We just got back from Chicago. Tired, but oh so happy. I got a travelin' bug in me that just can't be cured. Chicago is a beautiful city. It is the lovely, unpretentious cousin to big city glitz. We enjoyed our trip a lot, despite the chilly weather. Yes, I know, we are weak, spoiled Californians... our friend met up with us in flip flops while we were shivering in gloves and boots. Very sad.
 
Even a less observant person than I would not be able to miss all the propaganda in Chicago's bid for the Olympics.
 
We ended up staying at an apartment complex on Lake Street, which was lovely. A lot of people there are actual residents, so our apartment felt more like a home-away-from-home than a hotel.

 
The awesome view from our apartment:
 
Granted you can't rival the shot from the lounge at the John Hancock building. What you don't see pictures was the toothsome tiramisu, which vanished very quickly thanks to my husband. :P
 
Our token tourist shot from the bean.
 
The inside is what I always thought a black hole would look like.
 
A definite trip highlight was the food. There's no skirting around the issue, we just ate a lot. Some friends showed us around, so we ate two dinners that first night. He insisted that we haven't tasted a real Polish dog until this place.
 
I admit, it puts Costco's to shame. :P We were also strangely addicted to Garrett's popcorn, the Mix, which is composed of cheddar and caramel. It's a bizarre combination that actually keeps you eating far longer than you otherwise would with one flavor alone. A highlight of the trip was a walking food tour. We walked through the Gold Coast, Old Town, and Lincoln Park neighborhoods sampling food from small, local stores. Who knew Germans were so serious about their tea? Our second stop was at Tea Gschwendner (try saying that!) for some Bossa Nova Oolong.
 
We also crowded inside the kitchen at the Fudge Pot and devoured some pretty good butter toffee. I just don't want to know what goes in it! This is a shot of third generation Fudge Pot owner Dave stirring some, you guessed it, fudge.

 
This is our tour guide Nikki explaining about the different spices from the back of the Spice House.

 

We saw the original Playboy mansion during our walk.
 
And finally, the king of Chicago's tasty but unhealthy specialties? The deep dish pizza.

 

We actually got it.. twice. My favorite place was on our last night at Quartino's, a very lively scene with lots of tasty tapas. This was Tony's best attempt to ignore me, he's gotten rather desensitized to my constant need to photograph what I eat.
 
The veal meatball sliders, caprese, and risotto were extremely tasty.

 

Ok, I think I ranted enough about food for one day. =)

Here are a few pictures from a late night romp around Santa Monica and Venice.
 
We were totally blinded by some headlights while tromping over to Santa Monica Pier. Ricky stuck out his tongue, and this was the result:
 
The pier itself is not as creepy as I thought it would be. It's actually quite well lit.
 
The rising tide almost swept away my camera for this shot:

 
The ferris wheel lights washed the beach with all these funky colors.

 

As a child I wanted to be a horse jockey, an astronaut, and a writer.  Eclectic interests can breed indecision, but the one thing that for me was as natural as breathing was traveling. My roots go far back to summers of my childhood spent in the family van. In its hot, cramped interiors we traversed over forty of the fifty states before my junior high, sometimes traveling twenty-two hours at a time. However, if someone was to ask me about my trip to Wyoming, all I can tell them is a little anecdote about arriving there one summer in shorts and tee shirts only to find snow. The only clothing store open sold western gear, and the only thing funnier than tourists dressed in shorts in snow, are tourists dressed in cowboy outfits in snow. So the memories aren't always perfect, my stories are bright with more mishaps than scenic views, but that was where my wanderlust began.

I was born into disparate cultures - from the crowded, gritty city of Quezon, Philippines to the immaculate tree-lined streets of Irvine. I moved to Berkeley for college and that was yet another shock to my suburban core. But more than a change in geography was a change in perspective. And suddenly all those eclectic interests narrowed down to this truth - I am a person who loves to travel.  Experiencing new cultures, places, and food never fails to challenge my perceptions. Someday I'd like to combine the three things I like most - travel, writing, and photography. Because a picture may be worth a thousand words, but only if you know where to look.