Diana and Ron Visit the Windy City for the First Time!

We were very excited to host Michel's sister and brother-in-law, Diana and Ron, over Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend!  It was the first time hosting two people actually in the apartment and the first time breaking out our super spiffy, high-tech, self-inflating-and-deflating air mattress.  You all will be pleased to know, dear readers, that our air mattress works and  four people can successfully navigate our one bathroom for a weekend.  I know you were all very worried about both those issues.

We did a lot of the things already covered on this blog that have become a part of our "usual" tour of Chicago for our guests: visiting a museum, breakfast at Marmalade, dinner at Fountainhead, a walk around the neighborhood and Lincoln Square.  And, of course, we completed our quite popular Battle of the Chocolate Shops: Hot Chocolate Edition with Ron and Diana's help.  Diana and Ron had some specific interests, however, which allowed us to have a few new experiences during their trip as well.  So here are some highlights of the weekend.

First Stop: Lake Michigan.
Diana and Ron had never seen any of the Great Lakes, and doing so was high on their list.  So we headed over to Montrose Beach near our neighborhood to take in the views. 

 There were some pretty spectacular views of the city, even on this cold, grey day.

Michel: Here I am contemplating the significance of human endeavor in a vast, unfeeling universe.  Also, it was totes cold out.

 Ron was very cold.

 I don't think I've ever been this cold in my life, and I have spent New Year's in York, England.
Michel:  It made the Polar Vortex feel like a warm summer day.

 While the lake wasn't frozen here, the marina absolutely was.  It was kind of crazy to see.

Second Stop: Willis Tower. (Formerly Sears Tower) 
We did not go to the top, but Diana's students really wanted her to visit and take a picture.  So we did!

Michel: Still taller than the Freedom Tower.

Elizabeth: Yeah, we have to side with Chicago on this one.

Third Stop: Vosges on the Mag(nificent) Mile.
(Michel abhors abbreviations, or abbreves as I like to say, hence the parentheses above completing the word "magnificent".)
Vosges is a super fancy, specialty chocolate store (though they did not appear to have hot chocolate, hence their absence from the Battle of the Chocolate Shops: Hot Chocolate Edition post), and we had heard of it from several people.  Charlotte, in fact, had given me a small selection of their chocolate for my birthday one year, and I remembered it being delicious.  The shop was tiny, but they were not only sampling their chocolate bars (dark chocolate truffle sea salt and pepper pomegranate were particular favorites) but their truffles as well.  The flavors were exotic and crazy, and I even tried a curry truffle...delicious!

Michel:  Surprisingly, also taller than the Freedom Tower.

Fourth Stop: Ghirardelli, but you already know the outcome of that successful stop!

Final Stop:  Bad Apple.
Bad Apple is a burger place near our apartment (and across the street from Half Acre, from whence you can order Bad Apple delivery!) that had come highly recommended by our friends, Lauren and Mike.  We thought Diana and Ron's visit presented the perfect opportunity to try it!  It was so delicious!  They have a great beverage selection and really inventive burgers.  I ended up going with a sandwich.  The Earthly is wild mushrooms, spinach, caramelized onions, and truffled goat cheese on a foccacia bun.  Sooooo good!  Michel had the Edmund Fig-gerald burger, a burger with fig and bacon relish, goat cheese, and smoked onion.  Diana and Ron had equally delicious burgers as well.  Plus they have a plethora of fries seasonings to choose from!  My favorite is, of course, the truffle seasoning.  It was a fantastic dinner and definitely a restaurant we'll be adding to our meal outings with guests!

Michel: The Edmund Fig-Gerald is made with real Lake Superior water and is seasoned with Gordon Lightfoot's tears.

All in all, we had a great weekend with Diana and Ron and are looking forward to our next visitors...it could be you!