Chicago/Lake Geneva, WI — Patti Part Two

From the warmth of Southern California to the cold of Chicago and Wisconsin! I attended the beautiful wedding of my dear friend Cindy’s daughter Lauren in Lake Geneva, WI, so took that opportunity to spend time in Chicago with friends on either side of the wedding weekend. The weather cooperated which is not always the case in January. It was cold but no snow or precipitation of any kind the entire time I was there.

Pre-wedding I stayed with my friend Julie in her fabulous Lake Shore Drive apartment on the 19th floor overlooking Navy Pier and the lake. Even in winter Lake Michigan always looks amazing and this trip was no different.

Good morning Chicago!! My view waking up in my bed - Sweet!!

Julie and I are planning a BIG trip together so we had lots to discuss and research - but we still had time to get out and have some fun in the city. Since she is a wonderful friend and hostess she offered me lots of options of things we could do. I picked starting on the north end of Michigan Ave and checking out a new art gallery called Artspace 8 located in the Bloomingdale’s building that Julie said good things about.

Most of the art work is very large and they represent newer living artists. I loved quite a few pieces - none of which I could afford!!

Then we meandered down Michigan Avenue stopping at whatever caught our interest. We browsed in a few stores but neither of us bought a thing. Saving up for our BIG trip!!

The old Water Tower - one of the few remaining buildings left after the big fire of 1871.

There are so many great places to eat so Julie suggested a fairly new place called Cindy’s located in the historic Chicago Athletic Club right across from Millenium Park which has been turned into a hotel. The restaurant/bar is on the 12th floor and has a great view of Millenium Park and the surrounding area. They did a fabulous job of keeping the character of this unique historic building and interjecting modern technology which totally created an awesome vibe. They encourage people to come in and use the various gathering spaces to work or meet.

Awesome burger and wine for lunch - I’m on vacation!!

They have an outdoor space with fire pits too. Great view of The Gehry Bean, skating rink and Grant Park.

We finished our day by heading over to one of my favorite Chicago museums - the Art Institute. Since it was Thursday they were open late, and we decided to visit some of the areas I had never seen. I tend to always head right to the Impressionists - but not this time. Instead we saw a huge collection of paperweights, the miniatures, a special quilt exhibit and the featured Rodin exhibit.

The Art Institute- a must see if you haven’t been there.

Walking back to Julie’s I was captivated by the lights on The Bean at night.

The next day we spent planning for our BIG trip until it was almost time for me to head to Wisconsin. Our last stop was for lunch at Buona Beef. No trip for me to Chicago is complete without an Italian Beef sandwich. People always talk about Chicago pizza - and don’t get me wrong - I like that too. But I can get good pizza at a lot of places. Italian Beef you can really only get in Chicago.

I like mine with sweet peppers on top! Delicious!

On to Lake Geneva! It’s an easy drive from downtown Chicago - about 2 hours in traffic - less on a weekend. I have so many fond memories of spending time there when I lived in Chicago. Cindy my friend who’s daughter was getting married has a vacation home there, and I was lucky enough to be invited up for weekends frequently.

A little history that you might find interesting about Lake Geneva. It became popular in the 1800’s because of the good railroad access from Chicago. It was a summer retreat for the barons of wealth in lumber, cattle, oil, steel, cement and manufacturing. Families like Morton (salt) and Wrigley (gum) built homes from the 1850’s through the roaring 20’s and up to present time.

Homes you can still see today on the lake. Upper right is one of the Wrigley homes, and the lower left is the largest home ever built there. Called Stone Manor. It is currently 6 luxury condo’s.

In 1968 Hugh Hefner built his first Playboy Resort there. It closed in 1981 and now is converted into the Grand Geneva Resort.

I had time on Saturday before the wedding to head into the town of Lake Geneva. It is super cute and has lots of great little restaurants and shops - and of course the lake. Since it is winter parts of the lake have frozen solid - so it was fun to see the tons of people out on the ice fishing and walking around.

Bottom left a very unfocused picture of ice fishing. That’s me making a spur of the moment decision to go out and stand on the ice! Bottom right the cute town and shops.

I stopped at a great restaurant for breakfast. I had looked up on Trip Advisor where to eat and Simple got the top rating. It was fantastic so I definitely concur!

Amazing potatoes!! Homemade wheat bread toasted!!

Lake Geneva (the town) is on one side of the lake, and on the other is the town of Fontana. The wedding was on the Fontana side of the lake - so the guests were all staying at the lovely Abbey Resort and Spa. The Abbey has been there as long as I can remember - back to when I was just a kid in fact - but this was my first time staying there.

It was great and very convenient to all the wedding events. Kind of a rustic feel to it but lovely.

The wedding was just perfect! Beautiful bride and groom surrounded by family and friends that love them and each other dearly. Cindy and Lauren planned a gorgeous event with lots of personal touches making it a memorable event for all. Best wishes always Lauren and David!!

The 3 Noonan sisters singing the blessing! Another special and beautiful memory.

After a lovely wedding brunch on Sunday I headed back to Chicago for part two of my Chicago visit. Getting together with my dear friends Robin and Mike, who always have a fun and interesting time planned for us! This visit was no exception. They - especially Mike - know everything going on in Chicago and the surrounding area when it comes to theater and music. They know I love that kind of thing too - so dinner and opening night were on the agenda. We had dinner at a great place called Frontier in the Noble Square area of the city. I had never heard of it but they said it is close to Ukranian Village if that helps. The restaurant was great! Interesting food and lots of great beers and cocktails.

I had a hamburger and it was great! But I just realized that I have been eating a lot of burgers!! More in the past few weeks then in the past few years!! Not sure why??

The theater was just two blocks away. It was opening night for Hatfield & McCoy at the House Theater of Chicago. We all loved it! It is a musical about the famous feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys, and we were sitting front row center. I felt like I was in the middle of the feud!! Great talent, staging and music. In fact the critic from the Chicago Tribune was sitting right behind us and stayed for the entire production. In the morning there was already a review out in a local paper called Around the Town Chicago that gave it a thumbs up! The theater was very cool also. Really interesting and unique.

Top right photo is of a cute little bar off to the right when you walk in. Lots to look at everywhere!

My seat front and center!! Very cool set with the musicians right on stage in the upper right. Awesome Bluegrass music.

Thanks Robin and Mike for an awesome fun time in Chicago!

Next trip right around the corner - heading back to warmth!! Where in the world is Patti? Check back and find out soon!!

“Not all storms come to disrupt your life. Some come to clear your path.”