Art in Chicago: Part 2 (more photos!)

Sunday 5/22-Monday 5/23: Food, Art, Family

We were supposed to meet up with my friend R and her spouse S for brunch on Sunday morning at Siena Tavern, across the street from our hotel. Unfortunately, as they were on their way to the restaurant, they found out that they had been exposed to COVID a couple of days before, so we made so with a quick chat outdoors and masked instead of sharing a meal. Darn! Mr. E and I still enjoyed our food and the super-friendly and allergy-aware service. My avocado toast with poached eggs, watermelon radish, and pistachios was the best I've had, and Mr. E's root veggie skillet was quite filling and tasty.

Since we weren't lingering over the meal with friends, we decided to take the opportunity to go to the MCA to see Nick's exhibition in the late morning rather than trying to fit in a visit later in the day. Thanks to our Crocker membership, our tickets were complimentary. The entire fourth floor was devoted to the show. I was particularly struck by some of his older work, which was often in more muted tones and more contained in format. I wasn't as familiar with this part of his artistic vision as I was with his newer, more colorful and exuberant creations, especially his signature soundsuits and spinners.

We had just enough time for a quick visit to the museum store before heading off to Maggiano's to meet up with Mr. E's family for lunch at 1:30pm. At the end of the meal, while everyone else was lingering, Mr. E and I headed back to the hotel for a bit so I could call my mom. Then we joined up with everyone at his parents' condo. Mr. E hung out to visit while I swam laps again. So nice to have access to their pool! Once I was done, we figured out group dinner plans (pizza delivery from Lou Malnatti's plus takeout from nearby Minghin Cuisine and Mariano's). Mr. E and I took a return walk to our hotel around 9:30pm to wind down the evening.

I repeated my morning workout on Monday and took advantage of the hotel breakfast buffet before setting up my DIY workstation at the hotel bar - a perfect height for my standing set-up! The large lobby and bar area was very quiet and peaceful once the breakfast service was finished, so it was a very productive working environment for me, and also much nicer than the parking garage view outside our hotel room window...

Mr. E got up later and procured his breakfast and coffee for me at Starbucks before settling in to work a bit and then meet up with his family again for lunch. I grabbed lunch at Brown Bag seafood (yummy seasonal shrimp salad), and then we summoned a Lyft to the airport in the mid-afternoon. Given the amount of time before our evening flight, we had already decided to pay for day passes to the United Club. Thanks to a system malfunction, we were able to get in for free! Mr. E did some more work while I read, and we both took advantage of the food and beverage offerings. 

Right before we boarded, Mr. E got upgraded to First Class and [per usual] gave up the seat to me. My seatmate was a fellow UW Badger, so we had some pleasant conversation for a bit before settling in for the flight. We were a bit delayed so arrived home in Sac about 30 minutes late but still reached our house and Miss Caly just before midnight. No unpacking for me, except for the essentials, and then straight to bed to prepare for the rest of the work week.