Day 35 - This House of Sky (to borrow a phrase)

We set out under a bright, blue sky from Keystone, SD, through the middle of the Black Hills toward Deadwood, Spearfish, then, avoiding the interstate, north to Belle Fourche and on to Highway 212 through Cheyenne and Crow Country. What a contrast - the twisty, turny roads in the Black Hills to the straight-for-miles stretches out in the plains.

The first pit stop of the day was in Deadwood, notable as the place where Wild Bill Hickock was shot and buried. I had spent some time in the 90s just up the road at Lead, site of the Homestake gold mine, which was initially discovered in 1874 by geologists travelling with General George Custer. Until it closed in 2002, it was the deepest (8000 feet) and richest gold mine in North America, producing more then 40 million ounces. 

Deadwood also hosted gold mining, mostly placer, and became a center for mining in the Black Hills. Illegal town from the outset, as it was on land guaranteed to the Lakota, Deadwood was rife with shootings and other lawlessness. Today Main Street maintains its frontier facade, although the nearby Hilton and Marriott hotels are clues that the facade is thin.

Spearfish straddles I90 on the north edge of the Black Hills, and just north of that is Belle Fourche, which, unbeknownst to us, is the geographic center of the nation. There are subtleties to this designation; Lebanon, KS, claims to be the geographic center of the 48 contiguous states, and Rugby, ND, is the geographic center of North America. The monument in the middle of Belle Fourche is not on the exact centroid, which is 20 miles away in a farmer's field, but the advantages for tourism overwhelmed scientific accuracy. We gassed up and zoomed on by.

Not far after Belle Fourche, we crossed about 20 miles of the northeast corner of Wyoming and doffed our hats toward Liz Cheney. Into Montana, we passed the Stoneville Saloon in Alzada near the Little Missouri River, advertising cheap drinks and lousy food. We took their word for it and zoomed on by.

Driving through southeast Montana was wonderful. Although this picture seems to show the country is pancake flat, it isn't.  We drove through coulees, some with layercake rock bluffs, and dozens upon dozens of miles of rolling country clad in lush spring-green grass and wildflowers. Montana is cattle country, according to the road signs, and there were plenty of black Angus, white-faced Herefords, some bulky white Charolais, and even a few flocks of sheep. As in so many days before on this road trip, the land was beautiful and bountiful, and the sky was overwhelming.

As a fitting bookend to a day that started in Custer, SD, we drove past the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument just where Highway 212 joins I90. We'd been there in October in the late 90s and were moved by the empty spaces, the wind and a light scattering of snow - such a contrast to the confusion and mayhem in June 1876. After 35 days on the road and feeling a bit touristed out, we didn't want to spoil the memory.

334 miles today, no new plates.

One of the joys of Christmas morning is to find a new book by your stocking. Many years ago, Letters from Yellowstone by Diane Smith appeared. The story is of a young woman who applies to join a makeshift group of scientists and naturalists who are to catalog the flora of the Yellowstone area. Using her initials rather than her name, she got the job to the chagrin of her employers. What followed seems to be the story of many scientific discoveries - jealousies, differences of opinion, but ultimately the joy of discovery - all set in the idyllic setting of Yellowstone at the end of the 19th century.

We have been waiting for the perfect place to sing Mustang Sally. After the drive through Deadwood, and seeing a sign for the bar, it became clear that today was the day. The question remained which version. A shoutout to Wilson Pickett and The Commitments, but we had to go with Buddy Guy and Jeff Beck. An ode to Route 66.

Buddy Guy featuring Jeff Beck - Mustang Sally HQ - YouTube

Day 34 - Faces in stone

Memorial Day in Keystone, SD, and thankfully the weather was less tempestuous than yesterday. We started with the larger of the two enormous stone sculptures in the area, the Crazy Horse Memorial. 

The memorial was commissioned by Henry Standing Bear, a Lakota elder, to be sculpted by Korczak Ziolkowski, who had worked on the Mt. Rushmore faces under Gutzon Borglum. The sculpture will depict the Oglala Lakota warrior, Crazy Horse, riding a horse and pointing to his tribal land. 

Work started in 1948 and it is far from complete, partially due to the scale of the effort, but mainly because the project is privately funded. In addition to the sculpture itself, the campus includes a visitor center, a restaurant, the Indian Museum of North America, and the Native American Education and Cultural Center. 

Once complete, the sculpture will be 641 feet long and 563 feet high, making it the second tallest in the world. Although this is much larger than the Mt. Rushmore sculpture, the scale is hard to appreciate because visitors can't get close, except by bus or helicopter (it's an active blasting site). Nevertheless, it is a hugely impressive site.

Then to the Mt. Rushmore National Memorial. Part of the National Park Service, the facility is a full of interpretive information, walking trails, guides - the whole smash. And on Memorial Day, it was in full swing.

The rock is a granitic intrusive, and as seen on the left side of George, it is very fractured. It's a wonder that a nose hasn't fallen off. There is a contact between the younger overlying granite and the underlying older metamorphics that is just at the bottom of George's coat. This is more obvious in the rock on his left.

The walking trails lead along the toe of the blast debris from the sculpture. The figures are imposing against the skyline.

After touring the two sites, we headed for Hill City. Like many other small towns, there seems to have been a contest to set as many bars as possible in the municipal footprint. We started at the 1885 Steakhouse & Saloon. The name was misleading, as they had nothing on tap, and half of their menu was not available, including steak. We wandered down the street and found the Bumpin' Buffalo Bar and Grill. Much more suited to what we needed. It was rustic, had dead animals everywhere. We tried some local beers on tap and had a great lunch. So great that we headed home for an afternoon nap!

We added to the license plate count - Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arizona Navajo Nation, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Caddo Nation, Oklahoma Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma Chocktaw Nation, Oklahoma Osage Nation, Oklahoma Peoria Nation, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee. Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the US Government. And from Oh Canada - British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. And from Mexico - Ciudad de Mexico, Sonora.

Still missing Delaware, and Maine. 

Visiting these National Parks made us realize how many tremendous sites there are to see in both Canada and the U.S. I found a great DK Eyewitness book on the national parks. I love their books as they are full of photos and have great factoids. Try this one from the library before planning your next trip, USA National Parks: Land of Wonder.

It seems like summer is upon us. Kids are out of school, and the parks are full. Time for The Mavericks. Can't have a blog with from RnB and no music from our favorite band. Here it is - Summertime.

The Mavericks - The Mavericks Live On CONAN - "Summertime (When I'm With You)" - YouTube

Day 33 - To the Black Hills

 Today was all South Dakota, from the eastern edge to the Black Hills - some very beautiful country and a healthy dose of roadside attractions that almost (but not quite) made us feel like we were back on Route 66: a battleship monument in Sioux Falls (the nearest salt water is Hudson Bay, Canada), the little prairie house of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the Corn Palace, Wall Drug, and the largest reptile collection in the world, as certified by the Guiness Book of Records. Alas, we were short of time and left all for our next trip through the area.

The billboards showed a form of humor that develops during long, cold winters. For a Mexican restaurant: "Mexican food so good that Donald Trump would build a wall around it" and "Exercise makes you look better, but so does tequila". For a wine shop: "In wine there is wisdom; in water there is bacteria". Is this a great country or what? 

There were natural wonders too: the mighty Missouri River near Oacoma, the Badlands near Kadoka, and the grasslands and big sky that made Betty feel at home, she adores the big sky.

Nearing Rapid City, the sky was getting blacker and blacker, shrouding the Black Hills from view. As we turned south toward Mt. Rushmore, a few drops of rain started. By the time we got to Keystone, there was thunder, chain lightning and a downpour - the first real rain in our 33-day trip. Hopefully the weather settles tomorrow for our day at Mt. Rushmore.

365 miles today. No new license plates.

After driving through so much Indian Country, it is time for a book about Native Americans. Wanders through South Dakota include the land of the Lakota Nation. Joseph Marshall III, a Lakota native and historian has written an intimate biography of the Lakota war leader Crazy Horse, The Journey of Crazy Horse: a Lakota History. Based on vivid oral histories as well as in depth historical research, Marshall creates a vibrant portrait of the man, his time, and his legacy.

There was a major loss today for Route 66 fans. George Maharis, who played the dark-haired, brooding Buz Murdock in the TV series died at 94. Hepatitis nearly killed him as filming of the 116 episodes wound across the country, and the disease dogged him later in his career. It flared again recently, and he died of complications. In honor of Route 66 and all road trips we decided to go with Tom Cochrane today singing Life is a Highway. Tom Cochrane - Life Is A Highway (Official Video) - YouTube

Day 32 - Westward Ho

Just like Willy Nelson, 'We're on the Road Again'. After a decent coffee in the room from our travelling Nespresso machine, some granola, fruit and yogurt, we slipped away on the first long day of the drive home. 

After a few dips and dodges, we got on to I90 heading west. The car navigation said to go long, 336 miles - the longest of our entire trip. Although it was the first day of the Memorial Day weekend, the traffic was not too bad. Once we left the Mad City metropolis, the campers and cars veered off the exits to nearby lakes, and even the larger trucks started to thin out. A perfect day for listening to tunes and singing our hearts out. After crossing the Mississippi River and a driver switch, we returned to the Amor Towles audiobook The Lincoln Highway and the car became very quiet as we both fell into the story. In nothing flat, the Sioux Falls exit was upon us and we settled into La Quinta Suites splendor.

We added to the license plate count - Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arizona Navajo Nation, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Caddo Nation, Oklahoma Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma Chocktaw Nation, Oklahoma Osage Nation, Oklahoma Peoria Nation, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee. Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the US Government. And from Oh Canada - British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Quebec. And from Mexico - Ciudad de Mexico, Sonora.

Still missing Delaware, Maine, and Rhode Island. C'mon folks, we're running out of days!

Mileage: 433

As we hit the great plains, it is time for a book by our friend David Laskin. He has woven the story of a harrowing prairie snowstorm that hit the pioneering families of the Dakotas and Minnesota in 1888. The title The Children's Blizzard daunted me, and the book sat by my bedside for two years before I finally opened its pages. I did not want those children to die! David's description of the storm itself is riveting and his description of the immigrant families who came to settle the land is memorable. As we drive through the countryside on a sunny May day, it is hard to imagine the ferocity of winter storms and the devastation they can bring.

Yup, this was our view for the six hours of driving we had today. Time for a road song, this one recommended by Ken, a colleague of Roy's: I Am the Highway by Audioslave.

FavOor-ites: Audioslave-I am the highway (live@pinkpop 2003) - YouTube

Day 31 - So long, Chicago, hello Wauwatosa

On this sunny morning, we found coffee at Ralph's, only to discover it was Ralph Lauren. We are not usually that toney, but the coffee was the best we had since leaving Louisville. Then it was fair thee well to our Route 66 tour. You were a great traveling companion, and we will almost miss you. The navigation at this point will be a lot easier - find I90 West and go. 

Our first stop was Wauwatosa, WI, to meet up with our Tucson neighbors, Bob and Carole Bonner. They live in a snappy new facility for seniors, where we joined them for lunch at the pub. 

After catching up on the past year's goings-on, we set off to Madison, or Mad City, as Carole calls it. The roads were crowded with campers, motor homes, boats and trailers getting out of town for the Memorial Day weekend. With more luck that foresight, we had made reservations in the hotel, so got settled in for some blogging and laundry.

Total mileage at the start of today: 4453. Today's mileage: 163.

Hurrah! We added to the license plate count - Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arizona Navajo Nation, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Caddo Nation, Oklahoma Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma Chocktaw Nation, Oklahoma Osage Nation, Oklahoma Peoria Nation, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee. Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the US Government. And from Oh Canada - British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Quebec. And from Mexico - Ciudad de Mexico, Sonora.

Still missing Delaware, Maine, Rhode Island and North Dakota.

One of Bob's favorite writers is Michael Perry. When we arrived at their home, there was one of Michael's books on the table. He is a funny man, describing himself as humorist, author, singer-songwriter, and snow-plower. He has a website that advises, 'do not stand behind a sneezing cow'. If you want to know more about him, try sneezingCow.com. He says it all started with Population 485, so that is what we recommend. 

We really thought we had a good song for today, Don Henley's Dirty Laundry, as it is our last time using a laundromat on the trip. However, we discovered the song Milwaukee, Here I Come by John Prine. It will make my brother Bill very happy. This version has John singing with Iris DeMent.

John Prine and Iris DeMent - Milwaukee Here I Come (Live From Sessions at West 54th) - YouTube

Day 30 - Vincent

Our last day in Chicago, and another blustery one. Not quite as cold as yesterday, not quite as windy, but enough to make us question Mark Twain's quip that the coldest winter he ever spent was summer in San Franciso. Lake Michigan and the coast off the Pacific Northwest must have the same heating contractor.  

A good day to stay indoors, and the Art Institue of Chicago was the perfect venue. We had anticipated this visit from the first days of planning our trip. When you first reach the stairs of the museum you see two stately lions. Much like the lions that greet you at the New York Public Library, they are there to put you at your ease. Their names are Defiance and Prowl, and they protect all museum attendees.

Besides the Museum's own incredible collections, we lucked out on the visiting exhibits, Van Gogh and the Avant Garde: The Modern Landscape and Salvador Dali: the Image Disappears. We started with the Van Gogh, thinking that we would check out Dali when we were done. We never got there.

Van Gogh's exhibit focused on the mid to late 1880s, especially the two years that he was in Paris. Influenced by Seurat's work, a group of artists spent time along the Seine River at the outskirts of city focusing on the interface between the rural fields and the encroaching industrial development. The painting style they were developing came to be called divisionalism, which includes pointillism and cloisonne.

It's hard to appreciate how much these artists, who are now iconic, were breaking with the accepted art school styles. Bernard was expelled for painting a background in streaks of bright red-orange and green rather than the conventional grey-brown. 

Van Gogh apparently was too enthusiastic to be limited by a single style. Bernard described him as wearing a paint-spattered smock and waving his palette around, spraying paint on passers-by. He was in a frenzy, credited with 190 pieces in the two Paris years before he left for Arles. In a room full of beautiful paintings by Seurat, Signac, Angrand and Bernard, Van Gogh's stand out for us (even before we knew they were Van Gogh's).

After several hours in the special exhibit, we staggered out, dazed. A reviving cup of tea and a chocolate chip cookie set us off again through the Impressionist section of the Institute, which included a strong selection of American painters (like Lungren's lady in the cafe), Sargent, Whistler, Cassatt, Hopper, Pollock and more. We then hit the French impressionists, Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, Pissaro, more Van Gogh and, for Tom Briggs, Gustave Caillebotte. It was over the top.

Then as we walked out, we passed Chagall's beautiful American windows. Kaboom!

The Art Institute of Chicago, while only a third the size of the Louvre in Paris, is similarly overwhelming. After five hours at a steady (not studious) pace, we saw about a third of the second of five floors.

We started walking the mile back to the hotel hardly talking. A glass of Abruzzi wine at the Volare Ristorante Italiano and some hearty pasta (for Gary and Leonard: mallorredus alla Sarda and linguine arselle e bottarga) pulled us out of our reverie and provided a memorable cap to a great four days in Chicago.

Here it is Deb!! After walking around the astounding Art Institute of Chicago, Erik Larson's book is a must read. His Devil in the White City celebrates the World's Columbian Exhibition also known as the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. The facades of the neo-classical buildings were made of white staff, or white artificial stone, which gave the fairgrounds the nickname of the White City. And so Chicago is known. Larson's story is a rich narrative of the master builder, the killer and the great exhibition that obsessed them both.

After drifting around this magnificent building and viewing the Van Gogh paintings the song of the day has to be Vincent by Don McLean. 

Don McLean - Vincent (Live in Austin) - YouTube

Day 29 - Take me out to the ball game

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday we were sunning at the beach; today we had on all the warm clothes in our luggage and were wishing for more. The north wind off the lake was blowing and kicking up 4 to 7 foot waves on the beach; it definitely kept things brisk. We were feeling travel-weary so took the opportunity to be lazy, recharge and get ready for the Cubs-Mets game.

We caught the Red Line train at the Chicago-State station, about six blocks from our hotel. Figuring out fares on a new system is always a bit fraught, but the instructions from the help desk were clear: press G, press B, wave your credit card. Most of the time was spent discussing the game and who we were pulling for (not the Mets) and whether the Cubs or the White Sox deserved more loyalty (no comment). We made our break at a lull in the conversation and were soon rattling our way north to Wrigleyville.

We got there early enough to walk around the area near the ball field - more pubs per block than we've seen anywhere else - even than White Sulfur Springs, MT. The Blarney Stone, which here is not thriving, brought back a memory of the first ever underage visit to a pub (Blarney Stone in Vancouver's Gas Town).

Wrigley Field was the main show, though. The walk around the outside of the stadium properly celebrates past greatness. Statues of hall-of-famers like Sweet Swingin' Billy Williams, retired numbers of players like Ernie Banks, and pavement markers of marquee names mark the rich history of the club dating back to the 1880s. 

Here Betty has found one of her favorites - Andre Dawson.

The grassy area just outside the gates quickly filled with moms, dads, sons, daughters, boyfriends and girlfriends playing catch. We took a table nearby, had a beer and some fries, and watched the goings-on. The wind was relentless, though, and we were thinking a hot drink would have been more comfortable. But, at a ball game?

Once through the gates, we walked the levels inside and out. The place has a nice feel, even though our Tucson friend, James, is adamant that the upgrades over the past ten years have wrecked it. It doesn't feel like it could hold half of its 41,000-seat capacity. The ushers were about the most polite and helpful people we came across in Chicago. Definitely, "the Friendly Confines". They even run a 50-50!

Our seats inside were just to the left of home plate and close enough that we could see the pitchers grimace during their windup. A close look shows the flags snapping straight out - damn, but it was cold. The hawkers were having a tough time selling beer, except to the young bucks in shorts, t-shirts and flip flops.

The Mets jumped out early with an Alvarez 2-run homer in the third, but Stroman shook it off and pitched otherwise flawlessly (88 pitches in 8 innings) to shut the Mets down. Hoener homered for the Cubs and the team drove in three more runs to end it 4-2. We shivered our way back to the Addison station and basked in the train car warmed by happy Cubs fans and sad but resigned Mets fans.

Question? - When you discover a new author, do you think the first book you read is the best? That seems to be what happened when I moved to the U.S. and discovered Willa Cather. I read the Song of the Lark and fell in love. I had forgotten that when young Thea discovers her true voice she moves to Chicago and becomes a star. 

... a day later ... walking through the galleries of the Art Institute of Chicago, I rounded a corner and saw the original painting by Jules Breton. It took my breath away. Willa Cather named her book after this painting - another example of artists leaning on other artists.

We can't leave Chicago without some blues from Buddy Guy. Here he is in a small club singing Meet Me In Chicago. As Buddy says 'let's do it'.

Buddy Guy "Meet Me In Chicago" - YouTube

Day 28 - From the beach to the blues

A warm day and calm winds made this a great day to explore the waterfront. Oak Street Beach was just across from our hotel, so we ducked through the tunnel and walked up the Gold Coast to the North Avenue Pier for a view of the city. This shot looks quiet but the area was full of walkers, joggers, runners, skaters, scooters, and bikers all enjoying the sun. From the chatter, this was one of the first warm days.

We walked back to Oak Street Beach, rented a pair of lounge chairs and settled. Young and old were doing beachy things, some active and some, like us, less so. A group of teens were being cool when they were thinking about it but mostly having fun when they weren't, splashing, squealing, touching - ahh, young love. A hot dog and a lemonade made the day.

Dinner was at the House of Blues. The half-hour walk from the hotel was through busy streets and street-side tables full of people enjoying the warm evening. The House of Blues is in an unusual building on the north bank of the river - more like a church than a restaurant-concert venue. There were three different bands playing - the line-up in the photo thankfully wasn't for the restaurant.

The guitarist and bassist from the Chicago band, Daisychain, were playing in the restaurant, covering faves from the 60s on forward and introducing some of their own stuff. The menu was a fusion of New Orleans and Chicago - we settled on steak and fries and a half rack of ribs. It wasn't fine dining, but it was a fine evening.

There are several schools in this area of Chicago - Northwestern University, the Moody Bible Institute and Loyola University to name a few. On our walk back to the hotel, we heard bagpipes playing and found the Frances Xavier Warde Catholic School had taken over the intersection of Chicago and State Streets - pretty big splash for what turned out to be the 8th grade graduation.

Chicago is a great city of music for all. It is definitely the standard bearer for the blues. Sun Records in Memphis gave us Rock and Roll, Motown Records in Detroit gave us soul, and Chess Records in Chicago gave us the blues. Chess: Spinning Blues into Gold by Nadin Cohodas tells us both the story of the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, as well as many of the early artists who have become household names, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, Etta James, and Bo Diddley. A great read after visiting this land of the blues. 

We were inspired by the young women we saw on stage tonight. From the entire canon of music they have to choose from, these twenty-somethings are singing 60s protest songs. The themes were also reflected in their own music. We were bathed in nostalgia as we listened to this song, and realized how pertinent some of it is today. For what it is worth, listen to For What It's Worth by Buffalo Springfield.

Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth 1967 - YouTube.

Day 27 - Bright Lights, Big City

You will be familiar now with our morning routine. We stepped outside of the hotel, and I immediately set off in the wrong direction to find a recommended coffee shop. Good thing we had an engineer on board, and before too long we found a coffee and pastry. Not as good as the one we had in Louisville, but you can't have everything. The sun was shining, and we were ready to explore the city. Our strategy is to find the white man (walk signal) or get to the sunny side of the street. Almost immediately we realized we were in a big city. The streets are vibrant, there is traffic, you hear a multitude of spoken languages, and the buildings are impressive. We reminisced about the big cities we have explored, San Francisco, Vancouver, Sidney, Australia, London, Paris, Lisbon. They all have this vibrant feel. 

Our first discovery was the River Walk on the Chicago River. Since it was early morning, many of the eating establishments were still closed, but lots of people were sitting in cafes or walking around with a coffee in their hand. We had decided to join an architectural tour from a river boat. The day was perfect, and so after having a Chicago hot dog, we set off on the First Lady of Chicago for a pleasant afternoon, necks braced, staring up at the buildings scraping the sky. 

To get noticed in the birthplace of the skyscraper, Chicago architects have had to stretch their imaginations and their engineers' capabilities. The effect is breathtaking, especially on a sunny day. The docent who led the tour was great, describing the founding of the city, the explosive growth, the devastation of the fire, and the even more explosive growth (including the first skyscraper) afterward. It was a great first look at the thankfully not-so-windy city.

Betsy gave a well-deserved nod to the Palmer House Hotel. After the architectural tour, we needed a bite and a nosh, and the gorgeous lobby of the hotel was the perfect setting to recharge and reflect on the sites. Bellmen in tails, waiters in waistcoats and high wing-back chairs made us feel like we were living large in the 30s.

Dinner was unplanned, so we took the highly refined approach of digging out our phones and looking for "Food near here". With something light in mind, we aimed for Vietnamese fair at Le Colonial. What a treat! With no reservation, we could only sit in the bar area, which was full of "beautiful people". The service was impeccable and the food - the yellow curry especially - was wonderful, which enticed us to eat more than we should have. This low-key spot should be on the must-do list for a Chicago visit.

The perfect book for this perfect day. Building Chicago: the Architectural Masterworks by John Zukowsky. A stellar book about the crown jewels of the city.

Of course, we can't let you go without a rendition of Sweet Home Chicago. There are so many to choose from, but we decided to go with the new and the old - John Mayer and B.B. King. 

Sweet Home Chicago - BB King & John Mayer Live - 2006 - YouTube