Weekend away
day one part one

Oh my I feel like I am just waking up from a dream that I actually lived this past weekend. Jeff and I had a get away weekend in Chicago.
Just sitting at the airport together with no kids around was a treat.

I spent the whole plane ride learning how to use my new little underwater shock proof camera and read the whole manual.

I got a great deal on some new luggage this summer and was thrilled to have real luggage to use on a trip.


We stayed at the Drake Hotel on Michigan Avenue. By the first night we were calling it the Fake. They tried to put us in a horribly stinky smoking room because we had booked online at a discount hotel website. After minutes of insisting we were not sleeping in a room we could not breathe in, they magically found us a non smoking room. I would rather stay in a small bed a breakfast any day over a posh hotel with a bunch of people who seem to feel deserving of special treatment - I seriously felt a tad out of place in the elevator (that had a couch in it by the way) and under dressed but did enjoy the comforts of a nice bedroom with two bathrooms and yummy white sheets!
After we checked into the Fake we walked around looking for a place to eat. The night life was hopping. We finally found this little bar & grill that had no wait. It was extremely loud but the food was amazing. I wish I would have taken a photo of the pasta dish I had just so I could remember how amazing it was. I had plans to run at least 10 miles in the morning and indulged myself in as much pasta as I wanted - but ended up not being able to finish the entire plate.

The next morning I got up later than I hoped and decided to cut out my 10 mile day and just go shopping. I took a shower and then started to get dressed and then saw my running clothes sitting on the bench giving me the guilty stare. So I changed again put them on and decided to do at least 6 miles. (the fact I am training for a marathon seemed to be completely wiped from my brain)


This was the best choice I made the entire weekend. The hotel is right on Lakeshore drive by Lake Michigan. I felt like I was running in a race. It reminded me of running this summer in Central park in New York city.
I had no idea where I was going but just enjoyed running along the beach of the lake. A group of runners then made a turn to go over a bridge so I followed them. This was the bridge with awesome plants along the way.
It was fun to have no idea where I was going and hoping I could find my way back to the hotel.
I then noticed a finish lane for a race that must have just finished. So I ran underneath the finishing arch.

I then made another turn toward this statue as I am a sucker for a good monument. Good move on my part because all of a sudden I realized I was at the ...zoo!! What?? It came out of no where. It didn't cost money to get in, obviously, and was seamless to the parks and sidewalks around it.

I ran and enjoyed some instrumental music

saw some camels ( rode one of these in Morocco this summer)

zebras

and watched the monkeys and gorillas.

I then headed back to find the hotel and stopped off on the beach to document my visit

A high school cheer leading squad were getting group photos taken and the photos were darling. Who knew Chicago had a beach like that? For sure not me!
I had brought my water belt but did not need it because Fleet Feet had water tables set up along the running path with water and Gatorade. This to me was amazing. At first I thought it was for a race but it was just for Saturday runners.

Thanks Fleet Feet of Chicago - here is my plug for you in thanks for the Gatorade!!

in the park across from my hotel on Michigan avenue (busy street) there was a wedding going on in this little gazebo. I tried to take a photo of me with the wedding in the background as the uninvited guest but after 5 tries decided I should walk away before they asked me to leave.
I came back to the hotel, took my second shower for the day, enjoyed the complimentary white fluffy robe, laid on the crisp white sheets and screamed "I have the entire day to myself in Chicago woo hoo!!" (Jeff was in meetings all day)

This was one of those days where I was so happy I went running, just to think I would have missed all that!