Driving Through Chicago - the Car GPS Leads Us Astray Again

I don't trust the car GPS. And it was proven once again last week when we drove to Milwaukee from DC. I usually set google maps on my phone as well as use the car GPS, but my head was down when we were passing out of Indiana and in to Illinois. Rather than take the usual bypass, we ended up heading straight in to downtown. We haven't been that way since the last time we made that mistake twenty years ago. We always paid close attention to the confusing signs that first take you west to Iowa, then north to Milwaukee. So we cursed a bit, but then just sat back for the ride. After driving past the rusty bridges and landscape of Gary, the Chicago White Sox stadium, and the Sears Tower, we saw our usual exits like Ohio Street, where we would frequent Reza's Persian Restaurant and Michigan Avenue. We spent a lot of time in Chicago over the thirty years we lived in Milwaukee, including Christmas time weekends when my husband was attending medical meetings or we just did Christmas shopping and enjoyed the sounds and sights of the holiday season. I suppose it was a nice reminder of all those things, but it did delay our arrival time by quite a bit. Would we have preferred taking the bypass? Probably. Did we enjoy the ride? Yes. 

An Unplanned Visit to the Finish Line at Northbrook Court near Chicago

We spent a lot of time in Chicago when we lived in Milwaukee for thirty years. It wasn't uncommon for us to visit downtown every six weeks or so. Oftentimes we first stopped at Northbrook Court for seasonal clothing - they had more interesting things for our taste than in Milwaukee. Last week we drove to Milwaukee from DC to visit friends and colleagues and passed through Chicago. Lately when we leave on a trip, we have been forgetting items. The last time was pills that required a prescription. This time it was walking shoes. So after we passed the very busy Windy City on our way north, we stopped at the old familiar stomping grounds at Northbrook. We never heard of the Finish Line sports shoes store, but ended up there and ended up with a pair of shoes on sale with socks to boot. On the way back to the car we stopped at my favorite shops and checked out the summer clearance racks as well as the new fall wardrobes. Nothing looked promising but we also felt compelled to get moving so we would make our 4 PM prearranged engagement with my colleagues from my health care days. Our visit was so nice this time that we considered the possibility of moving back. But the snow and ice and high property taxes snapped us back to reality. We'll have to see what comes our way in the future. Time to set priorities! 

Chicago Rainstorms

Driving anywhere can bring with it interesting sights and sounds. And so was the case as we made our way from DC to Milwaukee. One of the more interesting sections is always getting through Chicago - and it's always a royal pain from the north of Indiana onward. We were also surrounded by extraordinary looking clouds. But amazingly enough, we seemed to dart in between the heavy rains as the freeway wound it's way past O'hare and the Windy City in the distance. I really don't like driving around in foul weather - who does? But once we saw the Milwaukee sign we knew it wouldn't be much longer. It's a path we have driven so many, many times before when we lived here for thirty years. We could finally turn the google maps off and just enjoy what was in front of us.  

Yekta Market and Kabobi Anniversary Dinner

Although we have been together almost forty years (!) our official twenty year anniversary was yesterday. We had a wedding day lunch at Reza's in Chicago - a place we went to almost every couple of months when we lived in Milwaukee. So we decided we should celebrate at Yekta Kabobi in Rockville. Because Persian New Year is upon us, the market was still open for business selling out on Haft-sin items. The little grass containers were sitting out front, and a haft-sin was on display at the entryway. The restaurant was really busy, and we were lucky to get a seat without reservations. After dinner we wandered about the market. Everything is so fresh - in fact the salad in the restaurant is my favorite because it is so fresh. My husband had a taste for cookies, and was also on the hunt for quince. This place reminds me of the outdoor markets in Iran and in most other places, including Eastern Market right here in the neighborhood. Obviously tea, rice, and pistachios are well stocked. It's all so very colorful and ethnic. Just as I love pierogis and all things Polish, my husband loves all things Persian. Unfortunately there is not a polish restaurant that we know of here. Milwaukee and Chicago were full of those. So Christmas is the time for Polish food and Spring is the time for Persian food. Although nothing stops us from enjoying it all any time of the year.