Travel: Chicago during the holidays

The clock at Macy's (Marshall Fields) on State Street.

In the days between Christmas and New Year's, we took a short trip up to Chicago. The purpose of our trip was mostly to visit family and friends, which we did for the first three days. After all the visiting and merriment, we took some time to head downtown and enjoy the city on our own. We started at Macy's on State Street (which I will forever call Marshall Fields), where we had lunch at the Walnut Room. This was something that my family did yearly when I was growing up, and a holiday tradition that I want our little guy to cherish as well.

On the eighth floor, the Walnut Room and the Great Tree in the background.

Wishes being granted.

Desserts- Frango Ice Cream Pie, Toffee Pie, and the traditional Ice Cream Snowman for the kiddo.

Our next stop was the Art Institute, where we spent the afternoon cruising the galleries. As per usual, little dude was a huge fan of Minimalism. Since he was about a year and a half, this has been his favorite. Even before he could verbally describe his love, he would clap his hands upon entering the Minimalist galleries at the Nelson Atkins. For me it was nice to see the Impressionist works that I loved as a child, and to view the Asian galleries.  

Seurat. Nostalgia for me, mediocre for little dude.

Penetrable de Chicago was a huge hit for all of us, and little dude befriended a guard.

Ellsworth Kelly- so exciting that he jumped out of the stroller.

And Miro, which he remembered seeing in Tokyo (!), and requested a photo of. 

Our final stop in the museum was the Thorne Miniature Rooms. This gallery is so magical, and captured all of our imaginations.

A great afternoon was had by all.

Another highlight of the day was riding the El, even though it was just a short trip around the Loop.

We finished our evening by relaxing at our hotel, which had a great view of Streeterville, the Chicago River, and the Hancock Building, walking down Michigan Avenue (with a stop at Dylan's Candy Bar), and having a great dinner at Volare.

Hotel view.

The next day started (for me) with a 16 degree jog along the river, lakefront, and through Millennium Park.

Funny, where are the other joggers?

Jogging selfie half way through a 3 mile run. The wind was tough at this point (near Buckingham Fountain), thus the face.

Post-run coffee back at the hotel. Joe went to the indoor fitness center, as he isn't as crazy as I am.

We finished out our trip with a late morning brunch at Yolk and a cold-weather walk through Millennium Park to see Cloud Gate (the Bean). It was such a great trip, and such fun to see our hometown in sparkling holiday splendor.

 

Cloud Gate.

Hospital Hill Half Marathon

 

 On June 1, I ran the Hospital Hill Half Marathon. 

Yikes.

This was my second half marathon, my first being Rock the Parkway back in 2012. First off, let me say, I am not a natural runner. I have bad knees, and I'm not particularly competitive when it comes to sports (as opposed to political debate). But, I'm trying to be a runner, partially because I love the way it feels to accomplish something that doesn't come easy, but also because running makes me happy. It quells my anxiety, gets me outdoors, gives me some time to clear my thoughts. It gives me a sense of ease. On a day when I know I have a million things to do and what feels like a million people to answer to, I can get out for an early morning jog, and say to myself: There you go. You just ran three miles and it's only 8:30 a.m. You got this. The rest of the challenges of your day are no problem.

Running a few times a week has taken me through many of the challenges of the past few years, and in such a simple way. Strap on shoes, toss on clothes, headphones, and go. Minimal equipment, go anytime, go in (almost) any weather. I often think about the very act of running while I'm out doing it- and about an article I read a few years ago that argued that humans evolved with the advantage of being built for running distances. I like to think about the very act of movement, of running, as making us distinctly human. I feel the same way about hiking and snowshoeing. Perhaps I'm not the greatest runner out there, but doing what our ancient ancestors were built to do gives me a particular satisfaction and happiness. It keeps me balanced and focused. It leads me to sleep and eat better than if I'm not active. It sharpens my thoughts. It also brings me to a great documentary I watched recently, Happy. The film really is one you should watch for yourself, but many of the things that scientists believe make us happy are things I experience when running- the sense of community out on my neighborhood jogging trail, the feeling of physical exercise, and the exhilaration of doing something new are all things I love about running.

With all this in mind, Hospital Hill was a fantastic race. It's ranked by Runner's World as one of the top halves in the US, and justly so. The race was well organized, and the course was a great tour of Kansas City: Crown Center-> Crossroads->Power and Light->Hospital Hill->Union Hill->Hyde Park->Nelson-Atkins Museum->UMKC->Brookside->UMKC again->The Plaza->Westport->Broadway->Liberty Memorial->Crown Center. There are six named hills (but honestly I lost count), and the killer was the 8.5% grade hill (!) at mile 12.5. Though this last hill was like a million stabs to the thighs, there was an amazing view of downtown that came into view at the top along with a guy in an Elvis suit giving out high fives. There was good beer and bbq at the finish line. The race had great aid stations, and lots of spectators to cheer on the runners, as well as entertainment in a few spots from DJs and two cheerleading squads. My favorite cheers came from Joe and sprout in mile eight- complete with noisemakers and huge smiles.

While the achy knees healed after two days of rest and a Monday yoga class, and my blistered feet are just about healed four days later, the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction remains. I'm not sure if I'll do another half (10k races are more my speed), but this was a great race to finish, and a nice way to celebrate Kansas City.

Battle of the Bean

 

 

This past Saturday we ran the Battle of the Bean 5K in Leawood, Kansas. This was a great race for a few reasons- first off, the charity was Happy Bottoms, which provides diapers for KC-area babies and toddlers in need. Until I read about Happy Bottoms in the newspaper a few months ago I wasn't aware that WIC and other similar welfare programs don't cover diapers. It was great to see the huge pile of donated diapers on race morning! Second, the theme was coffee vs. cocoa, so there was plenty of Roasterie Coffee post-race and all runners got both Christopher Elbow chocolates and a scoop of Foo's Frozen Custard. Basically, this is a trinity of local Kansas City deliciousness. In addition to race t-shirts we received mugs- even though I ran for Team Coffee, I used mine for a big cup of hot cocoa on Sunday afternoon. The course was through a well-manicured suburban neighborhood, not the most thrilling scenery, but a pleasant course on a chilly January morning. Joe came in about six minutes before me at 30 minutes, and I finished in 36 minutes (the clock time in the photo wasn't my time through the chute- which was done in waves). Not my greatest time, but not too bad for post-holiday middle of winter either.