Day 12: Sioux Falls (continued)

This evening was the most fun I've had by myself since I was ... actually I can't remember when I've had this much fun by myself. After my last post, I went to dinner at Chevy's Fresh Mex in Sioux Falls and had the yummiest chicken fajita salad ever. Oh, I probably should've warned you that I'm about to say some favorable things about some national chains. Don't think that I've become a fan of chains. I'm not. But sometimes, when you don't know anything about where you are, it's nice to be able to rely on a couple of familiar places. After dinner, I noticed that there was a Walmart next door to the restaurant, so I went in. I totally forgot how awesome that place is! I felt like it was my freshman year at St. Mary's again :) I got rain coat, which I needed desperately, for $10! And I got some cereal, milk, and fruit - and ice cream :) - for my kitchenette. Score. I refrained from purchasing anything I didn't need, which is no small feat at a place like Walmart. Oh, and for those of you who were skeptical that Walmart sells guns, here's proof:

Then I went back to my hotel, changed into my swimsuit, and went to the water park. I became good friends with all of the elementary-aged guests who, despite my repeated statements to the contrary, were convinced that I was the lifeguard, and thus continuously asked my permission to do things. As a teacher, I'm used to little kids asking my permission to do things, so they probably confused the ease with which I responded to their questions with actual authority. I was sure to remind them to get their parents' permission if they wanted to do something, such as go down the water slide. Check it out:

I think I went on it approximately 40 times. And no, that's not an exaggeration.

Right now, I'm going to go read the last two chapters of this book that I've been reading FOREVER, The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet. I've been quite distracted by travel guides, this blog, and traveling itself, but I'm committed to finishing it tonight. In the morning, I'm planning to go for a bike ride, then go swimming and lie out in the sun for a while before heading to the Badlands. I'll write about Minnesota while I'm getting a tan tomorrow.

Good night!

Day 12: Minneapolis to Sioux Falls

Hi friends,

I'm in Sioux Falls, South Dakota right now. This is what South Dakota looks like:

I'm staying at the Best Western and for just $67.50, I have a nice, big room with a king sized bed. Right outside my door is the outdoor pool, and around the corner is the indoor pool and water park. That's right- this place has its own water park that is free for guests! I can't wait to go down the water slide! I can't even remember the last time I went down a water slide. It's definitely been at least 15 years. That's unacceptable. I think I want to stay here forever. Check it out:

The drive from Minneapolis was fine. There was a lot of construction, so I had to go on a few not-so-well-marked detours, but I still got here in good time. How come no one told me about the gas pumps here? I had no idea which gas to pick! I actually took a photo of the choices and was going to email it to my dad, but then I saw another pump with familiar choices of regular unleaded and super unleaded. Here's the photo I took:

I had a great time in Minneapolis. It was great to see my friend, Allie, and meet her delightful fiance, Pete. On Friday we went out to dinner, then on Saturday, I went to the Minnesota State Fair, and on Sunday I went to the Mall of America. The fair was awesome. The Mall of America was overrated, but at least I've been there now. I have tons of photos that I'll have to upload later. I'm starving and want to get outside before the sun goes down. I'll write more later.

I hope everyone is doing well!

Ahhh!

I woke up this morning, turned on my computer and it started making a loud beeping noise and it wouldn't do anything, so right now I'm updating from my phone. I have an appointment with a "Mac Genius" at 8:45 this evening at the Apple store in Southdale, MN. I'm praying that whatever is wrong with my computer is covered by the AppleCare plan and that they can fix it relatively quickly. Anyway, I just want to let you know that I'm in Minneapolis and I'm safe. I'll write again when I have a functioning computer.

Day 8 (part 2): Chicago

Hello again,
I'm coming to the end of my stay in Chicago and I'm kinda sad to leave :( There's so much more to see and do here! I guess I'll just have to come back.

Lunch with Sarah was fun. It was really great to catch up with her. We went to the Art Institute of Chicago after lunch. What a phenomenal museum! If you're ever in Chicago, you should definitely see it. The new modern wing, which just opened in May, is absolutely gorgeous.

Tonight was the party at the De La Rosa's place. It was very nice. They live on the 52nd floor of the John Hancock building and their view (or views, I should say, as their apartment is actually three apartments turned into one) is nothing short of spectacular. Their home is filled with Frank Lloyd Wright inspired stained glass that Andrew himself designed. They just closed on the third unit yesterday, so it still needs to be remodeled. Currently, model train sets and tracks take over the living room, however the trains will be getting their own room once the renovations are complete.

It's time for me to go to bed, so I'll have to cut this one short. Hope all of you are doing well! Oh, and if you haven't already, check out the videos I added to Day 5 (part 2). They're hilarious!

Day 8: Chicago

Hello, friends!

No little card under my door this morning AGAIN, but I could tell by looking out the window that it was gray and rainy. Yuck. Although I leave Chicago tomorrow morning, and it's much easier to leave a place when the weather is less than spectacular.

I started off my morning with breakfast at the Wigwam, the restaurant here at the Union League Club, with Uncle Joe and two of his friends, although everyone had to leave almost immediately after I arrived, so I just enjoyed my french toast alone and read the Wall Street Journal.

Before he left, one of my godfather's friends told me I absolutely had to try the club's spa, so as soon as I was done with breakfast, I booked an appointment for a pedicure. He was right. It was lovely. The only problem was that they wouldn't let pay for it - they had to charge it to my room. So, Uncle Joe, this is just a heads up. I'd be more than happy to reimburse you :)

My friend Sarah and I didn't end up getting together yesterday, so we're getting together today instead. I'm meeting her for lunch at Ceres, a restaurant on the 1st floor of the Chicago Board of Trade, where she works as a corn trader. Yes, corn, as in on the cob. It's about a block away from the Union League Club, so thankfully I don't have to travel far in this yucky rain. According to Sarah, they have yummy salads and sandwiches and salads and they make the strongest drinks in the world. Maybe I'll have to have one. Sarah said I can wear flip flops to the restaurant, so I'm happy. As far as I'm concerned, if it's not freezing outside, flip flops are the most sensible footwear for rainy days because they're water resistant and they allow your feet to dry. There is nothing worse than soggy feet in soggy socks and shoes!

After lunch, we're going to the Art Institute and tonight is the party at the De La Rosas'.

Anyway, I should be heading out. I've gotta put my flip flops on.

Talk to you soon!

Days 6 & 7: Chicago

Today is yucky and rainy, and I didn't find that out from a little card under my door because there was no little card under my door this morning! There was also no little card under my door on Sunday morning or yesterday morning either. This is outrageous. I'm going to recommend to my godfather that he suspend his membership until they fix this problem. What they obviously don't realize is that they're not making my life that much better on the days when they do slide the little card under my door. They're just leaving me disappointed on the mornings when they don't. Previously, I was perfectly content relying on the window, the news, my iPhone, or other primitive weather-communicating methods to find out the forecast. Now I've become dependent on the little card, and it's just too much to ask for me to come up with an alternate plan to find out what it's going to be like today. Ugh!

Yesterday the weather was absolutely gorgeous. I woke up early, got an almond muffin from the farmer's market across the street, and then went for a 3 1/2 hour bike ride along Lake Michigan. It was awesome! Here's a photo I took while taking a break on the Navy Pier.

After my bike ride, I got some lunch at Wow Bao. Mmmm. We really need one of those in DC.

After that, I took a nice, long nap.

In the evening, I went over to my friend Alex Lee's house in Wicker Park. Alex is a friend of mine from high school, though we didn't actually go to high school together. We met through mutual friends, but I can't remember exactly when or how. He's hilarious. We went to dinner at an Asian fusion restaurant called Rodan. It was super yummy. Then we went for a walk with his dog, Spanky, who is SO cute, but sadly I don't have any photos of him. Then we watched Family Guy.

I'm having a very difficult time motivating today, probably because the weather is so gross. I ran some errands this morning and had lunch at Wow Bao again. This afternoon, I'm supposed to get together with Sarah McCarron, a friend from college who I haven't seen since I graduated. We're going to go to the Art Institute of Chicago and then grab some dinner.

I hope everyone is doing well!

Day 5 (part 2): Chicago

Hello again,

The card under my door was right; The weather was beautiful today! Instead of taking a walking tour with the Chicago Architecture Foundation, I decided to take a self-guided walking tour of the city. Wandering around cities is one of my all time favorite activities, and Chicago is absolutely gorgeous, so it turned out to be a great day! Here are some photos I took in Millennium Park.

Frank Gehry's pavillion

The Bean

Freaky face fountain

Two cute kids playing in the water

More cute kids playing in the water

While I was wandering around the city, I stumbled upon two Filene's Basements, Loehman's, Marshalls, and Nordstrom RACK, and I realized that after living in Boston, with the Filene's Basement in Downtown Crossing and its automatic markdowns, it is highly unlikely that I will ever be satisfied with another discount retailer, and I just need to come to terms with that.

I also came across a great office supply store called Atlas Stationers. In case you weren't aware, independent office supply stores are my FAVORITE! Check out this funny magnet I saw there:

My favorite independent office supply store is Bob Slate in Cambridge, MA. There used to be some really great ones in the DC area when I was growing up, like Pace Office Supply in Potomac Village. There was also this other place and I can't remember the name, but it was in downtown Bethesda in the same shopping center as Baskin Robin's and Giant Pharmacy. If you can remember the name of the store, I'll give you $10. They also sold toys. I don't know if that helps. Now there's hardly any independent stores of any kind. I hate it. Of course I shop at Target, so I'm just part of the problem.

I had dinner tonight with a couple of my friends from grad school, Adam and Jen (they're married). Adam was one of the first people I met at Harvard and I instantly disliked him. I liked Jen right away, and I couldn't understand why she was dating Adam. I thought he was an arrogant, elitist, misogynist, and when we ended up in the same group for our year-long School Leadership field experience project, I was completely horrified. Of course once I actually got to know Adam, I realized he was one of the kindest, most intelligent, and thoughtful people I had ever met and I absolutely adore him now. I couldn't have been more wrong about him. I'm so grateful that I was forced to give him a second chance. Anyway, we had a great time. Before dinner, I got a chance to meet their hypo-allergenic dog, Otis, named after Otis Redding. He's about as hyper as Daisy. I think they'd be BFF ... or mortal enemies - one of the two. Here are some photos of Otis:

And here's a photo of where he pees. Adam is pointing to the spot.

Here's a video of Otis doing his unique doggy trick, "Back, back":

And here are some more of Otis's tricks:

We ate at The Galway Arms, which is down the street from where they live in Lincoln Park. What a cute neighborhood! It was really yummy. After dinner, like the white people we are, we got designer cupcakes.. They were delicious!

It's time for me to go to bed, so I'll write more tomorrow.

G'night!

Danielle :)

Day 5: Chicago

Good morning, friends!

The little card under my door today says that it's sunny with a high of 81 and a low of 63. Sounds perfect! The plan for today is to update my blog, get some breakfast, hit the gym at the club or go for a bike ride along the river - I haven't yet decided, have lunch with my friend Alex, and then go on a tour led by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Their website isn't working right now, which is highly annoying, but it's not too far from where I'm staying, so I can just go there and find out what the story is.

A few housekeeping items:

1) I have made some edits to previous posts to correct inaccurate information, misspellings, word omissions, and grammatical errors. If you noticed an error, please check to make sure I corrected it, and if I didn't, please let me know so I can fix it as soon as possible.

2) As I predicted in my first posting, I forgot something at home - the cord to sync my camera to my computer. I will eventually make my way to a big box store that carries such items, but until then, I'm only able to include photos that were taken on my phone. I will insert the others later.

3) It looks like I'll be staying in Chicago for an extra day. The De La Rosas are having a party on Thursday night that I would really like to attend.

More on what I did yesterday:

I visited the University of Chicago with my godparents, Uncle Joe and Aunt Kathy, yesterday. What a beautiful school! (That is except for the main library, some of the dorms, the School of Social Work, and a couple other buildings) I got to see some very special places in Hyde Park. I saw the library where my mom spent most of her undergraduate and graduate career, the chapel where my parents were married (the first time - haha), the midway where the 1892 World's Fair took place, Obama's house, the Starbucks where my parents and Uncle Joe used to hang out (just kidding - there was no Starbucks in the early '70s, silly!), the gym where Barack Obama and Arne Duncan played basketball, and Milton Friedman's office, where I had my diaper changed as a baby. His office is the one on the top floor.

We also visited the Robie House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It was awesome! While I'm here, I definitely want to visit Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio in Oak Park, IL. Is it too late for me to become an architect?

We had dinner with Kristen, Ian, and Addie, my godparents' niece, son-in-law, and granddaughter. Kristen is Uncle Joe and Aunt Kathy's niece, but after the death of her mother they essentially adopted her and treat her as their daughter. Ian is her husband, and Addie is their 9 week-old daughter. The last time I saw Kristen was at Joe and Kathy's wedding, about fifteen or sixteen years ago. At 14, I was officially the oldest flower girl in America. We had a great time, ate yummy pizza, played with the baby, and everyone else talked about the Cubs.

Addie and me

Time to start my day now! I will update again later.

Have a great day!!

Day 4: Chicago

It's a beautiful, warm, sunny day in Chicago today. I'm at Caribou Coffee on Michigan Avenue, across the street from Grant Park. Yesterday I had a very nice lunch at Gibson's Steakhouse with my Uncle Joe and some of his friends. As Audri, the hilarious woman sitting to my right at the table, explained to me, this Saturday lunch group is a long-standing tradition that was started by Irv Kupcinet, a very famous Chicagoan whose column ran in the Chicago Sun-Times for over six decades. "Kup" invited his famous friends, including politicians, celebrities, intellectuals, etc., whose paths would likely never cross if not for Kup, and engage in "the lively art of conversation." Before he passed away in 2003, Kup asked the group's regulars to keep the tradition alive, and so they did. They all go every week, unless they're out of town. The group varies in size from four to seventeen, depending on the week, and attendance is by invitation only. When I heard this, I felt very special.

Sitting to my left was my godfather's law parter, Andrew De La Rosa. The last time I saw him was 10 years ago, when I stayed with his family at their home in London, before and after backpacking around Europe. He has two step-children, Henry and Harriet, whom I met when I was there, and they were both en route to Chicago, Henry from Guatemala and Harriet from London. When I met them ten years earlier, Harriet was thirteen going on twenty-one; At the time, she had a broken arm from crowd-surfing at a concert, or at least that's what she told her parents. She revealed to me (in confidence that I'm now grossly breaching) that the injury was actually the result of a fight she got in with another girl after she kissed the girl's boyfriend at the concert. Hilarious! Henry was fifteen when I met him, and all I remember is that he was the drummer for an extremely loud punk rock band that practiced upstairs. He may have told me more about himself, but I couldn't hear him over the drumming. He's now a US History teacher at a boarding school in London. We're all going to get together before I leave, and I'm definitely looking forward to it.

After lunch, I met up with Lisa and Dave at the zoo. Lisa is one of my favorite people in all the world. She did TFA with me in Houston. Dave is her wonderful, adorable husband. He looks just like Tommy Siegal from Jukebox the Ghost, except about two feet taller Unfortunately, we were able to spend only a little more than an hour together, and then they had to get to the airport to catch a flight back to Portland, Oregon, where they live. It's okay, because I'll see them again in a few weeks when I stay with them in Portland.

In a few minutes, Uncle Joe is going to take me on a tour of the University of Chicago, where he met my parents in 1971. They met after he published their co-authored letter to the editor in his column, "Creeping Individualism." Then I'm going to have lunch with my godparents at Medici in Hyde Park, and after that I'm going to meet Addison (Addie), my godparents' new granddaughter.

I hope everyone is well and I will send another update soon!

Much love,

Danielle

Day 3: Chicago

Good morning, friends!

According to the little card that the nice people at the Union League Club of Chicago (that's where I'm staying) slipped under my door this morning, it's rainy with a high of 70 and a low of 57. Very helpful. I hope the friends I'm staying with at later points along my trip plan to provide the same level of service. When I realized the outfit I wanted to wear was in a bag that I left in my car, they went to my car, got the bag, and brought it to my room. That's what I'm talking about!!!

I had a lovely time with my Uncle Joe and Aunt Kathy last night. We went to services at their synagogue, Temple Sholom, and then their friend, Eleanor, joined us for dinner at The Bagel, a New York style deli in the Lakeview area of Chicago where all of the employees are Mexican - very authentic. My godparents are regulars at this place (I was the only one who needed a menu; they had the whole thing memorized!) and everyone who works there is SO friendly.

Uncle Joe, Me, and Aunt Kathy at The Bagel

Day 2: From Avon, OH to Chicago - I violated the dress code when I walked in the door

I just arrived in Chicago and I've already violated the dress code of the place I'm staying. They don't allow t-shirts, jeans, or flip-flops (on the 10th floor or below) and that's what I'm wearing. Oops! I'm staying on the 15th floor, so I guess I'm okay now. I do, however, need to change if I ever want to leave my room.

The drive from the Cleveland area was uneventful. I did lock my keys in my car outside of Kelly's house, which was also locked, but it's okay because I added lockout service to my auto insurance policy. Someone was there in under 30 minutes to open my car for me. Other than that, it was smooth sailing.

The nice man from "Auto Rescue" breaking into my car.

That vest is hot, don't you think?

The guy totally thought I was weird when I wanted to take his photo next to my open car door. He obviously didn't notice the first two photos I took.

God there's a lot of corn around here. And Evangelical radio stations. And McDonalds'. And stuff like this:

When I stopped for gas I was sure to take my keys out of the car with me. See?! And look - I stopped at pump number 8 and it wasn't even on purpose! In case you weren't aware, I LOVE the number 8. The number 3 is my second favorite number, FYI.

Time to make myself presentable. I'm meeting my godfather, Uncle Joe, in the lobby in 30 minutes to go to the synagogue and then dinner.

ttyl

Danielle :)

Day 1: Avon, OH

It's day two and I'm in Avon, Ohio at my friend Kelly's house. Kelly and I lived together at Teach for America summer institute in the summer of 2001. Oh, what a summer! Between the hurricaine, the texas-sized mosquitos, and consequently, the mosquito spray trucks that sprayed toxic fumes on us daily at 6:30 AM, working for 18 hours a day, having to travel to 23rd floor of another building clad only in a towel just for the chance to take a freezing cold shower, having to tape folders over the vents to try to differentiate our room from an ice box, and sleeping on the bouches (for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, a bouch is a a couch that becomes a bed. It was the latest in dorm-chic, circa 1970.) Ahh, the memories!

It was great to see Kelly. She and her husband, Dennis, live in a beautiful house. It's huge! She's 6 1/2 months pregnant with her first child, a boy, and she looks great! Last night we ate in at a yummy Middle Eastern place in some sort of mixed-use manufactured town - I don't know if you've seen these places, but they're all the rage in suburbia. They're walkable, but have massive parking structures, the buildings are varied in size and style, but all manufactured by the same company at the same time, and there are fountains, benches, etc. to make it look like it developed organically. I don't know who they think they're fooling.

Let me apologize in advance for my spelling mistakes; I'm using one of those teeny tiny computers and I keep hitting the wrong keys. The drive yesterday went fine. I got started a little later than I'd planned, around 2:00, so it was almost 9 when I got here. I got a little scared about 3 hours into my trip when I saw a billboard that read:

Coal is the Solution

Providing Clean, Affordable Energy for over 100 years.

No bailouts.

I'm afraid of what West Virginia will bring.

There was a tornado warning, and associated torrential downpour, two hours outside of Cleveland. I haven't seen rain like that since hurricaine season on the Gulf Coast. I took a photo on my phone while I was driving that I will upload as soon as I figure out how to do that. Sorry, Daddy, I know it's not safe to take photos while I'm driving in inclement weather. I'l never do it again.

There's a car about 20 feet ahead of me, but there's too much rain to be able to see it.

I'm heading to Chicago shortly. I'm so excited! If you're around, hit me up!

The night before the big trip

I'm packing, cleaning, and packing. Will I have everything I need for my trip? Maybe not, but it doesn't really matter because this is America and we have Walmart, where you can buy practically anything you might need. All items meet (but rarely, if ever, exceed) minimum American standards and sell for a low price that ends in .97. Examples of items that are available at Walmart include dental hygiene products, neon colored (and non-neon colored) bathing suits, posters of teen heartthrobs, books about Jesus, Windex, gift wrap, pacifiers, garden supplies, alcohol, tobacco, and firearms. They do not, however, carry books or CDs with profanity. You have to go to a real book and/or music store for that.

What's most important is that I have my audio entertainment prepared for the endless hours I will spend alone in my car.

Here's the run down:
1. Audiobooks: Black Boy, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, The Great Gatsby (I've already read it, but I'd love to hear it again), Their Eyes are Watching God, A Tale of Two Cities, and The Mouse and the Motorcycle - that's right, I have some Beverly Cleary action going on! I'm hoping the copy of On the Road that I ordered from the library will be in before I leave tomorrow.

2. The Great Courses audio course entitled The United States and the Middle East: 1914 to 9/11 - that should take somewhere around 20 hours to complete. I plan on listening to it only when I am at my most alert.

3. 22 Tara Brach podcasts

4. My iPhone/iPod with all of my music (now including the entirety of the recent Phish shows at Merriweather and SPAC) and a charger and an FM transmitter

5. A book of my favorite CDs, for when I want to hear music that's better quality than I get using my iPod and the FM transmitter

I think that should hold me over.

Back to packing now.

Danielle :)