Day #14 starts the nostalgic part of our trip. Visiting places that we used to frequent, eating at our favorite places and meeting people we have missed. It was kids’ first trip back to Chicago since June 2016.
First stop – Wildberry with 2 of the most wonderful 21 year olds (my friend’s parents). For as long as I have known my friend we have always referred to her parents as Mimi and Papa. I doubt if some of our other friends even know the real names. Needless to say, kid #1 and #2 think of Mimi and Papa as their own grandma and grandpa. One time kid #2 asked me if he should be calling them grandmimi and grandpapa. 😊
After the great waffle, pancake and egg benedict breakfast we took a short walk, hung out at their home and even strolled around the farmer’s market, before heading out.
Couple of hours of relaxation and digesting our food, it was time for more food 😆…. Next stop Little India – or as we call it Devon Street. It was hot, but walking on Devon is always fun – lot of interesting smells from the restaurants and a vibe of India. We stopped by one a Pakistani restaurant – Sabri Nihari for my favorite Frontier Chicken. Spicy but oh so delicious.
Short ride from there – my alma mater. Allen Center was closed for construction but we were able to go inside the new Kellogg building. We were buzzed in by Ken, who wad always at the security duty when I was at school. I recognized him but was so surprised that he said he also recognized me. My immediate thoughts – either he is saying to be polite or uh ho, I must have done so many bad things in my time that the Security staff recognizes me. 😂. Nevertheless, he didn’t ask for our IDs, so he must have identified me.
While we go to beach often enough, the beaches of Lake Michigan were calling our names. Northwestern’s small and private beach was perfect to let kids be kids. I got whistled by the Lifeguard couple of times to be close to kids – seemed a little overzealous, but it forced me to get into the water too.
We were supposed to have dinner w another good friend – my American mom. But the weather forced our hands and we decided to return to The City. But it was a Tuesday ($5 movie night) so a movie made sense. The Rock and Emily Blunt starrer “Jungle Cruise” was on the cards.
Fun experiences of 2 kids and their dad 