Chicago Here We Come

I originally started this blog as a way for family and friends to keep tabs on my(and Cindy and Skye) coming and goings. The blog has changed as our travels and lack of them has. However once again it looks like we'll moving around more than staying put, so the title, "Where in the World is Jon?" may once again have more than metaphorical significance.

The run-up leading to our Chicago trip to visit Cindy for Thanksgiving was rather hectic and harried as we busied ourselves finding permanent homes for much of the menagerie and a vacation destination for Spot the Rat. So we found ourselves scrambling to pack. Add to that, the weather in Chicago was taking a quick spin towards winter, decidedly colder than when I was there just a week before, so what to pack was a bit trickier.

Of course we got it together and headed off to LAX.



Does this say to the TSA, "I'm so patriotic, you don't have to worry about me" or "I'm f---ing crazy give me the body scan, pat down and cavity search"? I'm thinking the later.

After an uneventful flight we landed in O'hare.




Chicago all ready for Christmas. We were there for Thanksgiving but I am glad they opted for doves over turkeys.

We decided to make an adventure of getting to Cindy's place by taking in the train rather than grabbing a taxi which would have cost a fortune. Our adventure started with us getting on the wrong train that took us to long-term parking. After our 45 minute detour we were back on track literally. We had several bags, so it was a bit of a task getting in and out of the "L" and then making our way up stairs. It pouring down freezing rain didn't help. We grabbed a cab for the last leg of our journey and successfully arrived.

We had a lovely dinner with Cindy at the restaurant at the base of her building and were joined by a couple of her co-workers from LA, friends more accurately as one of them we have know for something like 15 years and the other is our pal who introduced us to Mammoth. Needless to say we went on for a few hours.

Tuesday, oh sleepy Tuesday

I was pretty damaged from the night before and the traveling and all the mucking around the house that preceded our journey so I slept in for the first time in ages. I think I really really needed it.

I had thought we would make it to a museum or some other touristy attraction but we barely managed to make it to lunch.

Brazilian Juijitsu is everywhere now. When I first started forever and a day ago, it was near impossible to train anywhere outside of LA and New York, now it is a totally different matter. But there would be no training on this trip. I was here to relax, well sort of.




The famous pizzeria is very close to where we were staying, unless of course you head out in the opposite direction which we did. I was relying on my Iphone as I didn't have a proper map yet. With the skyscrapers and all the GPS was a little off, so we ended overshooting, being directed just past our spot and well finally we found it. The huge sign helped.

Skye argued with me that we should get a medium. She was really hungry and what ever we didn't eat we could take home.

We shared a small and took half of it home for later.

And we were both stuffed.

We shuffled on home.

Tomorrow we would take Chicago by storm or at least get out before noon.

All said it was great to be back with Cindy, the family together again.