Maiden Voyage.....Chicago!

There are about 15 of us "women of a certain age" who want to have fun and travel. We have all connected on email and are going to try to take little weekend trips or day trips to a winery, etc. You know how you always say it would be fun to do something but no one ever does it? Well 4 of us fun lovin gals actually DID take a trip this past weekend. Hooray!! And...it was FUN!!
R, G, D and I set out early Friday morning en route to Chi town for the weekend.
We stayed on Michigan Av. The Magnificent Mile!!

We stayed in a corner suite on the 11th floor at the Allerton Hotel. It was a great size for the 4 of us. The hotel was built in the 1920's. It was renovated a few years ago. It was clean and we had 5 windows so the room was very bright. We had a king sized bed and a sofa sleeper. We drew names to see who slept where the first night and then swapped beds the second night. The king size bed was MUCH more comfortable!
We took a double decker bus tour and an architectural boat ride tour. We walked A LOT.

Friday night it stormed. G and I were the only ones who heard the thunder. It is hard to tell how hard it is raining when you are on the 11th floor and don't have rain on the roof above you. But we woke up Saturday morning to news that it had rained 5-6 inches over night!! Lots of roads flooded over night and one store that R went to Saturday opened late because they had flooded. But if we had not heard on the news about how much it had rained we never would have known. The overall weather was pretty good even though it was very HOT for Chicago. It was in the 90's but there seemed to be a breeze most of the time. It was nice early in the morning and nice again at night. We would love to go back again when it is cooler as I think we could walk even more when it is not 90+ out.
Saturday R shopped while G and D and I went on a tour of the Chicago Theatre. It reminded me of the Fox.

Then we met up at the Field Museum after getting stuck in some crazy traffic for a soccer game with Chicago and Manchester United.

Sunday was R's birthday and we celebrated at the Grand Lux Cafe. It was AWESOME, We had a few desserts...we did not eat them all at lunch. We brought some home with us! But it was YUMMY

It was a great trip. We had a great time! Because there were 4 of us we drove up there. Gas cost Approx $90. We were supposed to pay $48 a night to park but they only charged us $48 total for 2 nights. So that was nice. $12 each to park. We each paid $116 for our part of the hotel. We never would have been able to stay here in a suite on the Magnificent Mile on our own so we were thrilled.

Our maiden trip was a huge success!! We cannot wait to go back to Chicago. It really is a city that caters to the tourist. There is plenty to explore. Tons of stores for shopping. Fun boat and bus trips. Great restaurants. There is too much to do in just 2 short days. So a repeat trip is needed! Chicago + 4 fun broads = MUCH FUN....and yes...there were TWIZZLERS!!

It's Not A Vacation Unless There Are Twizzlers

In 2000 my cousin Karla, my son, and I were in Florida for a family reunion. We were bored and decided to go to Walgreen's. While we were there we bought some cherry Twizzler licorice. We drove around twirling our Twizzlers because that is what you should do when you have one in your hand. It was fun. We laughed. They were tasty. It was a warm fuzzy memory. It made us all smile when we thought of it later. Twizzlers came to represent vacation and travel and fun to us. Ever since that trip, whenever my son or I have gone on any trip, we have taken Twizzlers. I think Karla takes them when she travels too.
Twizzlers have been on numerous trips to Walt Disney World, to Ireland, Israel and last weekend to Chicago. It just isn't a vacation unless there are Twizzlers! Which leads us to this blog......

Being a woman of "a certain age" can be hard. You are no longer able to sit on the floor and get up without crawling on your knees or grunting when someone lends you a hand. Things have shifted south. Weight comes on and does not leave. Your feet hurt, but so does your back and your hips and your knees. You often find yourself searching out every restroom when you go out. You sometimes think you are crazy.....but then....you suddenly wake up and decide that there is still a lot of life to live.
Being an "experienced woman" can have its perks!! You no longer give a darn! Oh the joy! The freedom!! You can sing in the grocery store and not care who hears.  Tennis shoes become the footwear of choice for everything from jeans to sweats to dresses. You are not sad that you spend every night in front of the tv.... You are not embarrassed....You are simply tired and you like to lie on the sofa. Besides Franklin and Bash is a fun little show and HGTV teaches you how to redecorate and the Food Network teaches you to cook....and then....you meet others like you. You are not alone!!? You are not the only one!!? Wow! There are many of you. Others who don't give a darn, who are not ashamed that they often sit at home and watch tv and actually LIKE it, others who would sometimes like to get out of the house and go to dinner or theatre or travel.  Wait a minute...there are other "women of a certain age" who think it would be fun to occasionally travel??? What?? We can share the expense and go places and have fun?? Well....why not!?!?
Let's go!! Just don't forget the Twizzlers. It just isn't a real trip without the Twizzlers!!