Final Chicago Weekend - June 2023

Stadium Chef Dinner at Wrigley

We spent our final weekend as residents of Chicago prepping the house for closing and enjoying some of the local food and activities.  The movers had packed up everything on Friday so we also spent our final weekend in the house sleeping on a blow up mattress.  We joked how funny that seemed living in a 4K square foot house with nothing but a blow up mattress!

Last few nights in our empty home

Friday evening, we did a bar/food crawl in our neighborhood.  We first had drinks at Violet Hour, a hip cocktail bar near the metro.  We shared an appetizer and each got a cocktail.  We then went to Big Star to share tacos and a few appetizers - the food was very tasty.  And of course, we ended the evening with a beer at Lottie's!

Dinner at Big Star

Drinks at Lottie's

On Saturday, we did some cleaning up in the house and then rented bikes to ride to the lake.  We rode all the way south to the end of the lake trail and then rode north.  We stopped for lunch and drinks at The Shore Club where we sat outside - the food was not the best but the people watching was fun.  This place gets very busy in the summer with all the beach goers!  Since we had a few drinks, we opted not to ride the bikes back so we Ubered home instead.  Back at the house, we took a nap and then drank some wine on the front porch out of red solo cups before meeting with Kara and Ansley at Amaru for dinner - our favorite restaurant in the neighborhood.  Dinner was yummy as always and it was great to see them one last time!

Biking along the lake

Lunch at Shore Club

Dinner at Amaru with Kare and Ansley

On Sunday, we finished up what was left to clean the house and walked the 606 - our local trail.  We then got pedicures and napped before heading to Wrigley Field for the Stadium Chef Series that is similar to Outstanding in the Field.  Before dinner, we had cocktails and passed appetizers in one of the club rooms.  Then we were allowed on the field to walk around and take pictures before we sat down for dinner.  It was a multi-course dinner served family style on a very long table on the field - each dish was prepared by a different local celebrity chef.  Very cool experience and what a great way to spend our final evening in Chicago.

Walking the 606

Chef Dinner at Wrigley

On Monday, we got up early, packed up the car, kissed the walls (a tradition we have each time we leave one of our homes), and then drove the 14 hours to our new home in TX!!

Bye Chicago - it was great!

Mothers Day Weekend - May 2023

We invited Keith's family to Chicago for Mother's Day.  We had done a Mother's Day weekend in 2016 before we had moved to Chicago.  Margaret could make it, but sadly Graham had to hold down the fort at Nosa so we were one short!

Botanic Garden

The family arrived on the Thursday night.  It was a pretty tight turnaround: Keith arrived back from Spain the previous night, and Shawna was in Louisiana until Wednesday night as well.  The house had been on the market the weekend before, but were were lucky to already be under contract so there were no people traipsing through the house while the family was there!  Jena, Dick, and Margaret Ubered to the house, where we had champagne waiting.  We celebrated the house sale on the patio before having a wine and cheese dinner in the dining room.

We decided to get some culture on Friday - motivated by the point that it was going to rain most of the day.  So after breakfast, we went to the Art Institute.  Margaret navigated the museum.  Fortunately, the whole Dodds family has roughly the same attention span to art, so we could speed through each of the exhibits without anyone getting crabby.  The next stop was the Starbucks Roastery on Michigan Avenue.  Shawna met us here to help us empty our wallet for the most expensive coffee we could find.  We then walked the next 10 minutes to the Hancock Tower to have a drink - though once we arrived, Keith came to the realization that they did not open until 5pm.  Ugh!  So we Ubered home to relax.  Keith served everyone gin drinks before we went to dinner at North Pond - a Michelin restaurant.  Dinner was excellent.

Art Institute

North Pond

Saturday morning Keith, Shawna, and Margaret walked/ran the 606 to burn off a few of the calories gained the day before. We had some cheese for lunch before going downtown for the "Open Your Eyes: Chicago's Underground Pedway & Other Secrets of the Loop with Inside Chicago Walking Tours."  The dude was excellent and we saw some places we had not been before.  After getting ready for dinner at the house, Keith served round two of gin cocktails before we went to dinner at Indienne - an Indian/French fusion restaurant.  It was excellent.

Walking Tour

Sunday we duplicated the 606 walk/run from the day before before driving north to the Botanic Gardens where we had been with Jean and Dick previously.  While it was a tad cool, many flowers were in bloom and it was gorgeous.  Keith then had to take Margaret to the airport for her flight home before we went to dinner at Pompette - the restaurant just up Damen from our house.  

Botanic Gardens

On Monday, Keith took his parents to the airport for their 7:30am flight - then came home to get the house fully cleaned up for the inspection!  It was a great weekend.

St Pat's Weekend in Chicago with John and JoAnna - March 2023

It had been 14 years since we last celebrated St Pat's in Chicago so we decided to make another go at it!  John and JoAnna arrived Thursday morning - we both had to work that day while they relaxed.  John and JoAnna went over to Lottie's around 1pm to watch the Duke game and Shawna joined them for a bit of it.  That evening, we had dinner at The Gage with John's friend Jeff, and then went to see the show Wait Wait Don't Tell Me which was a live taping on the NPR radio show.  The show was quite entertaining!  

Lottie's

Wait Wait Don't Tell Me

On Friday, Shawna worked a half day and then the three of us went for a walk along the 606 and then up to Lonesome Rose for lunch.  The food was quite tasty.  On our walk back, we stopped and had a beer at Pilot Project Brewery - which has a large, modern tasting room.  By this time, we texted Keith who was done with his work and so he met us for a beer or two at the Map Room and then we stopped at Lottie's for one beer. We then ordered pizza from Pequod's and proceeded to watch the Duke game (they won) and tried to stay up to watch the UVA game (they also won) but we were too tired!

Map Room

Lonesome Rose

Lottie's

Saturday was the big day - we headed downtown around 8:30 to see the 10am dying of the river.  We finally found a decent spot but had to stand in the cold for an hour before they started.  We didn't stay to watch very long once they started the process as we then walked over to Fado Irish Pub to celebrate!  We had to wait in line for about 30 minutes before we were able to get in.  Once in, we found a spot at the bar and hung out there for a few hours, drinking beer and nibbling on bar food.  It was entertaining talking to some of the other people who were there.  We then went back home, stopping at Lottie's for one more beer - and to do a little dancing - and then took a nap!  That evening, Shawna made leftover gumbo and we watched the Duke / UVA final ACC game - Duke won!!  

Fado's

On Sunday, Shawna made pancakes for breakfast and then we relaxed until we had to drive John and JoAnna to the airport.  Another fun weekend in the books!

Chris and Steve Visit to Chicago - April 2022

At Lottie's

Chris and Steve and the kids came to Chicago to see her babysitter, who is in college at Northwestern, play lacrosse.  They arrived Thursday night - Shawna picked them up at ORD and then once home, we had cheese, crackers and lots of wine while the kids had Chipotle that Keith had picked up for them.  After Keith went to bed, the neon lights of Lottie's was calling our name so the three of us went there for one beer.  We didn't get to bed to sometime well past midnight - such a fun night!

Lacrosse game at Northwestern

On Friday, Keith left for Boston to see Steve Bullock who was there for the marathon.  Chris and Steve took our car and they went to a museum and then headed up to Evanston where they stayed for the rest of the weekend.  On Saturday, Shawna met up with them at their hotel and then went to the lacrosse game which was quite fun to watch - Northwestern won against Johns Hopkins.  Afterwards, we went to a restaurant that the team had reserved for a private party and had a few beers and snacks.  We then went back to their hotel and had a few drinks in the lobby bar. We were invited to the lacrosse house parts so we stopped by for a few minutes but quickly realized that we were too old for that scene.  So, we had dinner at one of the restaurants in Evanston and then went back to the hotel for a few more drinks. Shawna stopped drinking early as she had to drive the car back to the house so shortly after midnight, she said her goodbyes.  It was so great to hang out with them!

Dodds Family Visit to Chicago - Dick's 80th Bday

We celebrated Dick's 80th birthday in Chicago with Jean, Margaret and Graham.  It was a long weekend filled with fun, laughter and great food!

Keith's parents and sister arrived on Thursday early afternoon and his brother arrived early evening, shortly before dinner.  We had a late lunch at the house of cheese and smoked fishes and then Jean, Dick and Margaret went for a walk around the neighborhood.  That evening, we had a gin and tonic at the house and then had a lovely dinner at Dear Margaret, a relatively new restaurant in Lincoln Park that had been getting really good reviews.  The restaurant is small and quaint and the food was very tasty.  We shared a wild mushroom appetizer and Shawna had the warm duck confit salad for an entree while Keith had the steak.  

Lunch at the house

On Friday, we spent the day exploring downtown.  We first went to the top of Willis Tower to see the views of the city and stand on the clear glass ledge where you can see the street below.  It was a beautiful clear day so the views were amazing.  We had a bit of time to kill before lunch so we walked over to Millennium Park to see the Bean.  Lunch was at Ema, a large, well decorated Mediterranean restaurant.  Since dinner was going to be early, we only got a few appetizers to share - hummus and roasted veggies.  After lunch, we walked along the river front and then did an architecture river boat tour - it was chilly outside so we sat inside.  It was hard to hear the tour guide as the speakers inside were not the best so Shawna went out a few times to take some photos and listen to the tour guide.  After the tour, we quickly went back to the house and got ready for dinner.

Willis Tower

The best meal of the trip and likely top five favorite meals of all time was at Oriole, a Michelin two star restaurant in West Loop.  The restaurant is located in a warehouse so it was a bit tricky to find but once inside, it was magical.  The host greeted us with a taste of tea while she hung our coats.  We stood in a large cargo elevator, thinking we would go up but then she pulled open the door on the other side so that we could enter into the restaurant.  Our first course was sitting at the bar where we had three small appetizers and a cocktail.  Our second course was standing at a table overlooking the kitchen where we had another appetizer and a glass of sparkling wine.  We were then seated at our table where we had at least eight more tastings along with the wine pairing.  Every dish was so tasty and creatively presented. It was a great evening!!

Oriole

On Saturday, we had planned on doing a walking tour but it rained so we changed plans.  We relaxed at the house in the morning and went for a walk on the 606.  For lunch, we had cheese and smoked fishes again, this time Patrick (Graham's friend who lives in Chicago) joined us.  We then went to the Garfield Conservatory to see the spring flower show - the flowers were beautiful and colorful.  

Garfield Conservatory

Back at the house, we rested a bit and then had gin and tonics before heading out to dinner at Elske, our third time at this restaurant (the prior two times with Graham).  We were however a bit disappointed this time - the food was still good but the service was lacking. We had called in advance to let them know that it was Dick's 80th birthday so they said they would print a message on his menu.  When we arrived, they had forgotten so quickly printed it - only to have his name misspelled to Vick!  Well, we called him Vick all evening!!  We got a few appetizers to share for the table, including the famous duck tart which they normally only serve for the multi-course menu but we convinced them to serve it to us.  We then shared the black bass for an entree.  We topped off the evening with one of each dessert!

Elske

On Sunday, Graham left in the morning to fly back to New Mexico.   We booked a last minute walking tour downtown - the Gangster and Ghost tour.  The tour was surprisingly good - the guide was quite funny and had some interesting stories to share.  We returned to the house to have more cheese for lunch and then Keith and Margaret went for a walk along the lake while Shawna cooked for dinner.  That evening, upon Dick's request, we had Indian - lamb, fish curry, chickpeas with spinach, basmati rice and raita.  Shawna made quite a lot so we had this for lunch for a few days during the week.

Indian dinner at our house

Dick, Jean and Market left early Monday morning to fly back to TX.  It was a great weekend to celebrate this momentous birthday!

Jean and Dick Visit - Oct 2021

Dinner at Porto

Keith's parents came to visit us in Chicago over Halloween weekend.  They arrived Thursday afternoon, just in time to get settled in, have a glass a wine and head out to dinner at Le Bouchon, a French restaurant just a few blocks from our house.  We shared a yummy mussel appetizer and roasted duck for dinner.  We both had to work on Friday so Jean and Dick went out to the History of Chicago museum.  That evening, we had more wine and then went to dinner at Temporis where we had a delicious multi-course dinner along with wine pairings.  

Interior Architecture Tour

On Saturday, Keith went for a walk with his parents on the 606.  We had cheese for lunch and then went on an interior architecture tour downtown where we got to see some pretty cool interiors ranging in architecture style.  The tour took about two hours and was very well done. That evening we had dinner at Porto where we tried some interesting and very tasty dishes - jamon iberico, grilled fish, roasted vegetables, and mussels in a can.  

Frank Lloyd Wright's Oak Park Home

On Sunday, Keith went on another walk with his parents on the 606.  We then did a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's home in Oak Park, followed by an audio guide of the neighborhood to see some of the other houses he designed.  When we got home, we had some more cheese for lunch and then relaxed that afternoon.  Shawna cooked dinner for that evening so had to get the dinner going in the afternoon.  That night, we had Caribbean lamb stew and black beans.  The stew is a recipe that Shawna got from Joyce who made it for her birthday weekend in the Outer banks - it was very tasty!

Lamb stew

Jean and Dick left Monday morning to head back to TX.  It was so nice to have them visit.

Jean and Dick Visit - Oct 2020

Chicago Botanic Garden

Keith's parents drove up to Chicago to visit with us and to explore the UP in Michigan for a week.  They originally were going to visit back in March but had to cancel as the city had just shut down due to Covid. They stayed with us for two weekends and for the week between, they drove up to Mackinaw City to explore that area.  They arrived around 9pm on Thursday night and after a quick tour of the house, we had some wine and cheese before they retired to bed for some much needed rest after a 16 hour drive!  While they stayed with us, we ventured out to do outdoor activities (thankfully the weather cooperated) and we had some yummy meals.

On Friday, Keith's parents went for a walk on the 606 while we were working and after Shawna finished with her calls, she took them for a walk around the neighborhood. For lunch, Shawna made a chicken chopped salad.  That evening, we walked to our favorite restaurant in our area - The Bristol - and had a wonderful dinner.

Chicago Electric Boat

On Saturday, Shawna made avocado toast for breakfast. We then ventured downtown where we rented an electric boat with Chicago Electric Boat Company and rode along the Chicago river for about two hours.  We brought wine and cheese and had that on the boat for lunch while looking at all of the buildings.  Afterwards, we walked along the riverfront to get some exercise and then headed back home for a nap and to clean up for dinner.  That evening, we went to Everest, a Michelin starred restaurants downtown located on the 40th floor of one of the buildings.  The food was quite good but the temperature was cold in the restaurant and the wine pours (we had the wine pairing with dinner) were a bit chintzy.   

Everest

On Sunday, Shawna made egg white frittata with bacon for breakfast.  Keith and Dick went to Home Depot to get a few things to complete a few jobs on Shawna's To Do List - one was to hang some lanterns outside on our patio and the other was to attempt to paint over water stains on our ceiling in our kitchen to avoid paying over $1K to have it professionally done! The good news is that they managed to do a great job with the paint!  That afternoon, we walked around the Morton Arboretum which has huge wooden troll statues placed throughout the grounds.  That evening, Shawna made Indian for dinner - chicken tikka, chickpea curry, basmati rice and raita.

Morton Arboretum

Keith's parents left on Monday to head up to Michigan and they returned on Friday afternoon, in time for a quick shower, some wine and then dinner at Michelin starred Topolobampo owned by Rick Bayless who we met during dinner!  This was our favorite dinner of the two weekends.  We started out in a room where they served us drinks and appetizers and then we retreated to the library where we had a six course tasting menu paired with wine.  Every dish was so flavorful!

Topolobampo

On Saturday, Shawna once again made avocado toast for breakfast.  We then went to the Chicago Botanic Garden and walked around for about two hours.  The gardens were beautiful with lots of lakes and a few themed islands to walk around.  The trees were changing colors and they had colorful fall flowers and pumpkins throughout the garden.  We decided to sign up to become members.  We then drove over to the Northwestern campus in Evanston to walk around that area.  That evening, we had another yummy meal at the trendy Indian restaurant, Rooh, located in the West Loop.  We ordered several appetizers to share for the table and then Keith and Shawna shared an entree.

Chicago Botanic Garden

On Sunday, Shawna made egg white frittata with spicy chicken sausage for breakfast.  For lunch, we had cheese and crackers and then we went over to the lake to walk around for a couple of hours - we walked through Lincoln Park and then along the lake.  That evening, we decided to enjoy the patio with drinks and bruschetta.  For dinner, Shawna made arugula salad and rigatoni which we enjoyed with a nice bottle of red that had been gifted to Keith from his former boss at Livcor.  We then had dessert outside on the patio so we could enjoy the lanterns - we had pie that we had bought at the Botanic gardens.  

Walk along the lake

Keith's parents left on Monday morning at 5am to drive back to Texas.  While it was a long trip for them to drive, it was so nice to have them visit and be able to explore the area with them!

Dinner at our house