After Milwaukee, my body felt tired. I took the next two days to rest. I didn't go out, and I didn't spend any money. It was a good energy refresh as Christina's family was going to visit this weekend.
They arrived later than anticipated. This was okay for me because now I could wait for Christina and Luisa to get home and ride with them. They had a hotel downtown, and we were going to get some dinner. I figured a 15-minute walk to Portillo's in River North was going to be fine. I didn't factor in the Chicago heat that decided to come back, the grandparents speed, and little Mia's little legs. On top of that, I went the wrong way, adding an extra 20 minutes to the walk.
River North was cracking. All the restaurants with seating on the sidewalk and in the streets were full. I keep making this analogy: it's like Spirited Away. When Chihiro first gets to the town before sunset, there's no one there. Once the dark hits, it's full on crowds. Here in Chicago, the weekdays are quiet. Once the weekend hits, everyone comes out. I did worry about Christina's mom, who already had anxiety about the Delta variant. Seeing her family walk around cautiously, wearing their masks, I remembered how differently Los Angeles and Chicago are handling the pandemic. There's nothing wrong with LA, in fact, that's the smart thing to do. I can't help but like feeling normal and not having to wear a mask everywhere out here in Chicago.
The dinner rush was in play once we arrived at Portillo's. We waited in a long line to order food and then to get our food. The employee that was calling out orders was very good at his job. He called out the order number and then said their food was ready. His energy was always strong, and on some numbers, he added some flare. "Order 298, don't be late! Your order is ready!" Our order ended in seven, so he didn't have a rhyme for us.
After we ate, the weather was cooler, making the walk more bearable. I had my bearings this time as tour guide, and avoided the street with the crowded restaurants. We made a stop for gelato along the river. Christina and I ran through the mini fountain with the kids. Once my socks got wet, I was done.
The gelato shop also had a view of the Merchandise Mart. We sat for a few minutes and waited for Art on the Mart to start. We couldn't hear the accompanying music, but it was still very cool to look at. On the nighttime architecture tour, I learned the light projectors are so precise, they only project light around the windows. So, if you're inside the building, you won't be blinded by lights every 2 seconds. I imagined a jazz song in the background, and the only song I could think of was the Hey Arnold! theme song. If I were a musician, I'd definitely have that song in my songbook.
@jmeprcn I couldn’t hear the actual music, so this is the soundtrack in my head ##heyarnold ##travelchicago ##vlog ##artonthemart
♬ Hey Arnold Main Theme (From "Hey Arnold") - Geek Music
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