That Toddlin' Town

Zipped up to Chicago to visit Natalie and Jerry in the quarter-million-mile wonder wheels. Started Monday morning, returned this (Wednesday) afternoon. From Madison you traverse the state from south to north, going through farm fields and woodlands, passing through North Vernon on Indiana Road 7, Columbus on US 31, and Indianapolis and Lafayette on I-65. I always get there as quickly as I can, then return in no hurry. The weather was drizzly starting from Madison but was fine when I got to Chicago. I defied the standing warning from N & J and came via the toll-free road, and traffic was dicey with the wall of trucks on either side but it kept moving and I was soon in town. It is always worth it.

Coming up the Dan Ryan, I never fail to marvel that there's a rapid transit system that works, serving the needs of people many of whom have sense enough to use it, running right through the median of the freeway, and I'm always wishing that I could park my crappy car somewhere outside the city and use public transportation. My children in Shy are devoted to riding their bicycles as much as they can and that is a sensible form of getting from A to B too. But even when they can't, they can walk two blocks or so, get on an el train, and go just about wherever they want.

I got off the freeway at 22nd (I think they call that Cermak Road, named after a mayor; I used to give directions to natives when I lived there at age 19, but I've begun to slip a little on remembering all the street names). I went over to Lake Shore Drive and north to Fullerton. As I say, it had become an excellent day and Lake Michigan on my right was showing off that beautiful shade of blue-green under the sun and the sky was a bluer blue above. Of course there were all the magnificent buildings on my left.

Natalie and Monty were at home and we had a sweet meeting. We chatted with Jerry on the computer and then we went to get Monty some kibbles and ourselves some tacos. Come to think of it, ate Mexican the whole time. We all talked Macs Monday evening and watched a DVD of Reno 9-1-1, a spoof on Cops and then some. I'd seen it on Comedy Central and didn't like it but this time I watched it with the kids and enjoyed it. I told J that I always get "high" when I am around them, i.e. elated. Everything we do together is more fun than doing it alone.

Natalie and I went downtown on Tuesday. She had a meeting on research she'll be doing and showed me her building where she works then I went to the Tribune Tower and visited Jerry in his office overlooking the lake. He intro'd me to his congenial colleagues. We fooled around and shot the bull and then Natalie came back and we went to lunch at Frontera, having mucho bueno Mexican food there. Then we walked my legs off in the downtown. We went to Shedd Aquarium and decided it was kind of pricey so we came back home. I took a nap and I think Natalie had a little one too, certainly being entitled. I woke to the smell of roasting garlic. We had Mexican again. We had homemade cornbread in there somewhere. I forgot to say the night before we had white chili that was delicioso. In the evening we watched the rest of the Reno cops spoof and then most of The Last of the Mohicans. Natalie provided me with a cozy blanket, which I slept under in the cool room. Love to sleep in a cool room.

We parted as sweetly as we met. Traffic was great all the way home too. I just came directly back the way I'd gone. It was a nice little outing. I love my kids. Amen.