Friday Five: Chicago Countdown
1. In four mornings, son and I will get on a plane–okay, THREE planes–to Urbana, Illinois, where my older sister & family live.
2. In five mornings, I will hug son good-bye and travel with my sister (in her cool Prius; think she’ll let me drive?) to CHICAGO, where we’re staying for two nights, basically two days, and many, many research stops.
- Hull-House museum (the ORIGINAL house from which Jane Addams grew the incredible undertaking that was her settlement house.)
- Chicago History Museum
- Spertus Museum & Library
- Chicago Public Library (1913 Chicago Tribune ON MIRCOFICHE!)
- The house my grandmother lived in until she came to California. We won’t go in, but we will DEFINITELY see the balcony she and her twin sister slept on during hot summers.
- MAYBE the cemetery where her older sister is buried, the one who died during the big influenza wave. I have some phone calls to make about this one.
- Macy’s. NO, I’m NOT just going shopping (note the JUST). This Macy’s is in the building that was the original Marshall Field’s department store in Chicago–total glitz and glamor.
- Who knows WHERE else.
3. We’ll probably eat, too. Any can’t-misses in downtown Chicago? Chicago foods I HAVE to try? Throw recommendations into the comments!
4. In 7 days, we will drive back to Urbana, where I will spend the next few days hanging with nephews (and TOTALLY owning them at Pictionary, thank you very much!) and trying to process all the information I collect in Chicago. Can you say BRAINTWIST? I will also post MANY photos on my blog, assuming I can get them from camera to laptop.
5. In 11 days, I will get back on three planes and come home. In 11 days, it will also be my birthday, and I can’t think of any better way to celebrate than to come back to California, full of history and images and FEELINGS to weave into my WIP.
Excited? Me? Oh, no. 🙂
beckylevine.com 
20 Comments
Chicago Dog House on Fullerton for amazing gourmet hot dogs! Yummmmm…..
LikeLike
Are Chicago hot dogs difft than others? Tx!
LikeLike
And Chicago Pizza. Your head will be exploding. In a good way. Enjoy every minute of it.
LikeLike
The pizza I MUST have!
LikeLike
I’m counting down with you! Sooooo exciting. No food recommendations, except the pizza. My aunt loves a German place and kind of forced it there: not so much my thing, but, you know, glad for my aunt.
Did the ladies of your era eat in the big dept stores? Tea? I expect it’s changed, but….
LikeLike
THIS lady would totally have tea or a meal in the department store. And I’m really hoping Macy’s still has something like that. I think the building is a national landmark, so I’m hoping it’ll be very much the same as in 1913. Which is good, because at this point, my MC gets a job there. Of course, they probably won’t show me the dark, tiny, back offices where the clerks worked. 🙂
LikeLike
Have huge fun!!
LikeLike
SUCH huge fun! Tx, Kelly. 🙂
LikeLike
Your Chicago trip sounds amazing! I lived there a year and never did any of these things.
Pizza – Giordanos. And how about a Cubs game?
LikeLike
I JUST read The Comeback Season–HUGE on the cubs. And a fantastic book. But…baseball, not so much, for me. Pizza,yes. 🙂
LikeLike
This is so exciting, Becky. Lovely that you’ll get to see that sleeping balcony, too!
I can remember going to Marshall Field’s back in the day. It was a grand old store.
LikeLike
I’m hoping we can get out & walk up to the house, but not sure about the neighborhood. 🙂 Can’t wait to see the store.
LikeLike
Have a wonderful time, Becky! I can’t wait to hear all about your trip and all that you’ll bring back.
LikeLike
Thanks, Lorraine! I’m getting very excited. Like you couldn’t tell. 🙂
LikeLike
I’m so excited for you! Enjoy!
LikeLike
Thanks, Sherrie. I will!
LikeLike
Awesome plans!
Have a great, great time. Did you know you can read the writing on the grave markers better if you spray shaving cream in the letters?
However, there is a controversy as to whether or not this is good for the markers.
Just FYI.
Looking forward to hearing your plot, book, story or characters explode. 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks, Claudine. We’re thinking about doing a rubbing, if I remember to get the tools. I’ll report progress!
LikeLike
Deep dish Chicago pizza at the original Pizzeria Uno near Navy Pier. Yum, for real.
LikeLike
I did not actually manage the pizza. I know, horrible. But we just kept finding other fun stuff to eat & just stopped wherever we saw it! 🙂
LikeLike