Mom-cation, Day 2: Opa!

I’m mildly ashamed to admit it, but our first morning in Chicago was spent in bed with coffee, croissants, and a marathon of home repair shows on A & E. Not only is watching cable television something of a luxury because we don’t actually have cable television at home, but also because we’re not pre-occupied with keeping a certain little someone from racing up the stairs unattended or trying out her new wrestling holds on the cat. After 3-some hours we finally managed to shower, gather our collection of tourist maps, and pry ourselves away from the idiot box. We headed south down Dearborn towards Printer’s Row, where we enjoyed two Hackney burgers the evening before, and had coincidentally noticed the perfect hole-in-the-wall taco joint to bear in mind for lunch the next day. With their cilantro chicken tacos, homemade guacamole, and Coca-Cola in a glass bottle, Flaco’s Tacos did not disappoint (Mama also enjoyed a brazenly pre-afternoon Dos Equis). Unfortunately, the weather during our time in the Windy City has been somewhat…sporadic…so much of our day was spent darting in and out of stores and coffee shops to avoid the fairly constant rain/sleet/snow combination. We did manage to spend a significant chunk of time visiting “the bean” in Millennium Park, and also tackling Chicago Public Transit on our journey to Greektown (where even the Walgreen’s sign is written in neon Greek). Our day came full circle with an evening snuggled up in bed, watching The Wizard of Oz, munching on souvenir baklava, and sharing a bottle of wine.

(Needless to say, I miss Lili something fierce. I try not to check my phone too frequently, awaiting the newest picture or status update from Nana, but my arms feel the absence of her solid little body, and her name passes my lips perhaps more often than it should while on Mom-cation. Given this unprecedented absence, though, I’m doing—I think—better than expected, but am still thankful for the distractions of a new, fabulous, and very windy city).