My three days in Chicago last week were spent quietly, contentedly, calmly. While I’d hopped on the plane from New York with grand plans for The Doing of Significantly Blog-Worthy Things, upon arriving in Chicago I found that I was quite exhausted.
It seemed that the combination of a) a sitting-down-all-the-time office job for eighteen months prior to leaving, b) switching to the opposite hemisphere, season, and AM/PM setting, c) leaping straight into walking around in the heat for up to eight hours a day with only brief food and shopping breaks, and d) wobbly jetlagged sleep at night, finally caught up with me in Chicago.
I still had a lovely time in the Windy City, mind you. Just a slightly slower-paced lovely time, relatively speaking. Here’s Part One of my 2012 Chicago moments.
During my first afternoon in Chicago, I came upon the realization that the way to achieve a rapid-fire energy burst would be to eat a snack comprised of twenty-three syllables. Enter this Single-Serving Ben and Jerry’s Banana Greek Frozen Yoghurt with Peanut Buttery Swirls, which can now go down in history as the only store-bought banana-flavoured treat that hasn’t made me want to detach my tastebuds from my soul. (The peanut butter element definitely helped in that regard.)
(Does anyone remember the yellow styrofoam-esque banana lollies that milk bars used to sell? Those were made of horror.)
Did you know that there’s a secret sect in Chicago of people who put ketchup on their hot dogs, in contravention of the above presiding hot dog-eating norms? My AirBnB hosts told me about it; the members of the sect wear tiny red identifying pins and have regular monthly meetings where they can do their thing in private.
Oh, and yeah, that whole paragraph was a complete lie.
Back when I was a kid, a family friend used to send me American Girl books, which I loved. However, when I went to the Chicago American Girl store, I couldn’t find any of my favourite characters in doll form.
So I asked one of the assistants where the Felicity and Kirsten dolls were, and she told me that those characters have been “archived”. ARCHIVED.
ARCHIVED WHAT THE MONKEY WHEN DID I GET SO OLD I ASK YOU NO REALLY.
As a slight saving grace for my dignity, the characters of Addy and Molly, whom I also owned the books for, still exist. I was (of course) drawn to the Addy display involving dessert, but after a moment this display gave me the heebie-jeebies.
Look, if you will, at the comparative ratio/scale of Addy’s hand to her fork. In real life, that fork would be bigger than a human hand.
You could kill someone with a fork like that.
After listening to the wise advice of Debi, I darted to Red Mango, a self-serve frozen yoghurt joint conveniently located a few levels up from the American Girl store as well as a Victoria’s Secret in Water Tower Place.
(While we’re on the subject, Victoria’s Secret is something that makes me glad I’ve grown up past American Girl age. The sparkles! The sparkles!)
Here you see pomegranate frozen yoghurt, tart original frozen yoghurt, and proof of my lacklustre swirling abilities.
When in Chicago, it is a legal requirement to take photos of yourself reflected in Cloud Gate (first photo in post), and then spend fifteen minutes afterwards trying to find yourself in the reflection (above photo).
It turns out that Chicagoans also like being spat on by art, but don’t worry. It’s not a legal requirement for tourists to take part in that crazy behaviour.
I’m going to go get more iced coffee from my friend in the Renaissance concession stand here in Cedar City now.
Hannah out.
I feel like eating a hot dog now
FELICITY AND KIRSTEN WERE THE TWO DOLLS I HAD! We are so meant to be! (My little sister Staci had Samantha and Molly, so together we had the original four. Addy was added just a little too late for us.) I still have them in storage somewhere. Archived?!? The NERVE!
OMG OMG OMG!!!! Amber!! Please, please, please can we find them when I visit? I don’t care that I’m 25; I was so ridiculously envious of all the little girls with their brand new dolls in the store last week! I also can’t BELIEVE that they no longer make the cookbooks! I loved my Kirsten cookbook!
I heart you.
I’m not surprised you finally crashed and burned. It does catch up with you, especially in your old age! My mother would love that sign. She would never let us have too much tomato sauce as she said it would ruin our taste buds and we’d cease to be able to taste real food. xx
Tomato sauce is kind of straight sugar, isn’t it? I never really grew up eating it because of Mum’s tomato intolerance.
After watching horror films, dolls freak me out but that yoghurt has me in love
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Every now and then you need downtime while traveling, though this post suggests you got out and about too.
Oh, and was the windy city windy?
It really was. Once or twice I almost got blown onto the road at Magnificent Mile, which was SCARYTIMES.
Single serve Greek Ben & Jerrys?! I have’t seen that size here and I REALLY want to try it!!!
I wish they had single-servings in a peanut butter flavour though.
I like ketchup and mustard TOGETHER. With pickles.
Never really been a ketchup person, but mustard and vegemite and chilli sauce yes please.
you are on holiday – of course you need to rest and relax – glad you finally realised that
My dad loved banana lollies and so I had to as well – they are comfort in a little sqidgy yellow banana! (even though I agree that banana can be a really odd flavour in some sweet food).
Love the cloud gate – am glad if your childhood dollies are archived or wield murderous weapons that at least you can find sparkles and swirls for grown ups.
did you find yourself in the cloudgate?
I feel so guilty resting though! Still adjusting to not really having to do anything here in Cedar City. It’s been a long time since I’ve actually been on holiday.
Teehee, undergarment sparkles > evil kitchen weapons > awful banana lollies.
I love that sign, no tomato sauce on hotdogs – who are they kidding.
sometimes, I dread looking at your pictures…
omgoshhhh you’re killing me with the idea that a cake batter flavored froyo is some where out there waiting for me!!!
It was too sweet for me; I bet you would have loved it
I love looking at people reflected in the Bean, such fun picture fodder:)
It’s super upsetting to me that Felicity was archived. I feel indifferent about Kirsten because a lot of those books seemed over the top racist, at least for their intended kid readers. But Felicity…. ponies!!
Their newer characters are less interesting that both Felicity and Kirsten. I feel pretty strongly about this. Also, I’ve spent much time both at that store (when I was younger, although they opened after I should have been ‘too old’ for the dolls), and at Water Tower Place. More of our tromping on the same ground. If you end up going to Vancouver and I never get to see you, I shall be sad:(
I’m fairly certain that, like Disney, going back and rereading any of the American Girl stories would lead to discovering epic racism, sexism, and stereotyping. But ah well. If we can see through it, then that’s okay, right?
The new characters really did look dull. And darling, there is no way we won’t be seeing each other sometime in the near-ish future. Our hearts and feets and tastes and loves will draw us together. xo
Yeah, feets!
Feetsies!
Hehe I do remember those weird banana lollies-was not a fan! But PB and banana fro yo by Ben & Jerry? Yes please!
Oh, I’d love to see that silver thing! And if you arrange for a fountain to come out of someone’s face, why wouldn’t it come out of their mouth? Why would you make it come out of their top lip? I do love the sound of single serve Ben and Jerry’s although of course wouldn’t go for the PB & banana. Odd, that Chicagoans need rules for hot dogs and the application of tomato sauce to them. And you’re so young to have your childhood archived. Oh the pain. Wait til you actually get old. When you work with young people you have never heard of The Smiths or Khe Sanh.
My guess is that right there was a bit of technician error. Perhaps with different faces, the water is centred in the mouth? The faces on the screen do change.
The options for the single serving B&J’s weren’t large, and I didn’t want the plain chocolate or strawberry cheesecake one.
It already scares me that young people today don’t necessarily know The Beatles or even say, Dawson’s Creek. Not that the latter was really any good, but still.
Mmmmmm, frozen yoghurt treats. Do want!
Why can’t it be both? I no longer eat hot dogs, but when I did it was always with both ketchup and mustard, and none of that “salad” crap on top (ie. pickles and tomatoes and peppers.) Don’t tell me how to eat my food! Rant over.
Rant accepted. Particularly as I am currently trying to add pickles/kimchi to everything.
I used to have a huge collection of porcelain dolls that never weirded me out….until I got older….now I can only imagine them staring at me…I had to get them out of my room!
Your time in Chicago sounds like it was wonderful! Full of wandering and eating, which are of course, two of the best parts of travelling
Porcelain dolls can be a bit creepy, I’ll grant you that. And thank you! One more little post from Chicago, but yes, mostly wandering and eating
So cool to get a glimpse of this city! Glad to see they take their ketchup usage so seriously, it’s a real problem throughout America. And the world, really, let’s be honest!
Heidi xo
Actually, from the amount of ketchup Americans use on all the things, it is a bit of a problem
Red Mango = Cacao Green in Australia I think (I’m in their Melbourne stores all too often
).
Chicago looks like fun – can’t wait to see it for myself
Oh really? That must be why I liked it! Cacao Green is a place of happiness (though I found Red Mango’s “classic” flavours too sweet).
OOOH! You found one!
YAY! Did you try a Chicago Dog? And they are right, ketchup on a dog in Chicago is blasphemy.
Bahaha! So serious about the dogs! I didn’t try one this time, but perhaps one day.
There is a lot about that doll scene which is heebie jeebie-inducing…
Most of them were mildly creepy, to be honest.
The Bean!! Of course you would have to see it- Silly of me to even wonder. It’s something I’ve been dying to visit for years. <3
Ah, but see I’ve visited it, so really, you’ve visited it too. That’s how we work, right? xoxoxo
You know what… That really does ring true, now that you say it, and I feel strangely comforted by that thought. I love having you as my twin. <3
It sounds like you had a perfect Chicago experience, Hannah – not only blog-worthy, but by the sounds of it, just perfect for your poor over-worked and then over-walked body! I am highly amused by the tomato sauce (sorry, ketchup) sign, and completely in love with the banana peanut butter frozen yoghurt (and agree on the horrible-ness of those banana lollies), and intrigued by the sparkles of Victoria’s Secret.
I may or may not have started taking photos of the sparkly Victoria’s Secret dressing room shenanigans… and then I realised I might risk getting my blog caught by net nannies if I went ahead with that idea.
*Laughs*
I want that mega fork! It’ll be perfect for unwieldy pasta.
You’d show that pasta who’s boss.
I live in chicago and i am so glad to see you had a good time here. Millenium park is beautiful…isn’t it?
Just gorgeous, particularly in summer! (I’ve only been during colder months before.)
Pingback: Chicagoland, Candle Cafe Vegan Cheesecake, Garden Dragon Monsters, and Vosges Cherry Rooibos Bar - Wayfaring Chocolate
‘During my first afternoon in Chicago, I came upon the realization that…’
OMG YOU’RE TURNING INTO AN AMERICAN!!
FRICKING WORDPRESS AND WORD ALWAYS AUTOCORRECT THOSE STUPID WORDS EVEN THOUGH I HAVE “AUSTRALIAN” SET AS THE DICTIONARY!!
I LOVE American Girl when I was young too! I had a magazine subscription and had the paper dolls. I soooo badly wanted one of the dolls. Now I have to go to Chicago to get a doll! lol
Oh my gosh, I had the Kirsten and Felicity paper dolls too; I’d forgotten that! Also the Kirsten cookbook, the Addy and Kirsten plays, and a few other bits and pieces.
I would 100% go to Chicago and get a doll with you, if/when I have space in my suitcase.
i miss chicago. it was one crazy fun city! sleep some extra hours.