Tex In The City - Episode I

Seems 'Pup's former classmates took the "class" right out of the word, but that just meant I had much more time with two of my favorite BlownStar blodgers.

We started early Saturday afternoon over a leisurely lunch in the beer garden (where else?) at Jimmy's Restaurant, which is spitting distance from the Depot d'Omnibus. Located right next to another garden spot, Nancy and 'Pup felt right at home.

Next stop? The Baha'i Temple in Wilmette, IL. It's an incredibly lovely building that closely resembles white marble lace. It's beautiful architecture and impeccably-kept grounds make it a "must" for any visit to the Chicago area.

Then we were off to the Chicago Botanic Garden via the Lake Michigan Circle Tour route. Given the late afternoon timing and consideration to 'Pup's arthritis and Nancy's gacked-out knees, we took a tram tour around the gardens to give them an idea of the many different gardens offered and the sheer size of the place. (See pics below.)

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We took the fast route back into the city, and headed down Lake Shore Drive from the Hollywood entrance all the way down past the Field Museum, Soldier Field and McCormick Place for a view of the skyline. We then headed back in the opposite direction for a quick tour of North Michigan Avenue, including a peek at the original Water Tower.

Finally, we stashed the rental car in a parking garage and flagged down a taxi to haul us to Rosebud on Rush for an al fresco dinner. After a ton of good pasta, we flagged down another taxi and headed down to Howl at the Moon for a little dueling piano action. Aside from one inconsiderate idiot, the evening was entirely entertaining. (In fact, I'd like to give a shout-out to those Purdue and Ohio State fans who turned bribing the piano player into a highly lucrative blood sport. $200 for one song? Dudes! I'm in awe.)

Anyhow, we're older than we once were, so we eventually headed off to our respective night-nights... with a promise to meet again yesterday and do it all over again. More tomorrow!