Deep Dish & Chicago Comedy

Jackie and I flew out to Chicago on Friday morning to visit Marlena and watch her sketch at The Second City.  We were both amazed by how poorly we handled the 4 hour flight since we're spoiled and used to 60-90 minute flights up and down the coast of California.  

Unfortunately, Marlena had to work Friday night.  She picked us up at Midway Airport and dropped us off at our hotel, Crowne Plaza Downtown Metro, where we checked into our lovely room and had dinner in the hotel restaurant.  After dinner, we proceeded to cuddle up in our beds and catch up on each other's lives.  Later in the night we indulged ourselves in some stuffed crust pizza, which I heard later is not the same as Chicago deep dish pizza.  Ah well, it was still DELICIOUS!

Saturday morning, Jackie wanted to check out the Field Museum.  One of her coworkers knows Dr. Jim Boone, one of the Entomologists at the museum, so we were able to arrange for him to give us a tour of the Field Museum's Entomology collection.  It was AMAZING!  They have rooms and rooms of specimen ranging from pinned beetles and butterflies to vials of bugs kept in alcohol solution.  

Jacke & I in front of the world's largest and best preserved T-Rex skeleton- Sue!

Evolving Planet Exhibit

THE LUCY!!!  From my science textbooks in middle school and high school, and my anthropology textbooks in college.  She was a part of the evolving planet exhibit!

After Marlena met us at the museum, she took us down to Millennium Park to see some of the famous Chicago landmarks:

Our reflections inside The Bean

Taking a break in the Millennium Park amphitheater 

Downtown in the Loop

Jackie & Marlena in front of the Chicago Riverwalk

After our downtown adventure, we went back to the hotel to get cleaned up and ready to see Marlena's Sketch at The Second City.  Jackie and I were running a bit late, so we successfully navigated Chicago's public transit system to meet her at Piper's Alley.  We got to meet two of her friends who hung out with us before and during the show at the Chipotle downstairs from the theatre.

Before Marlena's Sketch at The Second City- Piper's Alley

After the show, which was AMAZING, Marlena and her friends took Jackie and I out in the downtown area.  We had a great time, and ended up at an after-party for the writers and actors of the sketches that we had seen.  We also stopped for some Chicago hot dogs, which were yum yum yum and made me hit the gym the following morning.

Late night Portillo's

After my morning workout on Sunday, Marlena took us up to her neighborhood- Roscoe Village, for lunch.  Her neighborhood is really cute, it has trees arching over the streets and meeting over the centers.  It was super muggy so we opted to eat inside rather that on the patio.

Lunch at Waterhouse in Roscoe Village

Post lunch, Jackie and I hustled back to the hotel and got dolled up for the main stage performance at The Second City.  

The performance was UNBELIEVABLE.  Seriously, it was one of the most hilarious things I have seen in my life.  It was more funny that SNL, which is where many of the graduates from The Second City become employed, because there are no limits on racist, sexist, profane, or political sketches.  There was even more skin than I was comfortable with in one of the sketches.  I would recommend that anyone visiting Chicago get tickets to a main stage performance in advance so they can check out the show!

All in all, it was a very fun vacation.  Jackie and I hope to head back out to the midwest again soon, however, not in the winter months.