Brucato's Blogging Across America: A really nice Friday!

Friday, August 31, 2012

Hello!

Another warm and sunny August day! Up around 6, and out about 7:30 a.m. I was definitely in need of a walk, and Robert thought that the lakefront would be a good place to go. It took almost an hour for us to get down to Lake Michigan, but there was plenty of – FREE – parking once we got there! Where Robert and Dick used to fish as youngsters has now been cleaned up and paved into a very neat layered concrete lakefront path. We walked for several miles and very much enjoyed the breezes that were swirling around. Chicago in the summer is such a neat place – literally miles and miles of lakefront, with piers,

beaches, marinas, ball diamonds and even a golf course, all beautifully kept up. Great walking country!

From there we stopped at Denny’s for breakfast (even though it was getting on for 10:30!). We had our Frank Lloyd Wright field guide with us, and decided to hit a few of the Chicago locations. That was when we discovered Oak Park – an eastern Chicago suburb – and location of the first home that Wright built for his own family. Wow! And once we found one Wright house, there were several others, all in the general vicinity. We are definitely going to have to come back and do some specific touring – there are plenty of places to see!

Decided that it was now nap time, so headed back to the hotel for a lie down, as we were heading out to Roselle to Tiffany and Dan’s new house for dinner tonight with Dick.

Picked Dick up at 4:30, as we were due in Rosell at 5:15 p.m. So glad that we left a bit early, as the traffic heading out (being get-away day for the three day weekend!) was awful! Robert (and Emmy) worked our way north, and we were right on time. Dan and Tiff’s new house is really, truly lovely! It is a traditional colonial style with a great deck and a huge back yard. It was SO good to see them and see how much Zory and Addie have grown since last year.

Pilot Pete’s, our restaurant, is located at the Schaumberg airport, and is one of the most interesting eating places we have seen! It overlooks the airport’s runway, so the kids were fascinated by what was going in and coming out. The restaurant itself is decorated in a travel/airplane mode – if you have to wait for a table, you may sit in real airplane seats that have been set up at the entry way! – complete with folding tray tables! It was, of course, fairly chaotic inside, being big and rather barn (hangar) like, but everyone had a good time, and the food was excellent!

Zory

We went back to Tiff and Dan’s for dessert, which we had on the outside deck. Got Dick back to the Heritage about 9, and we are now getting ready to turn in ourselves.