 6 at the H&M where they live, I will PAY YOU A REWARD to send it to me. I'm not kidding...I'm assigning you all this mission.

We lunched at Native Foods, and it was great to get a healthy meal to offset the room service and dinners out. All the protein was soy based and the options were awesome like the Caribbean Jerk Salad and the Twister Wrap that we chose.

I didn't mention this before, but I was super sad that we didn't get good pictures with The Bean last time. The thing has water spots all over it and distorts things at weird angles, so they simply didn't turn out how I thought they did. This time I paid attention to that, and made up for the bad ones. Plus I enlisted the help of other tourists. I just kept my eye on my camera in case they tried to run off.

Did you know that there are Casinos near Chicago? Neither did we.

The Horseshoe Casino was only a 25 minute cab ride away, and it made for a great night. We won money, had a good table for Blackjack, and enjoyed ourselves until the wee hours of the morning. The only bad part was that being 25 minutes from the city, cabs stop coming out there. We had no clue, so at 4AM when we are desperately trying to go home, there was no way to get home! 

We were kind'a freaking out, because we were beginning to feel like we were being held hostage in the Hammond Twilight Zone. Luckily, we kept talking to anyone that would listen, so a random Valet we talked to found us a "taxi", and by "taxi", I mean a guy that had a car. Normally I would not have even entertained the idea, but when you are stuck in the middle of nowhere and need to get some sleep before  a flight, you don't question the lack of licensing and safety standards.

Long story short, we made it back to the hotel and passed out at about 6AM. Getting three hours of sleep sucked, but at least we ended up with a good story to end the trip. Now I think I've had enough of Chicago for awhile. Seriously.