Hello 2022!

December 30, 2021 by Patricia Farmar

But first a goodbye to 2021. Covid 2.0😳 Nope! Not starting this out on a negative. 2021 was WAY BETTER than 2020. Especially if you got a vaccine! And a booster! If you haven’t I’m asking you nicely to reconsider. For yourself, your loved ones and the world. Now I will move on.

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Happy New Year! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy Festivas! Whatever you celebrate I celebrate with you. We need more things to celebrate not less. I designate 2022 the YEAR OF HAPPY. More on that later.

Now the highlights of 2021 in my world. I moved back to the Chicago area. My North Star is the simple saying “Do the Next Right Thing.” (Just a little plug for a great and short book called The Next Right Thing by Emily P Freeman) Don’t stress yourself out by planning out the rest of your life. If Covid taught us just one thing it’s that we never know what’s coming right? So after surviving a pretty lonely 2020 I decided that moving closer to family was my next right thing. So here I am - back in the Chicago area. It’s been good. That’s not to say I don’t miss KC and my amazing wonderful friends TONS! Such a great and much loved by me skyline.

Hello Millennium Park! I’m back! Since I haven’t been able to travel I’ve had the pleasure of hosting quite a few friends and being their tour guide in the great city of Chicago. I love taking people on my Frank Lloyd Wright Walking Tour, the Art Institute, the Chicago Architectural Center and Boat Tour, Willis Tower and way too much fantastic food to list. Deep dish pizza anyone?

Keeley and Matt bought their first home! After living in a cute but tiny condo in the city and spending pretty much 24 hours a day in it working remotely, they decided a home was their next right thing. They diligently went house hunting and through perseverance and hard work bought a darling home just a mile from me that has a great yard, deck and really nice spacious interior. This happened in April so they were able to enjoy it all summer which was amazing. I was invited over to join in numerous backyard barbecues and appreciated that immensely.

Tom and Anna got married! Anna has been a part of our family for years, but in October we welcomed her officially. The ceremony took place during peak week in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. It was a joyous outdoor gathering of family and friends and after not being together for such a long time we were happy and thrilled to all be able to celebrate together. Last year at this time they were planning to move to the Chicago area but their journey is taking them in another direction. Instead they are going to remain in North Carolina and I’m thrilled to have a great reason to visit them as often as possible.

I have dipped my toe back into travel, and my next post will be of great interest to anyone that is a fan of Harry Potter. I was accompanied by my favorite wizards on a recent trip to Florida. Check back for details soon.

I read a lot of books in 2021 - 57 to be exact. My reading increased dramatically during Covid but it’s something I will continue doing as I truly love it. As I looked back over the list it was challenging to come up with my top 3, there were so many I enjoyed. So I used the criteria of books that I felt made some kind of impact on my life and the way I look at things. So here they are:

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad
The Underground Girls of Kabul by Jenny Nordberg

I haven’t made New Year’s resolutions for years. Instead I like to have a theme or goal for the year. I’m a little ashamed to say I didn’t have one for 2020. I guess maybe it would have been Live or Stay Alive. Not that inspirational really. I was beat down, tired and not in such a great place. My mother always said life is what you make it, you’ll be as happy as you want to be - and I believe that to my very core. So my goal for 2022 is a pretty simple one.

I’m done with negativity, judgement, anger, rudeness and finger pointing. I’m going to do my part in my own little way to send kindness and happiness out into the world. This will be the picture I see first thing every morning. Choosing happiness is hard work and requires determination, focus and persistence- and it’s totally worth it. So I declare 2022 the Year of Happy. And if you’re still reading this then I’m sending out all positive thoughts that you make 2022 a happy year for you too! 🥰

North and South Carolina….it’s been forever since I traveled!

October 29, 2021 by Patricia Farmar

Travel, like most things in life is a skill that with practice we get better at doing. With a few exceptions I haven’t really been anywhere in the past 18 months - so really felt like I was starting over as I prepared to head to North and South Carolina for almost two weeks. And definitely rusty with blogging so bare with me as I prepare to make some sense with this post.

The view everyday from the deck of our AirBNB. It’s peak week for the leaves in the Blue Ridge Mountains!

The purpose of the trip was my son Tom’s wedding to the lovely Anna. They selected the perfect time to get married in the Blue Ridge Mountains where they currently live as it was the peak of the fall colors - and it did not disappoint. The beautiful scenery, the happiness of finally getting to gather with our family and close friends, and the joy of witnessing two people that were destined to be together made for the perfect occasion.

The lovely couple. Anna’s dress was spectacular and perfect on her and for the setting. Tom looked very sharp in his custom tux.

All wedding photos credited to my good friend Cindy who brought her camera and did such a great job of taking pictures. Top right me with my good friends Liz and Cindy. Bottom left me with Keeley and Tom. I couldn’t be prouder of those two💕

The wedding ceremony and reception were just perfect. It rained earlier in the day but cleared in time for the event. The tent was so beautiful with the natural greenery, beautiful flowers and centerpieces. The meal was delicious and there was a huge spread of fantastic desserts. Lots of dancing by everyone - even those we rarely see dance! If everyone had half as much fun as I then they had a great time.

Mother and son dance - a special moment for us💕

I was in the Blue Ridge Mountains for a week so what else did I do? Hike! There are so many great hikes off the parkway it just depends on how much time you have and what your skill level is. We picked hikes that were listed as moderate and that worked well for everyone in our group.

This one was called Rough Ridge. The higher you climb the better the views!

Nuwati Hike - a good group that was undeterred by the pretty challenging scramble up large rocks to get to the top. Worth it!

When Tom and Keeley climbed up on this rock I had to do it too!

Linville Falls. An easy hike to see beautiful waterfalls.

Things I didn’t take pictures of that I regret - remember I’m rusty on blogging! No food pictures. Most of our meals the week at the house in the mountains we either cooked or ate at wedding related events. And big thanks to my family that cooked most (all 😋) the meals at the house. We went to an awesome brewery called the Blowing Rock Brewery one afternoon and sat outside with beer, wine and snacks. The town of Blowing Rock looked really great so highly recommend checking that out if you are in the area. We also spent an afternoon in the town of Boone which is the largest town in the area. We had a delicious lunch at a cute cafe called Our Daily Bread and browsed some of the shops. There was also a Meet and Greet pre wedding at a nice brewery in Boone called Booneshine that was very fun.

The mountains were beautiful but I also love the beach, and hadn’t been to one in quite sometime, so our next stop was Hilton Head South Carolina. My excellent traveling companion Julie and I drove about 6 hours from basically the northwest part of North Carolina to the southeast corner of South Carolina. Neither of us had been to Hilton Head and we both really enjoyed it. The beach is very wide and long - perfect for relaxing and taking long walks. It is a barrier island and from what I read the second largest in the country - the largest being Long Island in NY. Lots of resorts, golf courses, restaurants, a large marina, tennis, pickle ball, bike paths everywhere, etc.

We saw quite a few people on paddle boards and kayaking in various bodies of water. I adhered to the signage and stuck to the walking paths, pool and beach🤗

The marina by our resort morning and night. We did enjoy drinks and watching the fishing boats come back to the marina.

Is it really a vacation for Patti if I don’t eat at least one croissant? Nope! I found a great bakery right by the marina called the Social Bakery.

Sunset. Always the perfect way to end a trip.

That was our trip. Then we spent the next two days in the car driving back. Not nearly as much fun. But it has helped get me over the hump of taking the first step to start traveling again - at least domestically for now. I just booked my first plane flight since the start of Covid so in about a month going to take that step. I am ready. And hopefully will be better at taking food pictures! 🤞🏻Patti Part Two returns!

Chicago! My Kind of Town🤗

June 12, 2021 by Patricia Farmar

Unless this is your 1st time reading my blog you know it’s about my travels. Due to Covid that hasn’t happened in what feels like a very long time, but moving back after almost 30 years to the Chicago area makes me feel like I’m on vacation exploring a new and awesome place. And when one of your best friends and fellow travel companions comes to visit for 5 days it gives you a great motivation to plan a super fun action packed agenda - so here is a recap of most of the things we did, saw and ate. Since Cheryl and I have travelled a number of times together I knew she and I love almost all the same things. We have mirror image energy levels which is so important when picking a travel companion.

My plan was to spend two days in the city, so we took the L (subway) down early the first full day she was here to go to the Chicago Art Institute during the early entry member hours from 10AM to 11AM to get right into the special Monet in Chicago exhibit that I had seen once but knew Cheryl would enjoy. If you haven’t seen it you’re almost too late as it closes Monday June 14th, but the Art Institute is always a great thing to see if you’re in Chicago.

The Monet exhibit was fantastic and there is a new permanent installation of a gorgeous stained glass window called The Hartwell Memorial Window worth seeing, and in just a few days the Obama Portraits will be on display for 8 weeks. Always something great to see.

We picked up sandwiches and took them over to Buckingham Fountain and had a picnic while watching one of the largest fountains in the world built in 1927 to honor Clarence Buckingham by his sister entertain us with a beautiful water show that goes for 20 minutes every hour on the hour.

If the wind is blowing off the lake and it’s a hot day the spray will even cool you off a bit. The fountain was just turned on again after being closed for over a year due to Covid. One of the prettiest places to be in Chicago in my opinion.

A visit to Chicago isn’t complete without a photo op at The Bean. The actual name is Cloud Gate and was created by the Indian-born British artist Sir Anish Kapoor. It is prominently displayed in Millennium Park very close to the spectacular Pritzker Pavilion designed by Frank Gehry.

Due to Covid you still can’t get as close as before, but with Chicago reopening yesterday officially that may have changed.

Pritzker Pavilion where the symphony plays during the summer and various other entertainment opportunities.

It’s always fun to walk up or down Michigan Avenue and check out the city views and Chicago River. Browse in the stores, people watch and get a hot or cold drink at the largest Starbucks in the country. We did them all.

On our second trip into the city we were further north around Lincoln Park. We had a great brunch which I’ll cover when I get to food, and intended to go to the Lincoln Park Zoo but instead decided to just enjoy the park and walk down the lake since it was a beautiful day. Next time we’ll visit the zoo.

The Nature Boardwalk which surrounds a lot of the Lincoln Park Lagoon. So pretty with the skyline in the background.

We spent the better part of another day at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois which was established in 1922 by Joy Sterling Morton, the founder of Morton Salt. I’m a bit ashamed to admit I had never been there, but I know it won’t be my last visit as it’s incredible if you like nature. The place is enormous - over 1700 acres so there’s no way we could see it all. There is a special exhibit there now called Human +Nature from the artist Daniel Popper that is wonderful. It just opened and will be there for a year so put it on your list. They have a lovely cafe with all kinds of great fresh sandwiches, salads etc., so convenient to pick up a selection and take it out for a picnic while you enjoy the beautiful trails and meadows.

Top picture is a cool maze you really can get lost in. Bottom left you can get a sense of the size of the scuptures when you compare Cheryl to the one called Heartwood. They were all huge and amazing.

Cheryl was my first customer (victim) on my Oak Park Walking Tour and she was a trouper. Even though it was quite warm she hung in there for the entire duration and seemed to enjoy it. Or she’s a great actress or was afraid I would not make her coffee in the morning if she complained. Either way I enjoyed showing her all the things I love about Oak Park and the amazing architectural museum all around me.

Now for the food! One of the many things great about this area is the wide assortment of delicious and diverse food choices available - from the latest and greatest to the traditional old ethnic selections - and I enjoy it all. So here is some of the great food we ate that I remembered to take pictures of to share with you all. You’re going to want a snack after this I’m pretty sure!

Hampton Social in the city on Grand. Famous for the Rosé wine and their slogan of Rosé All Day! We had a lovely table on the 2nd level which is outside and in addition to trying the Rosé of the day shared a delicious vegetable salad and fun pizza.

Brunch at the Blue Door Farm Stand in Lincoln Park on Halsted. Felt like being in France and the food was wonderful. Plus look at those sweet blue and white plates💙💙💙A Bloody Mary for Cheryl and Sangria for me. Two amazing egg dishes but I don’t think you can make a bad choice.

For some old school deliciousness you can’t beat Freddy’s Pizza and Grocery in Cicero. So many great choices to either eat outside or bring home. We bought the chicken Marsala, gnocchi with vodka sauce and caprese salad and brought it home to share. Tons of food, all made from scratch and very reasonable. They will probably know me by name soon.

Al’s Grill - a local staple and amazing food. Yes this was just for Cheryl and I. Our eggs came with pancakes AND delicious raisin toast. Needless to say we skipped lunch. And worth mentioning the staff was super friendly and they have a great outside setup too.

Our last night we went to a current favorite of mine - Hemingway’s Bistro. So cute and quaint it makes me feel like I’m in Paris. And the food is excellent. We both had one of the specials which was walleye with fingerling potatoes and asparagus. Also an excellent wine list even by the glass. And just doors away from Hemingway’s birthplace which is now a museum.

Thanks for visiting Cheryl and exploring Chicago with me. I can’t wait for you to return! And hopefully this might give someone reading a few ideas of fun things to see, do and eat when visiting the area😊

My Move Has Happened!

May 23, 2021 by Patricia Farmar

This blog post has been a long time coming. At least it feels that way to me. I decided to move back to the Chicago area to be closer to my family right around Thanksgiving - and finally this month it happened. Back in December when the first vaccines were approved I decided it was best to get a vaccine and then execute the move. Initially that appeared to be easier said than done with the way the were NOT rolling out, but I made getting a vaccine my full time job and successfully achieved that goal by the first of March. Waited the recommended two weeks for it to fully provide the protection studies have shown and headed to Chicago to find a place to live. And here I am in the cutest little apartment totally settled right when the US is making great progress in a return to somewhat normal. Yippee!

But first I had to say my goodbyes to Kansas City, and the amazing friends that became family to me over the almost 30 years I lived there. Kansas City is a beautiful friendly place with lots of wonderful things to do and see no matter what your interests. And incredible food!

Loved that I spent the last 8 years downtown in the amazing Western Auto Building!

It was so great but also so difficult to say goodbye to all the amazing friends I made there over the years. I appreciate each and every person and group that reached out to plan a brunch, happy hour, lunch, dinner, coffee and run to celebrate our friendship. I cherish each of you and know that we will stay in touch. Please come visit and I’ll be the best darn tour guide you’ll ever have! And I’m free!

Just a few of the gatherings - for many we were too busy talking and laughing (and sometimes crying) to remember to take a picture.

This is still going to be primarily a blog about my travels, as I still intend to keep checking off all the places on my list. I read 10 articles a day on what is happening around the world with Covid, and while I know there are places that either have opened for vaccinated Americans or planning to soon - I’m going to hold off on leaving the US until 2022. Even my idol Rick Steves is currently not planning for travel until 2022 - so I’m sticking with him. After cancelling all my plans for 2020 I’m going to be cautious and live to travel again. But I do have some travel plans for this year in the US that I’ll be blogging about, and so many fun things I’m looking forward to right here where I am and in the weekend driving area - so check back or sign up to be notified when I post by clicking on the subscribe tab on the home screen😊

This will never be a cooking blog - but it could at least temporarily turn into an architecture blog! I have always had a strong interest in architecture and when I’m in many beautiful art museums I spend nearly as much time examining the building as I do the art. So there might not be a better place for me to live than right where I currently am. Oak Park, IL is not just the home of Frank Lloyd Wright but quite a few other significant architects that worked in his studio. As I walk the town to familiarize myself with it I am captivated by the amazing homes and always looking for the little plaques crediting the architect and often times the historical designation. I’m learning as much as I can about Frank Lloyd Wright and have actually put together a walking tour to see all 24 of his homes here and Unity Temple which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019 - putting it in the same category as the Taj Mahal. Wow! So if you’re in the area let me know and I will happily give you my tour. Depending on the time of day and your preference I can add a stop at an amazing ice cream parlor or glass of wine.

Pleasant Home is another gorgeous home to tour. Designed by the architect George W Maher in 1897 it is now owned by the park district and open for tours on Thursday. It’s in Mills Park and is well worth checking out. I have included it on my walking tour🤗

Pleasant Home and also called the John Farsons House.

Another famous person from Oak Park is Ernest Hemingway and his birthplace has been turned into a museum.

So far I took the L (the subway) into the city once and it worked out great. Easy, fast and reasonable. Had to make a stop at The Bean in Millennium Park to say hello. Designed by another Frank - Frank Gehry. It is to Chicago what the arch is to St Louis - when you see it there is no doubt where you are.

I will be posting food - I’m in the process of making a list of all the places I need to visit. What I’m doing extremely well on is visiting bakeries. The good old kind that have been around for 100 years and have so many delicious pastries, coffeecakes, cinnamon rolls, cookies, brownies and cakes that you have trouble deciding what to get. So I will definitely continue walking and running in order to consume them. I did manage to swing through the drive through of Portillo’s and pick up an Italian beef sandwich on moving day. Just as delicious as I remembered!

This reminds me of the flowers I see as I walk my new town.

The best is yet to be! The world is opening up. If you haven’t gotten your vaccine get one for yourself and everyone you know and love. Check back soon and welcome back to me🤗