Stage 9 took us from America's dairyland to the Land of Lincoln. Before setting off, we had a hearty Swedish breakfast at Al Johnson's in Sister Bay, a popular local restaurant with a traditional sod roof and an accompanying herd of goats to tend it. (No kidding. They stand on the roof all day, munching grass, completely oblivious to the fact that they serve a much better food inside. Suckers.)
Alas, there were no goats there during our meal--it had been raining all night and off and on in the morning, and surely these superstar, diva goats wanted to avoid being seen looking frizzy.
We had a relatively short drive down to Highland Park, Illinois, where we stayed with MJ's uncle Mark, his wife Linda, and their son Charlie. Once a summer getaway spot for Chicago's rich and famous, Highland Park is now a lovely, leafy suburb north of the city. We were spoiled yet again with great food and company. Also, James tried to convince Charlie to join the cross country team, a shameless plug for his own hobbies.
Fun fact: some homes in their Highland Park neighborhood may be familiar to 80s movies buffs out there. Risky Business and Weird Science both shot film using some of the houses- and this ravine we're standing in front of is where Cameron Frye crashed his dad's Ferrari in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
(Here's a picture of the house itself, courtesy of Wikipedia.)
We took a walk with the family on the morning of our departure, finally getting a real look at the vast expanse of Lake Michigan.
After strolling for about an hour (Krieger considered it a good, old-fashioned land grab, marking his, ahem, presence in the Midwest), we packed back into DWABBT and got back on the road, ready to check into our first and only hotel of the trip, the Hotel Burnham in Chicago. Thank you so much for your hospitality, Davises!!
On the way, we passed by Northwestern University, a stunning Baha'i Temple, and huge masses of people who had come out for the Chicago airshow. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like ideal weather conditions for planes, as you can see from the picture James took of the skyline (fogline?) during his afternoon run.
That evening we left Krieger in the hotel room and enjoyed a grownup dinner at Sepia, a downtown restaurant that wowed us with its creative and impeccable tasting menu. Neither of us had ever even heard of a pork collar, but we both agree that it was fantastic (see below to be very jealous).
Much to James's embarrassment, MJ asked for her two leftover bites to be wrapped up; he subsequently shamed her by revealing that they were most certainly intended for the dog. If they only knew 1) how much MJ loves her dog, 2) how much MJ loves sharing inappropriately decadent food with her dog, and 3) what a refined palate he has developed as a result of this gastronomic training, they would certainly not have been insulted.
The Prince was quite pleased with this porkly tribute, as pleased as he was with his golden chaise and velvet throw. Royal blue, he insists, becomes him.
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