What an incredible Christmas celebration! We enjoyed the evening immensely! Moody Church itself is something to see, and the performance was excellent. I'm uploading a video I recorded from one of the selections. The Bell Choir did three songs, and I didn't think to record even one. I love the bells! They're my favorite part of the whole program. The conductor also included the entire audience for three songs, and singing carols amidst a huge crowd, accompanied by a symphony orchestra is just indescribably beautiful.
The weather could not have been better! Expecting it to be frigid and windy, I wore my warmest clothes, and never actually cooled off! At times, I was uncomfortably warm, which is much better than miserably cold.
Amtrak is a great way to go. We arrived in Chicago in time for lunch and ate at The Artist, which was just a few steps from our hotel. The Congress Hotel gave us an upgraded room, so we enjoyed the extra space, and even had a small view of the lake. We ate real Chicago-style pizza at Gino's Saturday evening. Delicious! I've never met a pizza I didn't like, but Gino's is the best I've ever tasted.
Michigan Avenue was, of course, very busy... and beautifully decorated. We looked at everything, and even made a few purchases. I'm continually amazed at the beautiful buildings. There was just so much to see, and so little time! We covered a lot of ground for our brief stay. Gariann and Julie could have covered a lot more without me, but were kind enough to adjust to my pace.
- Glitz and glitter
- Caribou coffee
- Germantown
- Spiced hot drinks in a souvenir boot mug.
- Stairwell races
- Coat on, coat off, coat on, no off, no, ON, oops, Off again and on....
- Hot chocolate and candy at Ghirardelli's
- Bloomingdale's and Miss Ellen
- Macy's animated windows
- Candied nuts and Chicago-style popcorn
- Policemen on horses
- Swarovski crystal
- FoodLife stir-fry
- Family restrooms
- Revolving doors
- Booty lift britches
- Sad blisters
(I wish I'd thought to photograph one of the posters we saw displayed on Michigan Avenue. It seems that in the opinion of Chicago, our President's halo has slipped. )
Much, Much Later Update: Video finally loaded!
