Chicago Trip: Day 2

Ohhh goodness! Where to start? I've kinda been putting off this post because there is just so much it sorta seems overwhelming to get started!

After an amazing first day in Chicago, we had a good nights sleep and woke up bright and early Saturday for another jammed pack day! We started off our morning with some breakfast at the Publican. I don't know if I mentioned it in the previous post, but Miguel had asked me what my favorite thing to do on vacation was -and okay, this is kinda embarrassing- but I told him my favorite thing to do is eat out! Ha! I sound like such a fat kid! But it's true! I don't know if its just the fact that I like to eat (which unfortunately, I do, I really do!) or the fact that I like not having to prepare a meal and clean it up, or just that I feel like you get a really neat feel for a city by eating at different places while you visit (people watching!)? Perhaps all of the above!

Okay, so I enjoy good food, but I really like the experience of eating out. I like going places with an ambiance, and the Publican definitely delivered! The restaurant is one big open space with a semi-exposed kitchen and a long bar. It is bright and loud and has been described as, "evocative of both a French brasserie and a Belgian beer hall"1. I particularly liked the seating. Everything is made from walnut in a very chunky fashion. In the center of the space is a HUGE u-shaped table that seats 100 guests in communal dinning. There are three monstrously large illustrations of pigs, which reminded me of one of my favorite childhood books, Chester the Worldly Pig. The booths were also very interesting, something I had never seen before. They're closed off on all four sides, sort of like a pen with doors that swing open to let you in. Your waiter has to lean over to serve you. Kind of an interesting juxtaposition between the closed off booths and communal table. 

See the booths and the pig painting?

The style isn't what I would choose for my personal everyday use but I also really liked the flatware. Decorative and heavy flatware is such a refreshing change from the standard and ordinary utensils  used at most restaurants.

The concept behind the award winning restaurant is all about meat and beer. A whole pig is delivered to the kitchen each week and they butcher it and use every part of it (poor pig!).  Seems silly that a vegetarian would eat at such a carnivorous restaurant, but I assure you I had yummy options and was very satisfied and Miguel was happy to get some meat! We both ordered coffee which proved to be my only (very small) complaint, only because the coffee mugs held about 2 tablespoons of coffee. Two sips and you needed a refill! ;) But we ordered fresh squeezed orange juice and after we saw many delicious-looking bloody marys pass our table we ordered two of them as well. Remember when I said the concept was meat and beer? Well I wasn't kidding about the beer part. Not only does the Publican boast over 100 beer options, but they serve it with almost everything! Our bloody marys came with a side of a draft beer! I think I can honestly say this is the first time I drank (well, sipped really) beer at breakfast! 

The food was yummy and I had to fight off a food coma really hard. Whenever my belly is full from a good meal all I really want to do is curl up and sleep - okay, having a cocktail at 10 am probably had something to do with that too. 

The people watching was really interesting too. The Publican is a posh, trendy restaurant and it drew an interesting crowd. I would say there were mostly 20 to 30 somethings who seemed to be the intellectual business type. It surprised me how packed it was for breakfast. We had been advised to make reservations and I am sure glad we did! There was one funny group who came in while we were eating... a group of men, one of which was sporting an inflatable inner tube. He caused a bit of a scene walking in, and Miguel and I made friends with our neighbors discussing him. I guessed he was part of a bachelor party.  

(Okay, wow, I didn't mean to write a book just about breakfast... I honestly could go on, like about the Fulton Market neighborhood, but I will limit myself so you are inclined to continue reading about the rest of the day!)

After breakfast Miguel and I skedaddled across town to the Art Institute of Chicago Museum. Ugh, again, there just isn't enough time to properly explore everything I want to during quick vacations. Luckily, I had purchased our tickets in advance, which allowed us to avoid a line that was out the door and wrapped around one side of the building! -- Side thought -- the weather on day two was SO much nicer than Friday! The skies were bright and blue and the temperature, though still cold, was an improvement of about 10 degrees higher!

So we only had about an hour to spend in the museum due to time constraints of our next adventure, and we made the most of it! Thankfully the museum had a "What to see in an hour" pamphlet which was extremely helpful! Again, like the Field Museum, the space is just as beautiful as the pieces it houses. I would have taken more time capturing the beauty of it all if we hadn't been short on time. 

The museum currently has a special Picasso Exhibit and the people of Chicago turned up Saturday afternoon to see it! However, because we were in such a hurry I didn't really have time to let the excessive crowds get to me. Miguel and I just zoomed in and out and around everyone.

Some of the highlights included van Gogh's self portrait and his Bedroom in Arles, Toulouse-Lautrec's At the Moulin Rouge, and Wood's American Gothic

Bedroom in Arles

At the Moulin Rouge

And of course we couldn't go to Chicago without seeing Seurat's A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of la Grande Jatte! 

I obviously studied this in school but the only thing I could think of when we were standing there was Ferris Bueller's Day Off!

We enjoyed so much in an hour and quickly walked through the Picasso exhibit, but it was exceptionally crowded and we had to get on our way to the next thing. I would love to go back - on a weekday - and spend the whole day exploring. I am so grateful I got to see what I did though, and am lucky that I have such a loving husband who tolerates taking me to museums out of love!

After rushing through the rest of the museum, Miguel and I caught the L to the other side of town to take a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio. I was probably most excited about this! I would have loved to take the walking architectural tour and see the Robie House, but I am very thankful that we got to tour his home and studio! The neighborhood the studio is located in is really beautiful. It felt like we were in a different city compared to the other parts of Chicago we had visited so far.

We were on a tour with about 10 other people, which was actually a nice size since the space was kinda small. Wright's home was pretty much what I had anticipated it to be, lots of clean lines, "rooms" within rooms, natural light, etc. However, I was pleased to find that when I was actually in the space it reminded me a lot of a hobbit hole. Though, not really a cozy space, check out the chairs... I wouldn't want to sit in one of those for more than 5 minutes!

This table was interesting to me. The six light colored chairs belong to the home and have been restored to their original condition. The two darker chairs on the far side of the table are on permanent loan and have not been restored. The difference in color was shocking to me. 

Frank Lloyd Wright designed his home with lots of natural light. Shortly after completing his home, his neighbor began construction on a Victorian styled house. Wright didn't care for this - at all - so he blocked the windows facing the property! ha!

 

Wright desired to place a baby grand piano in the children's play area, however, he really didn't want it to take up much space. So he built it in to the room and left the back of the piano hanging out over a staircase!

 

Of course there had to be Linkin Logs! The famous children's toy was invented by Frank Lloyd Wright's son, John Lloyd Wright.

In the studio Wright put the windows up at such a height that they still provided natural light but were too high to look out of so as not to distract his drafters. 

This was Wright's secretary's desk. I do NOT envy her sitting in that chair!

Not part of the home & studio tour, but just an idea of the cool houses we walked by in the neighborhood. 

After the home and studio tour, Miguel and I headed to see a Best of Second City comedy show. Second City is a famous comedy & theatrical club that has launched the careers of many famous people such as Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, etc. The show we saw featured some of the best sketches, songs, and improvisations from the past 50+ years.

After the show we headed to dinner at Tango Sur. Tango Sur is a beautiful Argentinean steakhouse and BYOB.  Unfortunately they don't take reservations, and even though Miguel and I arrived at 6 there was already a two hour wait!

To kill time we headed to an Irish pub next door. We had drinks at the bar and sampled some local beer named after L lines. 

Dinner was definitely worth the wait! We shared an eggplant lasagna for an appetizer, and if that is all I had eaten for dinner I would have been satisfied! YUM! I had a delicious salmon entree and left VERY full and very happy! 

Oh my goodness. I really just had such a blast on this trip! Chicago really is a great city and I would love to go back one day! I feel incredibly spoiled and blessed! Miguel is definitely a keeper and I wouldn't have wanted to share this experience with anyone else!