Jeff Billimek’s Journal

Today marked the third weekend in a row that we would be gone on a trip. Last week it was Tokyo, the week before that it was D.C. and now today it is Chicago. It’s been a pretty hectic month so far.

We woke up fairly early this morning - I think around 6am. Jen and I were pretty quick about getting showered, dressed, and packed for our third travel weekend in a row. I was dragging quite a bit due to staying up so late last night.

Christin left around 7am and we left shortly after that. We headed to the airport and it started to rain as we got in the car. This would prove to be foreshadowing to problems a little while later.

We got to the airport and checked in only to find out that our flight was delayed due to bad weather. Indeed, as we headed up the escalator into the ‘C’ concourse I could hear the familiar sounds of thunderstorms outside. It sounded pretty bad.

About an hour after the scheduled departure time we left and headed for Chicago. The flight was full and the flight was uneventful.

When we arrived in Chicago, we hopped on the ‘L’ (I think it was the red line?) towards downtown. I was in a pretty grumpy mood and whined about lugging around my backpack full of clothes and my camera bag across the shoulder. I feel pretty encumbered when I carry more than a full backpack. Usually I have the camera bag inside the pack and it’s ok.

(Waiting for the train)

As a result, I wanted to ditch some of the bulky items. I whined and whined until Jen suggested that we stop by the hotel first. When we checked in, they upgraded us to a larger room. It was pretty nice!

After we got changed and somewhat unpacked, we left the hotel a little less burdened and I was in a much better mood.

We walked around downtown Chicago. The weather wasn’t all that great, but then again I’m used to seeing Chicago only when it’s gorgeous and sunny outside. I took some photos using Larry’s fancy 24-70mm lens.

Jen wanted to get a Chicago-style hot dog so she called up her cousin Brian to find out where we could get a good one. He gave her directions to a place called ‘Demon Dogs‘ and we set off to find it.

We took another L train to the Fullerton stop and got off. Just below the station was the ‘Demon Dogs’ restaurant. It was a dirty, dingy place but reeked of tradition. The restaurant is owned by the manager of the music group ‘Chicago‘ and as a result the entire place was clad in ‘Chicago’ paraphernalia.

Jen and I each got a hot dog, fries, and a drink. I loved it! It was a hot dog with chili, cheese, and jalapeños. It was outstandingly good - one of the best hotdogs I’ve had. The jalapeños really made it good.

After our fun lunch break, we roamed around looking for a place to purchase postcards. It was harder than we thought and we didn’t find anything.

Jen and I headed up the ‘L’ to the Jarvis stop and then walked the rest of the way to Brian’s condo. Quite a few people were there when we arrived. Jen and I flew up to Chicago in order to celebrate her cousins’ 40th birthdays (they are twins).

Jen’s other cousin, Kevin, was there too. He had our belated wedding present for us. It consisted of two bottles of white wine and a fun new basket.

Brian had provided a nice spread of Mexican food. I was really excited about the corn dish with red pepper. It was a mixture of sweet and spicy and I loved it.

I didn’t know a lot of the people there but I did know Brian, Brad, Kevin, and their parents (Sandy and Chuck). Jen’s Aunt Sandy and Uncle Chuck are retired in Seattle and run a little frame shop. Jen and I talked about our own retirement and decided that we want to do something like Sandy and Chuck - maybe operate a small business doing something that we love in a nice place. It sounds like an excellent plan and I hope we can execute it successfully.

After a little while we all walked over to Brian’s new condo which was in the same neighborhood, just a few blocks down. It was slightly larger than his current place but I was honestly surprised that he was moving. His current place seemed very nice and not too much different than the new place he closed on.

(A good photo of Jen while we were walking about)

We made our way back to Brian’s current condo and continued to eat and drink. Eventually it was time to do the actually birthday celebration. I broke out my camera and attempted to document the occasion. Some of the other guests saw the large lens (with the signature red stripe indicating L glass but I doubt they keyed off that nuance) and asked if I was a professional photographer. I explained that I was just a novice with an expensive hobby. The conversation turned to ‘how many megapixels is your camera?’

It was good fun. The best part was when Jen gave Brian and Brad their special binky hats that she brought along for them to wear. Everyone seemed to like this aspect. Jen is extremely creative when it comes to things like this.

(Brian and Brad)

Later, everyone started to head their separate ways. A few of us made plans to meet up later this evening for drinks. Jen and I went with Kevin and Brad in Kevin’s van. We drove to another part of Chicago where we dropped Brad off at his friend’s house. Brad’s friend Todd (the house we were now at) was also at the party but left early. Now we were at his house.

Todd and his wife weren’t home but Brad was staying with them I guess because he made himself home and took a shower. The house was beautiful and new. I think Todd is a day-trader? and has been successful at it. The house actually reminded me a lot of Larry based on some of the fancy things they had.

We left the house and walked to a neighborhood bar called ‘Vaughns‘. Brian would be joining us shortly. Vaughn’s is pretty cool because you can bring your dog inside. Indeed, Todd and his wife brought along their dogs.

Jen and I stayed quite a while at this bar having some drinks and talking with others (mostly Kevin and Brad). It was a nice evening.

I was pretty tired on account of the timezone change and the fact that I got little sleep the night before. At some point in the evening, Jen and I took the train back to the hotel and went to bed. It had been a pretty full day.