Numbers 6:24-26
May the Lord bless you
and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you
and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you his favor
and give you his peace.
After saying goodbye to my home on wheels, we went to the Windy City, and it was windy and it was cold. The best purchase I made on this trip was a pair of leggings in Oregon for the unseasonably cold weather in October, and it turns out they were perfect for the near record lows of Chicago in December. Let’s just say, the lows of Oregon would have made me put on shorts in Chicago. But that didn’t stop us from exploring the city and all its fine dining.
We landed in Chicago with the last of our belongings — three suitcases, two that are carry-on size and one that we checked on the plane. It has been an adventure of letting go of material things. It felt good! We arrived relatively early, 9 am Central Time, and wanted coffee. We tried several places before finding a drinkable cup. I am quite particular about my coffee when I don’t make it. I only drink lattes outside and I only like to drink them with oat milk. Who knew I was so picky? We spent our days window shopping, actual shopping, drinking lattes, looking at beautiful architecture.
We found a place, The Bagel and the Bean. It was good and near a high-end men’s clothing store. We visited both, twice.
That evening we went to a restaurant called Bar Mar. The Chef, Jose Andres, from Spain, shares elevated tapas with Chicago. Michael and I had a fun and expensive night dining out. We usually like to order the tasting menu with the wine pairings, but here, we did our own gastronomical adventure choosing the food and ordering wine by the glass. But first, a cocktail. It has been a while since I have been to the Aviary in Chicago, but the drink I ordered reminded me of this experience. I recommend the Floral Cloud. It was fun and tasty. We started out with Jose’s Asian Taco, which was tasty, but the small. My favorite dish at Bar Mar was the lobster bisque. It was yummy. We love the Chicago food scene. It is probably the best restaurant adventure town for us, and I can see us visiting even after we move to Spain.
One evening we went to a Vietnamese fusion restaurant called Mott Street. The food was ok. It didn’t have to be great because it was outside the loop, but as our Uber was getting off the highway, I saw a sign for a church that was open 24 hours a day. After we ate a decent meal, we walked to St Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church. We were about ten minutes late for the weekday Mass. We stayed through to the end of the liturgy and then caught an Uber back to the hotel. The church was beautiful.
One day we went to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery. We are not fans of Starbucks coffee, it tastes a little burnt to us … but this place is a destination. Four floors and the top one had a bar. So, we decided to partake in their espresso martini drinks. They were low alcohol and fairly tasty.
One of the reasons for this trip to Chicago was to inter my father’s ashes in the same cemetery as his mother, Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery. I tried to get him interred with my grandmother and great-grandmother, but I was unable to contact the owner of the plot, my third cousin twice removed. But amazingly, through obituaries, I was able to find out who they were. One of them actually responded to me, but it was a little too late. I don’t know if it was the recent passing of my stepfather or just the fact that it is hard to leave the earthly remains of your father in a place so far away from you, but I felt that his ashes needed to be close to his mother. It is a corporal act of mercy, so it was good to start the Advent season this way.
Rest in Peace, Dad January 13, 1928 – January 17, 2019
Our last night in Chicago was our best dining experience. We went to a place called Rose Mary. Michael had been there before, but I had not. Each dish we ate was amazing. Usually even the best restaurants falter on one or two dishes, but not this place. Everything was spot on. While sitting at our kitchen bar table I decided my next career is going to be a restaurant blogger with my husband. Stay tuned. I am not great at this, but maybe if I am not traveling quite so much it will be easier to take good notes. Apparently, the food was so good, I took no pictures!
The next day we headed on to our pilgrimage to Champion, Wisconsin. This place is the site of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion. Adele Brice saw an apparition of The Blessed Virgin Mary, who instructed her to teach children the catechism of the Catholic Church. This shrine is recognized by the US Bishops and the Vatican as a holy place. My mother had wanted to visit this shrine for her 80th birthday; however, she was unable to make it due to health reasons. I promised to make this part of my USA Road Trip, and it was the final place of my visit. It was truly a spiritual place. I would like to go back and visit the other to shrines in Wisconsin if I ever get a chance.
After our time at the National Shrine, Michael and I headed back towards Chicago. Our flights were the next day out of O’Hare. We stayed just outside of Milwaukee and ate at the Milwaukee Public Market. That place is worth the stop if you are visiting. It was Friday, so we ate at the Fish House. I, of course, had fish tacos.
This marks the end of my USA journey. Michael went on to spend a few days with his brother Eric, sister-in-law Rachel, Goddaughter Becca and God grandson Charlie. I went to Palm Desert to hang out with my family. I am signing off until Spain. May God bless and protect you until we meet again.