Saturday and Sunday were my last two days in Chicago. And they were promised to be HOT. So on Saturday, Amy and I decided to walk to a breakfast joint while it was relatively cool, then stay in the cool of the apartment till our afternoon show.

We walked to a nearby diner, a Pancake House, and had omelets. I had tomatoes, onions, and feta in mine and Amy had a four veggie omelet. We also had hash browns & toast. It was tasty and very substantial. On the walk back, I opted to keep walking awhile longer since the breeze was pleasant and much of the area in Amy’s neighborhood was shaded.

Back in her house, we spend the rest of the morning relaxing. I read quite a bit and wrote in my journal. We had leftover pizza for our late lunch. Then we walked to the Lifeline Theatre to see Neverwhere, a play based upon Neil Gaiman’s novel. I had read the book a number of years back, saw some of the miniseries about it, and listened to a radio play on it, so I was well versed in the tale. And I was quite pleased with the production. The venue was small and the set as well. They used scaffolding to make it two levels and had a staircase that could be adjusted to different locations. The acting was top notch and many actors played multiple roles. Costuming was impressive, as were the fun rat, pigeon, and Beast of London puppets. If you find yourself in the Rogers Park area and fancy seeing a show, be sure to check out Neverwhere before it closes.

When I got the tickets for the show, they said I could get a 10% discount at the Empirical Brew Pub which was just a block or two away from the theatre. So Amy and I went there next. I tried their wheat beer and Amy had a pale ale (I think). We also got their pretzels and beer cheese. While munching & imbibing, we decided to get an order of fish & chips to see how they fared. And I also got a 4oz sample of their porter, just because I could. The fish & chips were good and so far, for Amy, are the best she’s had in the city. (Though she says the Peckish Pig in Evanston is better.)

As we left the brew pub, Amy got to thinking about a shop nearby that had Jeni’s ice cream in itty bitty containers. Jeni’s ice cream is a Columbus, OH creamery and a favorite of mine. (I visited there 3 or 4 times last summer while in Columbus.) We decided to see if the store (Rogers Park Provisions) was still open, and they were. We talked with the store employee about Jeni’s ice cream, and decided to each get one. I got their darkest chocolate and Amy got salted caramel. A customer in the shop had a really neat Pride flag shirt which used to the “L” lines as the bands of the flag and Amy asked where she got the shirt. Turns out, she got it in that very store. Soon, Amy and I had each purchased a shirt as well.

We returned to Amy’s place, pleased that it never felt as hot for us outside as it promised to be. It helps to live close to the Lake when the days are hot. Once at her place, we fed Curtis (always a requirement upon returning), then worked a bit on Amy’s computer looking at how to personalize her blog. Then we ate our ice cream and headed for bed.

Sunday, I finished packing and was ready to leave Amy’s joint by 9am. We took the train to downtown and walked to Jason’s place to pick up his car. Then Amy drove us to Downers Grove to pick up Judi. (She would have come into the city on Saturday to join us, but her dog, Patty, was recovering from an illness and needed to be walked every 4 hours, so we reworked our plans to come to her instead).

We picked Judi up at her place, then Amy drove Judi’s car (to give it an airing) to Naperville to Minghin, a nice Chinese restaurant that does Dim Sum for brunch. It was a Sunday *and* father’s day, so the place was busy, but we waited for a table. And it was, I felt, worth the wait. We had several small plates and finished with sesame balls and custard tarts. Tasty times!

After brunch, we headed to Judi’s so that Amy could meet Patty. And Patty fell in love with Amy immediately, especially after Amy gave her the best scritchens ever. Heh. We chatted for awhile, but then it was time to head back downtown so that I could catch a blue line train to O’Hare.

After a quick stop to Starbucks for an ice coffee for the driver, we headed out. The traffic wasn’t too bad, till we were close to the downtown area. But Amy even found a place to pull over to drop me off AND give me a hug. Her instructions on getting to the blue line train were perfect and I was soon on my way. It’s probably good that we opted to do this rather than have Amy drive me on to the airport – less time on the road for her, and we were zipping by the traffic for most of the train ride.

Once at the airport, I got into the long security line at terminal 2, but after a bit, a fellow from terminal 1 came and grabbed those of us outside of the stanchions and walked us over to terminal 1 to get into that security line, which was moving much faster (more lines, more TSA operatives, etc). Once again, my thick Chaco sandals needed to be removed from my luggage and investigated, but then I was through security. Supper was a McDonald’s Filet ‘O Fish (which wasn’t as good as they usually are, alas) and one of their yogurt parfaits (which was lovely).

My flight was 13 minutes delayed, but we got home on time. To be delayed again, this time by the device that takes the plane into the gate. So we sat in our tin can in the middle of a hot and sunny summer day for twenty or thirty minutes. Eventually the airport was able to tow us to the gate so we could depart. I was soon in mom & dad’s car and heading home. The kitties were pleased to see me when I eventually got into the house. Yay!

So I had a fabulous vacation at Amy’s, who is the bestest host! And I got to see Curtis and Jason and Michael and Judi and Patty, which was lovely. Thanks Amy for a wonderful time!