Category: events

Monday,Tuesday, And Off I Go

So that I won’t leave a trail of stories-not-told, a quick recap of Monday and Tuesday.

On Monday morning, we went for breakfast to the Common Cup “to compare the breakfast sandwiches,” and the vote was that “both were good, but different.”

A coffee-cup decorated tree in the Common Cup

Shortly after, we left for Christkindl Market, planning to get there by its opening. The plan didn’t exactly work, since we had a couple of photo stops on the way (and a couple of fights), so we actually arrived at 11:20.

There was no wait, but the market was pretty crowded; besides, all three of us wanted food from three separate lines 😂, and it was really difficult to navigate. We got everything everyone wanted, and then we stood in a really long line for the best hot chocolate (Belgian, with a chocolate wrench on top).

Then, we went to the Sweet Castle store. As usual, there was a line to enter, but the girls were willing to stay in it. I told them they could get two small or one big thing each, and they ended up with gummy bears and hard candy (I hinted that there might be a lot of chocolate in the presents).
By the time we got out of the Sweet Castle, the crowd had subsided a little bit. There were still a lot of people, but as Nadis put it, fewer intimidating, so we happily continued our journey exploring the market, and stayed in another line to get into the Christmas Ornaments store.

Next stop was a manicure appointment. We started walking toward the DePaul campus (where the nail salon is located), but there was a bookstore on our way, and we couldn’t pass it without going in and starting to read off the shelves :).

… and then since we were by Harold Washington Library, one can guess what happened next :).

On Tuesday morning, we were waiting for Anna and John to come and have a pre-Christmas celebration together. They ordered the food from Honeybear cafe, and picked it up on the way. Once again, Igor escorted my mom to my place, and we had brunch, and exchanged presents.

Igor and my mom left, the girls packed, and all five of us went to the Merry Merry Chicago Concert. For Nadia, it was for either the third or fourth time, and she was looking forward to it. Kira was restless, and at the end, she said it was boring, and she didn’t like it. I think it was indeed too long of a concert for her, because before that, she only attended half-hour children’s concerts.

I went how and started to get my life in order. Actually, this time, the girls did a very decent job of keeping things in order, so it was not like I had a lot to clean up. However, I also had to pack for a short trip, catch up with work and other responsibilities, visit my mom, and finally talk to Boris for longer than ten minutes at a time. This took pretty much all the time starting with after the concert till 6 PM on the Christmas Eve, when I left the house with my luggage.

The Nutcracker

Last year, I took Nadia to her first Nutcracker, and she was mesmerized with the performance, and was looking forward to this year’s one. This time, we also took Kira; I had somedoubts, especially because the way we got the seats, the girls were in the first row, and I was in the second row right behind them, ready to jump and put Kira on my laps. It was not necessary; although both girls fidgeted in their seats, theyloved the show. A very special Chicago Nutcracker was brilliant as always; I hope they will never change it 😊.

The introductory images with the pictures of the old newspaper articles about immigrant workers were as relevant as they could be!

Th usual pile of presents in the foyer

The official 2025 trailer:

The girls fidgeted the most during the Snowflake dance and during the final dance of the Sculptress, and indeed, if there are any “classic” parts in the Joffrey Nutcracker, these ones are. However, when I later asked them which parts they liked most, both of them mentioned these two. Kira said she wants to be one of these little Snowflakes :).

I especially liked this year’s Sculptress, her final dance was out of this world!

More of Joffrey Ballet Instagram (and you know I can talk about them for hours, so i ‘d rather stop now!)

Ten years of the Joffrey Nutcracker post:

Santa Train With The Girls

It’s not easy to get on a Santa Train, because these days, there is only one train instead of two, and it runs on different CTA lines at different times. Igor and I were discussing how we can get the girls on the train, and the only option seems to be to try to get on it after the Nutcracker, which was a little bit tight, even taking into account the usual holiday train delays. But then Igor realized that we could catch it in the opposite direction, when it departs from Howard, and take it to the Nutcracker instead.

The girls were impatient, so we left well in advance, and it turned out to be perfect, because there were picture-taking opportunities and tons of candy canes.

A line for pictures with Santa

Finally, the train doors were open, and we got inside (Igor joined us by then). It was super crowded, so even though we got the seats, it was difficult to see the rest of the car.

The ride took significantly longer than it would be on a regular train, but we still managed to get to the Nutcracker on time!

Santa Train And Other Signs Of Holidays

On Thursday, I got on the Santa Train, just because it happened to be one after the next train, and because the next train was so crowded that I almost couldn’t get on.

It was also super-crowded, but I really needed to get to my next destination, and an Elf reluctantly let me on when she saw an opening.

It became less crowded towards the end of the route, and an Elf started to move around the car and distribute candy canes.
On that day, I actually had to go to the final stop, and had a chance to take a lot of Santa’s pictures

The picture below was taken on Friday, and that was a Fannie May holiday trolley:

And more presents – from Scotland and from Sweden:

Corporate Party At The Gerachty

I didn’t finish this post on Sunday, because I got the news about our neighbors, and with all understanding that life goes on, I couldn’t bring myself to finish. Now, I put the final touches on it and am ready to publish.

We had our Holiday Party on Saturday night, and it was held at the Geraghty, an innovative event space, converted from an old paper mill. I have only been to a corporate party at this job once, and it was so loud and hectic that I didn’t want to go after that.

This year, it was different. When I read the party description, I immediately wanted to go! The event description we received was as follows:

Event Timeline
7:00PM
As our evening begins, enjoy elegant passed canapés and a glass of wine. Pick up your event map and set out to uncover the wonders hidden throughout the venue. Choose your first stop: The Kingdom of Ice, home to our exquisite raw bar and the captivating sounds of the Arctic Pianist, The Wizard’s Library, where you can sample imaginative elixirs at the Potion Station led by Chef Richie Farina, The Enchanted Forest, where you can feast at abundant food buffets and enjoy live entertainment throughout the night, or the Bullseye Pub & Darts, competing for your chance to win VIP festival tickets,

7:30PM
Journey into the Enchanted Forest where lavish dinner buffets await. Grills blaze while the stream and stone evoke the quiet presence of a woodland brook. Flickering flames and forest-foraged flavors beckon you into a world where nature, earth, and magic converge.

9:30PM
As dinner service winds down, delight in dainty passed sweets and indulge at the Yule Log Carvery in the Enchanted Forest. Visit the Dragon Hatchery in The Wizard’s Library for a sweet surprise.

10:30PM
The night heats up as The LVB takes the stage in the Enchanted Forest. The darts competition wraps up in the Bullseye Pub & Darts, but free-play boards remain open for casual fun while you mingle.

11:00PM
Recharge with savory late-night bites passed throughout the Enchanted Forest as anticipation builds for the night’s grand finale.

11:30PM
Return to the stage in the Enchanted Forest where Spencer Ludwig ignites the dance floor with an electrifying performance.

1:00AM
As our Holiday Party comes to a close, we hope you leave with memories every bit as magical as the night itself.

I knew I would not stay until 1 AM, and ideally not even until 11 PM, but I was hoping to catch the desserts, so I planned to leave after 10 -30 PM.

It was very cold, so I bundled up from top to bottom, including ski pants.
We were told there would be a coat check, so I planned on it.

I took the Red Line and the bus there, and it took me about 1.5 hours from door to door, having timed everything as well as I could. Aside from time, it was a very good idea, and I liked taking bus #60.

The bus stopped just one block away from the venue.

I got it, and there were ten attendants at the coat check ready to pick up my things, but I told them it would take me a while to unbundle myself. Watching me take off the snowpants, a lady asked: Did you walk here? I replied: I used public transportation. She continued: You are brave! For which I replied; No, I just know how to use public transportation. It was especially appalling because it’s just an industrial neighborhood, not even something scary.

Each of us was given this map when we entered, with the place on the back for all six stickers.
Continue reading “Corporate Party At The Gerachty” →

Elf at Auditorium

Somehow, I never saw the movie Elf (and the musical plot is slightly different), and it was the most pleasant surprise one could imagine. Now I wish they would bring this musical to Chicago every Christmas season! One small detail that brough me joy – when it is snowing in the end of the show, it’s not paper and glitter snow, but a real snow! I don;t know how they do it 🙂

Pictures from the website:

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Black Comedy

I went to this show at Above the Law theater last Sunday (November 23), and forgot to post about it. They are still running this show until December 21, so if anybody interested, you still have a chance to see it.

Whenever I attend Above the Law shows, I try to take mom with me, because it’s very close to home, and the theater is tinym so she can always see well (especially because she is always the first to be seated by the staff).

They rarely publish their show synopsis, but this time, there was an email with the following description:

Struggling sculptor Brindsley Miller and his fiance, Carol, are having a party with the aim of impressing Carol’s bombastic father, Colonel Melkett, and millionaire Georg Bamberger. They hope the two men might purchase some of Brindsley’s sculptures. Without permission, they have borrowed the furniture of their fussy neighbor, Harold, to make their own flat more presentable. Just before the guests arrive, the main fuse blows, plunging the flat into darkness. What follows is a frantic romp with unexpected visitors, mistaken identities, and surprises lurking in every dark corner. Only we, the audience, can see the action that ensues in the dark. As you might expect, the results are chaotic, disastrous and downright hysterical.

If I won’t read this description it would be impossible to understand what’s happening on the stage, but to be honest, even with this description, it was confusing in the beginning.

The idea is that 90% of the show time things happen in a complete darkness, because the fuse is blown. Nobody would enjoy the show in a complete darkness, so the way the set it up was that at the time the lights were suppose to be on, they went off, and vise versa. So most time, there was light, but the actors acted as if they are in complete darkness. And at the time, somebody was turning on a flashlight, the lights were dimmed.

It was funny. Probably a little bit too grotesque:). Brilliant acting, as always.

Amadeus At Steppenwolf

There were no interesting concerts this weekend, so I suggested to Boris to go see Amadeus at the Steppenwolf Theater. Boris was skeptical, because he does not like the idea of the original play, because it’s based on unjust accusations, but he said he will go. As for me, I haven’t been to the Steppenwolf for a while, and wanted to go.

The Ensemble Theater before the show

During the first act, ot felt like a mock version of the movie, and during the intermission I asked Boris whether he wanter to go home. He said: no, the acting is great! Actually, I believe it was a new experience for him: I got the first row tickets, and because of how the Ensemble Theater is build, the acting was happening right in from of our eyes, so he could see most of it, was watching all the time with his eyes open 🙂

Then, during the second act, they started getting off the films score, and build something else, and that was much more interesting, so in the end, we both enjoyed it 🙂

Thanksgiving

There were things to be thankful for: Anna and John finally sold their “old” house, and Anna got a new job which she starts on Monday. Other family members had probably less impressive news, but still. At least, Boris didn’t have any travel obstacles, and was here (he said there was absolutely no line on the border control; apparently, nobody wants to come visit us anymore!)

The day before Thanksgiving we had a wind out of the ordinary, with gusts over 50 MpH. When I was in a workout session with my trainer, I looked out of the window, and saw something surreal: there was something flying in the sky! My first thought was: what are these birds? But them I realized that these were not birds, but the dry leaves! The wind blew them up from the ground to at least the seventh floor! i tried to take pictures after my training session ended, but the leaves were flying too fast, and I didn’t get any good pictures.

Later, when I went to pick up my pies from Vanille across the street, the wind was almost picking me up! I had to turn by back toward the wind to walk, and as it turned out, I couldn’t save all the pies – the cranberry merengue was partially ruined, because the wind was knocking the boxes, no matter how hard I tried to keep them from bouncing. I asked Boris to meet me at the train station to help me to carry the pies home, and if I won’t ask, I am afraid the consequences would be worse!

We unfolded the tables on Wednesday evening, and in the morning, I started making the salads and preparing everything for the turkey. Anna-and-family-and-friends arrived by 10 AM, and started the turkey, and we finished the rest of the food prep.

Nadia and Kira stayed in the sunroom for most of the time, and we didn’t hear any screams or arguments, so I asked Anna whether this feels suspicious for her. Then, the girls came to distribute the tickets for the puppet show, and in another hour, we all were called to watch it. I was very impressed with what they’ve done! They made the puppets for the shadow theater out of black paper and secured them on black pencils with tape. They put up a screen, and a floor lamp so that they could project, and came up with a Christmas – theme skit. They also made tickets, and numbered the seats.

After they were done, we were allowed to have a backstage tour, and they showed as the puppets, and then, without any prompt from me, Nadia said that they were going to disassemble them, and make pencils to be pencils again 🙂

More Photos From The Sunday Rally

(from my favorite photographer)