Chicago 2018

So we checked into the River Hotel which was reasonably priced and so well located I had to pat myself on the back because I think I am getting quite good a choosing accommodation. Free coffee and snacks. Free wine at 5pm. Free laundry downstairs.

We wandered out and found ourselves at a 'speak easy' tiki bar called Two Dots and a Dash for cocktails followed by a BBQ feast for two at Bub City. With a live band.

 If you need to fill up on a good chain burger with lots of fries, try Tilted Kilt, like we did on Thursday at lunch. We headed to Lollapalooza, one of the biggest music festivals in the world. 100 000 attendees a day over 4 days! Our super compact picnic blanket - one of Neil's eBay purchases came in very handy.

 Arctic Monkeys was the headline act and they were good but they don't possess much stage presence and didn't know how to engage with the crowd. In fact, there aren't any bad boy rock band personalities these days. Lauren Mayberry from Chvrches talked about how she's too short to reach the top shelf in a grocery store. Rock chick? Not!

On Friday at lunch time we ate at The Purple Pig -where pork features highly on the menu.Superb wine list, with lots of options by the glass and great sharing plates.

Then it was back to Lollapalooza. Later we found the Cupcake Wine Tent and hung out on the sofas with the only other 50 somethings at the fest. We met some great people.

Later Friday night we found ourselves heading back to Bub City. It was busy; a pick up joint for the way over 30's.

On Saturday we had really good tacos at Broken English. A boy on the train had said he thought Chicago Mexican food is far better than what you get in Santa Fe, where he was traveling from. So we tried it. He may be right.

We spent most of the day at the Museum of Science and Industry. 

In a city of a 100 steakhouses..John and Sue -friends from the Cupcake Tent - recommended Eddy V's. The steaks were the best we've had in years..I had a bone-in fillet with bernaise sauce; Neil, a chef's special New York prime strip...and Neil's Maine lobster taco starters were wonderful. We shared a dessert of flambéed banana foster cake and an awesome jazzy live band topped it all off....good enough for a celebration...Happy Anniversary...now we don't have to remember in November!