Our trip to Chicago was planned for awhile. I wanted to have fun and if I was going to have fun, I wanted fun people to be around. I approached April and Josh and they were in. This was suppose to be a couples trip with Aaron included but he got a part-time job @ Santa Maria Signs and he didn't want to have to ask for time off. Who would take his place? With careful thought, Anthony and Sam said yes and off to Chicago we went.
The loads for flights were looking pretty grim so I decided to get on the noon flight. Everyone was pretty accommodating about this trip. April got shifts covered at the beginning of the month and I took vacation hours so we were all set. I got to Chicago @ 840p and headed for the CTA. Got on the CTA and headed for downtown Chicago. There was a light snow that was of course blowing my direction that made it so hard to see the street signs. Finally at the hotel, I'm getting settled and ordering food, showered and changed. My thoughts were, they will all be here tomorrow.
I headed for the airport to meet April and Josh @ 130p. Now that it was daylight, I can see the streets signs, pinpoint the landmarks and finally know where I'm at. April and Josh are finally here and we are off to the hotel. We get there, they change clothes and we head to Pizzeria Uno. Yes, the original Pizzeria Uno. We ordered a large Numero Uno. It was enormous but so good. Had leftovers for days. We walked down Michigan to a Walgreens so April and I can get beanies. It was that cold. Headed back to the hotel to drop off pizza and stuff and at around this time, Anthony and Sam are here. We hook up with them at Millenium Park and walked around a little bit. Saw "The Bean". Very cool. We head back, it's going to be an early morning for us the next day.
This day in my life has come. We are heading to The Oprah Winfrey Show. It's been a dream come true. Oprah started in 1984, I was a freshman in high school. I finally made it here. It was amazing. Being in the audience was so surreal. What stunk about the whole thing was we were there for a live broadcast and here in California, @ 2p, on my TiVO, it was the Olympics. We got to see the show on ABC in Chicago @ 11pm. They really didn't show much of the audience although, at the end as they were panning around the studio, I saw Josh and his famous white shirt. Meaning, if I saw Josh, I saw everyone. Me, April, Josh, Sam and Anthony. After the show, we meet with some people and we head to the Oprah store. In a cab, we head back to the hotel and get ready for lunch.
April, Josh and I, nosh on leftover pizza, they eat the crust and I eat the toppings. Crust was a bit much. That was a snack. We head out and dine @ Big Bowl, an asian eatery right off Ohio St. That was pretty fun. Still elated from our Oprah show experience, we talk about the funniest things that happened on the show. The annoying animal sitter that took much of Oprah's time, the lady that was asking if she can be her next personal assistant, Oprah has 5 so answer there was NO. Then there was the Oprah moment and for the 5 of us, it will always be our moment with Oprah. It was personal and raw. Enough said. We head out for ice skating and the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower). As we get to the ice skating rink, we sit and decide what to do first. We decide to go to the Skydeck. (hold on, I need to google something) It was a mile walk. Thank God it was cool and brisk and not hot and humid. I would have been miserable. That was a fun trip up there. OMG, 103 floors! April had to hold my hand so I would get on the deck and take pictures, don't look down. I did alright, it wasn't too bad. Poor Sam was really afraid of heights. Anthony had to hold him up. LOL! Funny! Let's track it back to the park and another 1 mile. Thank goodness I've been working out or else, I wouldn't have done so well. April, Josh, Anthony and Sam go ice skating, I sit on the sidelines and take pictures and some video footage. We all had fun. It's food time and we decide to check out the Big Bar @ the Hyatt Regency. Walking inside the lobby, we saw this lady that walked into the glass door and pretty much fell on her ass. She must have been drunk or something but that was hilarious. We get up to the Big Bar and it's packed, no place to sit. We opt for something else. I said, "Reagle Beagle". We headed to the Reagle Beagle. It was a nice joint. Close to our hotel, a block away. Food was amazing. The burgers were delicious. We part ways for the evening and April, Josh and I head for Buca di Beppo for Tiramisu to go. They get some beers and wine coolers for me, and back to the hotel. BTW, that was breakfast as well. Beer, wine coolers and tiramisu. You can't go wrong!
For our friend Anthony, the Daddy and mommy jokes were only so appropriate in Chicago. He will never let this one down.
We are now home and still re-living a great vacation in our heads. To my friends, you aren't just friends, you are family. I thank you so much for your time, friendship. Until our next trip.
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