Wild and Crazy - A Quickie to Florida and Chicago

 Some months ago, Michelle sent us the "Save the Date" card to Joey's retirement party, planned for June 6. "I know you can't come," she said, "but the invitation is so cute!" Absolutely, it was.

Fast forward a couple of months, and the invite arrived. Werner looked at it and showed it to me and said, in all seriousness, "I think we should go."  What did I say? YES!!!  How very uncharacteristic of me to be so spontaneous with a dash of fun. 

We have been able to share so many special moments with our family in the USofA, but we miss a lot, too, since we are here and not there. And somehow, this one touched a nerve. So, crazy as it sounds, we decided to go.

Michelle was a great co-conspirator and told NO ONE in Panama City that we were coming. Of course, Lee and family in Orlando knew since we were landing there, but they were good team players, too, so no word leaked. 

Travel day was also Werner's birthday! We shared a birthday croissant at the airport (Happy Birthday, Werner!) and then spent a short but fun night in Orlando with Dylan, Hayden, Crissy and Lee, with cake.

Friday we were ferried up to Panama City with Lee and Hayden! Fast! Fast!

I find riding with Lee or Crissy much easier when I don't look at the road or the speedometer.

 And the surprise worked! Joey laughed, we laughed, lots of surprised faces greeted us (most especially Hannah) and the party went on. 

So many folks were there to help celebrate. Michelle decorated the tables with different themes appropriate to retirement - travel, golf, etc....  

Michelle MC'd a little slide show of Joey's goodness over the years. Hannah, Jeremy (who Joey hired and mentored), Mike and Donna (brother and sister) gave tributes. The first three couldn't quite get through their speeches without a catch in their throats, but Donna saved us all from too much sentimentality with a spot-on speech that began with something like  Really? Haven't any of you had a little brother? They are the worst!!  It was hilarious and loving. 

Such fun visiting with Donna and Mike! I think the last time we saw them was at Hannah and Harrison's wedding in 2023. 

And a great location. The Clubhouse is right there on the bay. And just down the street!

Sunday morning breakfast was so yummy, and fun. Here are the Siblings - Joey, Mike and Donna, Lee and Michelle. 

Werner and I with Michelle and Lee. 

And Joey reading the thank yous and the gifts that were not asked for but appreciated. I think they'll need to have a whiskey party sometime!!

And thanks to Harrison, a pic of (most of us) us together. It's OK - we'll be back at Thanksgiving!

Ant then it was over so fast and we were off again! But getting to Chicago wasn't sooo easy. Thunderstorms and threatened tornados kept the planes from flying. I don't like delays, but I have to say that flying into tornados are also not on my To Do list.

So, we finally arrived in Chicago about 10 pm, 3+ hours later than planned. Dark it was, but there were lights in lots of buildings that were really high. Really high.

The morning showed us just how high and how many high buildings there are in this part of Chicago! Yow!! We found the right architecture tour totally by accident - and it was great. (And, parenthetically, Chicago is named for wild garlic - Ramps - Bärlauch - one of our favorite springtime treats here in Bremen.) 

Off to meet up with Ted and Elizabeth, a little adventure of its own, meeting up. They were there by car, we were there by train (btw, GREAT public transport in Chicago, at least from our experience in the center of town and a whole lot cheaper than in Bremen!). We were walking down Fullerton (a lovely, lovely neighborhood) in the direction of the nature museum and the Japanese reflecting pool when we finally connected. After hugs and hellos, we climbed into their little car, a cute electric-powered Mini. I got in the back because Werner would NEVER have been able to climb back there. Frankly, I was challenged and feeling my years!!

Ted's such a cool guy, my first German teacher (1985?), young enough to be my kid, old enough to be my friend. He's a documentary film maker (as is Elizabeth, who has a wonderful smile). We walked the nature preserve and on the way to the reflecting pond, I got attacked by some birds! Another Yow! Apparently, I was way too close to their babes, and I was sorry, but unscarred.

We enjoyed a nice interlude at the Japanese Lily Pond and later went to another interesting neighborhood to have coffee and a pastry at a very French café. And there was still time to visit the Contemporary Art Museum. Ted and Elizabeth got in free since it was Thursday and Thursday is Freeday for locals. (There's also a Freeday for residents at The Art Institute - so great! I think Bremen should do that.) 

Time to eat! A local hotel with a lovely restaurant was our choice, and, as always, two appetizers were enough for our dinner - one pizza, one roasted beet salad. Don't laugh. It was yummy.

What a lovely day it was.

Day 2, Wednesday, was Art Institute day. I had forgotten that though the museum opens at 10, that's only for members, so we had an hour to kill before we could get in, walked a bit more and had a coffee. Again. THEN, finally!! What a show. Normally, 2 hours in a museum is more than enough - my head gets full and my knees get tired and my back gets stiff. But we couldn't stop. Almost 5 hours later, we said, OK. Done. Some highlights.

Have I already said how FRIENDLY folks are here?? I was taking a pic of Werner mimicking the Walking Man and a woman comes up and says You go there, too! I'll take your picture! So, off I go and she's just so nice and smiley and I forget that Germans are so serious most of the time. Really, Germans are. Serious. Even the airport employees were full of smiles. What do they eat there???

We stopped for a coffee and snack before heading back to the hotel, but rain intervened. And how!! Tornado warnings, wind, wind, more wind, wetness. We got tired of waiting and found a slightly less awful time and high-tailed it back. Rest, then to eat close by.

Food was not a highlight of the trip. It was fine and we had a few nice things, but mostly we had regular food. Recommendations of hot dogs and pizza were ultimately ignored. Sorry. Maybe next time Chicago dogs and deep dish Chicago pizza.

Thursday was kinda full. First to a little breakfast where a 60ish woman came up to us while we were waiting for our order and said You two are so cute!  I just had to tell you!! Your clothes are perfect and your beard is wonderful and you just look great!    I wish I had a picture of her!

Well, speechless I was, almost. Of course, not the first very friendly encounter we had in Chicagoland. Without exception, folks there were helpful and smiling and I swear the South has real competition from Chicagoans when it comes to warm and welcoming.  We had a nice little chat and I tried to return the compliment (even though she was wearing really colorful and snug jogging shorts and a weirdly patterned t-shirt, but OK). Five minutes later, walking toward the Chagall mosaic, Werner wanted to take a picture of me walking the streets with a cardboard coffee cup since that's so NOT a German thing.

 Then comes a guy and says, Take my picture, too!  

Hilarious! And his partner offers to take my phone and take our picture with this random guy and he's talking the whole time and they are both smiling and laughing and it is so funny! Where are you from? Germany?! That's great! Enjoy!  Yes, sorry to say I checked that my wallet was still in my purse, and it was. They were just having fun. It happened a couple more times. There are some crazy folks in Chicagoland. 

The Chagall mosaic was being restored, so we only got a glimpse through the chain-link fence. 

Millennium Park was next. What a great place! We saw the HUGE fountain where the little ones were splashing and then heard the music, obviously live. 

And a rehearsal for an upcoming concert at the Pritzker Pavilion (designed b  Ghery. Of course. Who else does such spirals?)  was in progress and we had to sit and listen for a bit. 

Then to The Bean.  Frankly, not quite sure why this is such a draw, but clearly it is. 

This last pic is from the center, called the omphalus (belly-button to you uninitiated). The name fits.

Chicago from above was next on the list - the former Hancock Building and up to the 94th floor to see Chicago from above. The elevator trip took seconds, and I was happy the elevator walls were not glass. Looking at it all from the floor was just fine - we were not interested in the lean-over-at-45-degrees view.

Back we went on the bus on our $5 day ticket (what a deal!!) to the former Public Library, now the Chicago Cultural Center, free and open to the public every day. What an amazing edifice! Mosaics everywhere, sayings in all languages carved into marble, staircases, huge spaces that I could only imagine filled with books but now filled with exhibits of various sorts. 

We could have lingered, but we had a date with Joe Schramm, one of the UF crew from Werner's time there. But first, a quick stop for an umbrella!! After our soaking the night before, I wasn't interested in a museum visit in wet clothes.  We now are the proud owners of a ridiculously expensive Harry Potter collapsible umbrella. I think we'll take it to Dylan....

The Dreihaus Museum is a home built by one of the Chicago business moguls of the Gilded Age, now restored to its former glory. Like so many Victorian mansions, it was dark and decorated within an inch of its life!! Interesting, but, man, not my style.

Afterwards, Joe led us to the coffee shop at the front of the Ralph Lauren shop (very cool) and we wrapped up a fun visit with each other. And we'll see him again, soon!! He and his partner are coming to Germany in the summer and staying a few days in Bremen. Fun!

One more stop at Union Station, the main train station. Wow. I remember if from a scene in The Untouchables, particularly the scene where there were shots and blood and a mess and a baby in a carriage that bumped down the stairs while all that mayhem was going on. And there they were, the stairs. There is so much wonderful architecture in Chicago. 

I haven't mentioned the revolving doors! There were lots and on Day 3 I saw a note that said Use the revolving doors - they save energy. Makes sense.

More tornado warnings kept us close to the hotel for dinner, which was just fine. There are so many restaurants around.

We thought Friday would be another mostly touristy day because I foolishly did not question the reminders from my calendar, the calendar that was reading our flight time in German time, not Chicago time. So, we were not OF COURSE leaving Chicago at 11PM but rather at 4PM. Yes, you can call me names that rhyme with "rum." So, no trip to see the Obama Library. So sad! We took our time, packed up, had some breakfast, headed to O'Hare on the Blue Line, $2.50 each, 45 minutes. It looked like we would need at least an hour or more to get through the security check, but they were fast and we were done in 30 minutes, including a little talk with the guy checking Werner's passport who wanted to practice his German!  But you can't know how long it will take, all these checks, so we waited a long time before time to board. Then a nice passenger told us that as "seniors" we can board early. No standing in line because "old." We took her advice and went right to the front and they let us in!!! I will not forget that little piece of knowledge.

So, back home, right on time, 65°, cloudy and wanting to rain. We bucked up and changed clothes and went to the market (me) and the grocery (Werner) and then took a nap. 

What a whirlwind of a trip! What fun!  Eight days felt like at least two weeks of joy!! Hoping we might see Chicago again....