A summer weekend when Lena comes to Chicago is always special. We have some favorite activities that we do each time, and we always try something new. Here is a short summary of all our activities.
Lena arrived on Friday evening. It was not super late, and we tentatively planned to go to Jarvis Beach and even went there, but the wind was cold, and we didn’t feel like getting into the water (and even more so – getting out), so we just sat there and talked, and then went home.
On Saturday, I went for an early bike ride by myself, and Lena just walked to the lake.
We had breakfast on my balcony.
… and then went to the beach, because it started to warm up. The geese were claiming the beach to themselves, but finally gave up and left.
Then we went to Aquarium, since it turned out Lena didn’t visit Aquarium for a very long time! It was great except for very crowded! Later I thought that if we would go earlier, there would be less people (with timed entry and not-timed exit, the later in the day, the more people are there in the museum!)
After Aquarium, we went to the CAC, and stopped at the Fannie May store for their new chocolate-themed ice cream.
And then proceeded to CAC.
… walked the Riverwalk for a bit. Let me tell you, it was super-crowded everywhere! In the museum, at State Street and at Michigan Avenue, and on the Riverwalk!
We went to Lea Cafe for dinner (because I have to introduce everyone to Lea!)
Although Lea is a French cafe, this salad felt more like Finnish (salmon and blueberries).
We finished our very long Saturday watching Iceboy! at Goodman.
The start of the show was delayed, and it’s a long play anyway, so we were home a little bit after eleven, and I was not sure whether Lena would be still up for a morning bike ride, but she was up and ready at 5 AM!
Our traditional annual photo:
That’s not smoke, its haze. The humidity on Sunday was really high…
Montrose Harbor Birds’ Sanctuary:
Coming back – I showed Lena our new murals.
After breakfast, we went to the Glenwood Sunday Market:
That was they first time they had sunflowers this season, so I couldn’t stop myself from buying the largest bouquet :).
And then we went to the beach “for real”! It was so good! There was no wind, and it was only a promise of the upcoming hot day, but still breathable :). So calm, so quiet, so peaceful, and the water was so clean!
After the beach, we returned home, ate svekolnik and went to see my mom, who was overjoyed to see Lena. Then I packed almost all leftovers for her to take home, and she was off back to Ann Arbor.
It was a perfect weekend, as always, and most importantly, we talked non-stop almost all the time. Lena is one of few people with whom I can talk about anything in the world, and with whom I can have a discussion, but never an argument.
Now I can’t wait until I visit her in September!
Hettie's Reflections 