Labor Day Weekend Sunday

That Labor Day Sunday my mom wanted me and my brothers to come over for dinner.   A friend of mine seemed a bit down, so we decided to catch up for afternoon cocktails.  We had talked on the phone the day before but since I was meeting my friend from Rhode Island, we couldn’t find time to hangout with one another.  I figured I could squeeze in some fun before my mom’s dinner since she usually serves around 6:30pm.  I wanted to show my friend the rooftop at London House since she was staying nearby.  Luckily, Chicago was beautiful that day.  Not a cloud in the sky!

I made my way downtown and was surprised how packed it was for a Sunday afternoon.  Over the years, downtown could be a ghost town especially during holiday weekends.  There are a lot of transplants here in the city, and a majority of them fly out back home during the holidays.  But it seems a ton of tourists decided to be in town for Labor Day, and they were all hanging around the Chicago River.

Our wait wasn’t too bad to get inside.  We ordered some wine at the bar before heading up to the rooftop.  She loved it!  We wanted to grab a table so we walked up to the host.  She was super sweet!  We were having a good time discussing Chicago’s nightlife.  We eventually got a table, and our host would come up to check up on us.  In the end, my friend and her hit it off and exchanged numbers.  They wanted to go out after her shift, but I had to head back home for my mom’s dinner.  I was up in the air about meeting up with them later.  My mom had just came back from Mexico and I wanted to hear about her trip.

My brother picked me up at my train stop and we headed over to my mom’s place.  She absolutely LOVED her trip!  I felt bad because she confessed that she started to cry at the airport when her friends dropped her off.  I realized that she had spent 7 whole days with her friends and she must have gotten attached to being around them.  She’s still lonely being by herself at the apartment, even though she has her dog with her.  I need to be around more…  

 friend of mine seemed a bit down, so we decided to catch up for afternoon cocktails.  We had talked on the phone the day before but since I was meeting my other friend from Rhode Island, we couldn’t find time to hangout with one another.  I figured I could squeeze in some fun before my mom’s dinner since she usually serves around 6:30pm.  I wanted to show my friend the rooftop at London House since she was staying nearby.  Luckily, Chicago was beautiful that day.  Not a cloud in the sky!

I made my way downtown and was surprised at how packed it was for a Sunday afternoon.  Over the years, downtown Chicago could be a ghost town especially during holiday weekends.  There are a lot of transplants here in the city, and a majority of them fly out back home during the holidays.  But it seems a ton of tourists decided to fly in for Labor Day, and they were all hanging around the Chicago River.

Our wait wasn’t too bad to get inside.  We ordered some wine at the bar before heading up to the rooftop.  She loved it!  We wanted to grab a table so we walked up to the host.  She was super sweet!  We were having a good time discussing Chicago’s nightlife.  We eventually got a table, and our host would come up to check up on us.  In the end, my friend and her hit it off and exchanged numbers.  They wanted to go out after her shift, but I had to head back home for my mom’s dinner.  I was up in the air about meeting up with them later.  My mom had just came back from Mexico and I wanted to hear about her trip.

My brother picked me up at my train stop and we headed over to my mom’s place.  She absolutely LOVED Mexico!  I felt bad because she confessed that she started to cry at the airport when her friends dropped her off.  I realized that she had spent 7 whole days with her friends and she must have gotten attached to being around them.  She’s still lonely being by herself at the apartment, even though she has her dog with her.  I need to be around more…  

Labor Day Weekend Saturday

Not only were our friends from North Carolina in town.  My good friend from Rhode Island showed up as well.  She let me know a few days beforehand that she was flying in.  She wanted to catch up with some friends in Chicago and was hoping a rooftop would be included.  But the clouds looked a bit funny, and since it rained the night before, we weren’t sure what was going to happen.  We waited patiently until we decided to risk it.  She came by and picked me up and we headed over to Wicker Park.  I insisted for us to uber it over there but she wanted to drive.  Regardless, that set off my nerves and my anxiety took over.  I wanted to get over it, but my guard was up the rest of the night.  

She had looked up Tricycle Chicago and wanted to eat there before heading to The Robey Hotel.  Luckily her friends showed up the same time we did.  It was an adorable pub and everyone ordered some appetizers.  It was nice catching up with her.  I miss her a lot.

We walked over to The Robey Hotel but the rooftop was at capacity.  They suggested we have a drink at the Cabana Club while we waited.  It was also a rooftop lounge (but not the penthouse) so we were outside regardless.  We were having a good time.  At one point we checked on the status of the penthouse lounge but they were still at capacity.  What can you do?  Better luck next time…

Labor Day Weekend Friday

I can’t believe I’m recapping Labor Day Weekend when Halloween weekend is approaching.  I’ve been a little swamped with work and just plain overtired.  Not to mention, I’ve been very anxious with what’s been going on with the news lately.  To top it off, these past few weeks have been weighing heavy on me with the anniversaries of two people I knew that passed away a year ago.  It was honestly one of the worst times I’ve experienced and it still affects me now.

As a result, I did something spontaneous.  Yes, I booked another trip.  This time I’m heading to the Big Apple and I can’t wait.  I have not been in New York in over 10 years and I’m excited to see what’s new.  I won’t be there that long, but long enough to clear my head and take myself out of my comfort zone.  Sometimes a great challenge is what you need to push yourself out of a funk.

Back to recapping Labor Day Weekend!  That Friday after work I remembered how excited I was to see my friends who flew in from out of town.  We started messaging each other to see where we could meet up.  Our friend was going to watch the AVP pro volleyball tournament at Oak Street Beach, and since it was a beautiful day, we decided to meet there.  Although I am not into sports, it was exciting to watch Olympians play and compete in the tournament.  We had the opportunity to watch a couple of sets before it ended.

We wanted to grab some grub since we were starving.  It was early in the evening, but the streets of Chicago had bumper to bumper traffic.  We walked over to Rush Street and were surprised to see how busy it was.  We settled on Velvet Taco,despite the long lines.  It was delish!

Afterwards, we wanted to have some cocktails.  Our group has never been to Devereaux’s rooftop before and there was no line to get in.  What a sweet surprise!  This cozy rooftop even had a mini swimming pool outside.  We were enjoying our short time there until a gush of water fell on top of us!  No one saw this coming.  I was convinced someone was pulling a prank by throwing water balloons outside their hotel room, but that was not the case.  A HUGE storm literally came out of nowhere and it was pouring heavily.  Everyone outside ran into the interior area.  Some of the women were dressed to the nines and we’re now soaking wet.  It was pretty funny actually.

I was suffering a migraine on and off that day, so I wasn’t quite myself.  But it was fun dancing with everyone to old school 90s music.  What a fun night!

The Robey Hotel

Ending that weekend I hung out with my friend who wanted to hear how my trip went.  It was another hot day in Chicago, and she decided The Robey Hotel would be the perfect place to catch up.  I was finally settling back to my regular chores; doing laundry and tidying up the apartment.  I knew I wanted to get back into the swing of things both mentally and financially.  Sometimes it’s hard adjusting to regular life when you come back from a trip.  As I’m traveling more frequently, I’ve adjusted to jet lag pretty well.  It was nice seeing my friend.  We found a spot at the Up Room and ordered some cocktails.  We couldn’t believe we lucked out on the sunset!  It turns out the Blood Moon was happening, and we took a ton of pictures.  Unfortunately, it didn’t show up too well on our iphones.  Oh well; what can you do?  It was still amazing regardless…

Night Market at Fullerton Beach

After my trip I jump started with work.  During the weekend I did my usual errands.  My friend wanted to catch up with me so I met up with her in Lincoln Park.  There was a Night Market taking place by the theater at the lake near Fullerton beach.  It was a hot weekend so I wore a strapless dress and flat espadrilles so I wouldn’t be uncomfortable with the heat.  This was the first time I attended Night Market which was sponsored by the Chicago Tribune.  They had food, games and a live dj playing top 40.  There was even a seating area in front of the skyline.  It was nice seeing my friend.  We walked back to her apartment and chilled out before heading to the Happy Camper in Old Town.  Some of her friends were meeting up at for a birthday party.  I’ve never been so I tagged along.  I liked the fact we didn’t stay out too late.  I wasn’t ready to paint the town red…

Paris: Day Three

Day 3 in Paris was by far the BEST day of my trip.  Looking back on it now, I didn’t realize how perfect this day was going to turn out.  Isn’t it funny how that works sometimes?

I woke up and got ready.  Once I made my way down there I figured I should have breakfast before the day got busier unlike the day before.  I quickly found a café and ordered some croissants, coffee and juice.  This was their breakfast special and it was about to end soon.  Travel tip:  Since I was a bit tight on schedule, I forgot how much slower the service can be in Paris, especially if you want to grab something quick.  I took my time when the food arrived regardless.  I realized I have not sat down in a café since I got here.

The waiter got aggravated with someone and literally kicked him out of the restaurant; no pun intended.  That part surprised me, even if he was bothering customers for money.  I didn’t realize Parisians can have a temper.

I got lost (again) looking for Atelier des Lumieres.  I really wanted to see their art installation on Gustav Klimt but now I was wasting too much time looking for this place.  I told myself not to get too cheap in situations like these.  Even though I knew I was close by, I hailed a cab and gave them the address.  After a couple of twirls through the rues, she dropped me off in front.  I was so grateful.

The security had a line for tickets, but I did not have one.  I could not understand what was going on or what he was saying to people coming up to him, but once it was my turn, he told me to go inside.  I got the tickets from the ticket booth and walked through the door they told me to go to.  I must have missed something but the lights were on in the room.  There were people everywhere but I looked around to see what was going to happen.

Then, out of the blue, the lights shut off.  It did scare people a bit, but the lights quickly turned back on, with the opening credits of the installation.  I found a spot to watch everything.  It was basically set up in a warehouse, but the visuals were amazing.  The whole thing lasted about 45 minutes, but I loved every minute of it.

I browsed through their gift shop and then realized I could knock something else off of my itinerary.  I wanted to see the Sainte Chapelle de Paris.  I found the train and headed back towards Notre Dame.  I knew I was nearby again, but this time I walked up to two police officers and asked them where it was.  They were helpful and told me to go down the street.  I found the line forming and waited for a bit to get inside.  I didn’t realize once we got around the corner that there was another line to get in.  Here we had to pay for a ticket to get inside which I found odd. I didn’t realize how much smaller this cathedral was compared to the other ones I have visited in Paris.  You had to climb up a narrow stairway to get inside, but once you did, the beauty of the stain glass overwhelms you.  People would stop dead in their tracks!  I took my time inside and admired the details.

I didn’t take as long as I thought I would because of how small it is in size.   I had always wanted to check out the neighborhood of Trocadero.  Since I knew it would be close to the Eiffel Tower, I decided to head towards that direction via metro.  I entered the directions through my phone and was pleasantly surprised when I rode the train above ground.  I caught the stunning view of Paris and grew excited to get to my destination.  Btw, there were a TON of people in the Trocadero neighborhood!  It was a little overwhelming at first, but I managed to find the infamous platform in no time.  I grabbed a baguette sandwich while I walked around.  I enjoyed people watching too.  Everyone just loves the Eiffel Tower!

At that point, I wanted to head back to my hotel and freshen up since I was out in the sun all day.  I also wanted to get my suitcase together since I had to get up in the morning.  My flight was at 1pm but I knew I had to be at the airport a lot sooner.  

My friend was waiting for me at a café.  It was officially my last night in Paris and I needed to make the most of it.  For my commute, I had to catch a bus outside of my hotel.  It was nice looking out the window and seeing the passing streets.  A half hour later, I got off my stop and walked down the street.  I found my friends at the café and we enjoyed a glass of wine.  We decided to walk around and find another café and there we ran into Le Dome.  It was a happening place, and luckily they seated us right away.

In the end, it was bitter sweet leaving Paris.  I didn’t expect to enjoy my last day so much.  The morning was a bit chaotic.  I’m glad I got to the airport early again, because there was another backup, and this time people were yelling at the employees in French.  Not good on my nerves, but I caught my flight back to Iceland.  This time, my layover was 6 hours.  I figured I could make arrangements to go to the Blue Lagoon, but no such luck.  They told me right then and there that they were at capacity.  Oh well.  I found a spot at the airport used their WiFi to catch up with my friend in Italy.  I even had dinner there at the airport since I was going to land in Chicago later in the evening.

Recapping my stories have made me miss Paris all over again.  It’s funny that a place can leave you feeling that way…

Paris: Day Two

I woke up early to head down to the Catacombs of Paris.  I heard the lines to get in were terrible, and they were right!  I also read online that it’s a bit chilly down there, so I wore some leggings underneath my dress.  I figured I could easily take them off somewhere once it was over.  The weather was tipping 80 degrees, but I did my best not to think about how warm it was.  Since I literally ran up to the line, it never occurred to me to grab some coffee and munch on a croissant while I waited.  The line was moving very slowly.  At one point, I couldn’t take it anymore.  I asked the people in front of me if they could hold my place in line.  I was so out of it.  I needed my java fix.  I ran to a bakery nearby and ordered a cup of espresso along with a baguette sandwich.  I scarfed it down as soon as it was ready.  I enjoyed talking to some of the people in line with me.  Behind me were two pretty girls from Demark.  They had been staying in Paris for one week now.

Once we finally got inside the entrance, I realized my tickets came with the audio.  I offered to share my headphones to the girls behind me so they could listen in on what was happening.  I didn’t realize how far down we were going!  I counted 150 steps!  This is definitely not for the weak-minded.  Luckily, no one was freaking out, although there was a group of students that started to screech a little.

The catacombs were very impressive.  Each of the bones were layered up evenly as if they were bricks.  There were times I felt I wasn’t really “there”.  It’s hard to grasp seeing 6 million people layered up like that.

I never felt afraid, and everyone around me was well behaved.  I bought a book from the shop above and said bye to the girls.  They were flying out that day.  I decided I still had time to do something else off of my itinerary.  It was now past 3pm.  I wanted to continue so I headed to le Cimetière du Pere-Lachaise to see if I could find Jim Morrison’s tomb.

It took me another 45 minutes to get there.  By now I had been using my phone to find directions.  I entered the cemetery with a 30 percent charge.  I walked around and took some footage but my phone started to act up.  Next thing you know, it turned off completely.  I tried turning it back on, but it said I was out of battery.  Weird.  I figured “someone” didn’t want me to film.  I didn’t let it creep me out.  I just went on my way. 
Too bad I kept going in circles.  I walked around aimlessly but couldn’t find any help around, and the tourists I did run into didn’t know where his tomb was.  I figured I will walk back to the main entrance to look at the floor map again, but people told me it was now closing.  I must have misread the wrong information online.  I thought the cemetery closed at 8pm but it closes at 6pm.  I had to leave.

I found a café to charge up my phone.  I thought about my time in Paris.  I felt I could still knock off le Jardin du Luxembourg.  It was sunny out and I knew I didn’t have time to see another museum.  Off I went!

Since it was now early evening, people were dining everywhere outside.  The cafes were filled with people.  I walked my way over to the entrance.  It was pretty massive.  I covered as much ground work as I could before resting up.  It was nice seeing everyone enjoy their time in the garden.  People were reading, taking pictures, and absorbing the beauty of the palace.  I didn’t get a chance to go inside, but it looked lovely.  

By now it was getting close to 8pm.  I figured I should head back if I wanted to rest up first.  I took a quick shower and laid down once I got to the hotel.  I didn’t want to leave my hotel too late.  This time around, I found my hotel a bit unsettling.  I had some very noisy neighbors who kept going in and out of their hotel room which was right next to mine.  I felt uneasy but I didn’t want to make a fuss since I knew my hotel was at full capacity when I booked online.  I wanted to rush out before I ran into any of them in the hallway.  Oh well.  What could you do?  The area was filled with people, so I never felt unsafe there.  I just felt uneasy.  The receptionist who was wonderful to me last time I had visited was not there anymore.  I missed him a lot.

From a friend’s recommendation, I wanted to checkout Kong.  I had on my new red ankle strap heels which were barely 3 inches.  I felt fine the whole  night I was walking in them.  They are now my go-to heels for traveling.  I found the Seine river and went down to the river walk thinking it was there.  I found out Kong was up on the street, but I did walk around a bit and enjoyed the view.  The Eiffel Tower was twinkling.

I finally found Kong and walked up to the bouncers.  They let me in, but this place was intimidating.  I was worried it was out of my price range.  Luckily, I did ask the bouncers if I could have a drink at the bar since I didn’t have reservations for dinner and they said it was fine.

Once upstairs, I tried to compose myself.  The bartenders were sweet.  I ordered the Asian Porn Star cocktail and loved it.

Since it was a bit pricey in there, I finished up my cocktail and messaged my other friend in Paris.  He was bar hopping all over and we decided to meet at O’Sullivans.  I took a cab and ended up st the wrong place.  I guess there’s two different O’Sullivans, but I finally found my friend in the end.   Everyone inside was so young.  But they had so much energy!  I loved it!  We danced all night long.  I had a blast with him and his friend.  We caught up a bit before we ended our night there.  I’m glad I got the chance to see him…