Good morning to all of you on this spectacular Sunday morning! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, I have bacon sizzling in the oven, the house smells delicious! A perfect beginning to the 4th of July celebrations this weekend!
This past week my son, Jim and his beautiful fiance, Rada came for a visit. They live in northern California and Rada has never been to Illinois! I had the pleasure of being a tour guide for the week! Our week began with our first stop at Halftimes Bar and Grille for their amazing Italian Beefs and Pizza. If you grew up in Johnsburg, Illinois you had Halftimes at least once a week! It did not disappoint!
We continued the tour into Chicago. I have always loved going into the City. I love all of the sights, the shopping and of course the food! Chicago has been getting a lot of negative press lately, making it appear to be a scary place! Our time in the city was pretty wonderful! We walked State Street, Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive. Pizzeria Uno was our choice for lunch, we had amazing deep dish pizzas and left completely full! We walked off our lunch by walking down to Millinium Park and seeing the Bean! Finally stopping at a beautiful roof top bar, Cindy's Rooftop, located at the top of the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel! The views of the Bean and Lake Michigan were beautiful!
Of course no trip is complete without a baseball game at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field! We stopped at the iconic bars in the area before the game, The Cubby Bear and Murphy's Bleachers! It was a beautiful night of baseball, hotdogs, peanuts and beers, the only thing that could have made it more perfect is if the Cubs would have won! All in all it was a fun night!
It wouldn't be a complete tour without stopping at Suzy's Swirl! Jim was very helpful when we opened Suzy's Swirl 10 years ago. We have gone through a few changes over the years and it was so special for him
and Rada to see where we are now! It was a real sweet treat!
It was a perfect week, that unfortunately, is coming to an end! As one event ends, so many more are about to begin! I have to say, I really do love the 4th of July! I love the smell of hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, watermelon seed spitting contests, sparklers and the booms of fireworks!
This year as we gather with friends and family to celebrate our nations independence, let us take a moment to reflect on where we are as a nation and where we need to be! Let us remember we are the UNITED STATES of AMERICA! Let us all continue to pray for more unity of we the people vs. division of people and states! God Bless America today and everyday!
God bless America, land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide her through the night with a light from above. Irving Berlin