Nothing looks quite like Chicago at Christmastime: millions of people scrambling in and out of stores, and lights strung on anything that’s not moving (and a few that are).
We spent the better part of Saturday on North Michigan Avenue. Working our way north on the east side of the street, we spent the most time at Water Tower Place, then we crossed the street to get to 900 N Michigan. Then we worked our way back.
I tried to disrupt a seminar at the Apple Store by asking why iTunes insists on sorting the “Artist” category by first rather than last name (“Paul McCartney” is filed under “P” instead of “M”) and I was told that this is only a problem if you let it bother you. Yay! A classic Steve Jobs-influenced answer. My feeling is that Steve’s the visionary, he oughta figure out a way to make it work the right way.
We were at Water Tower Place long enough for the sun to vanish. We managed to pick up a few holiday items while we were there, although I think Lisa is still disappointed that we didn’t pick up the white feather Christmas tree for the chick pad. I was disappointed to see that FAO Schweetz closed, joining Rizzoli and Aunt Diana’s as stores no longer there that were reasons to fight the crowds at Water Tower.
We managed to find some great Swiss chocolate at the Teuscher store at 900 N Michigan Avenue, followed by a great dinner at Heaven on Seven.
On Sunday we visited the stores on State Street, which is a slightly different and more earthy experience than Michigan Avenue. Field’s was nice in the traditional way, although our food court experience gave us a different view. I have to say that there is something about hearing “we don’t got no more pizza” that says “Merry Christmas” in the unique Chicago way.
…and after all that, Lisa still has not had the pleasure of a fresh batch of Garrett’s Caramel Corn. This will happen within the next couple of weeks, for sure.