My first trip to Chicago was a success! Despite getting snarled in a 90-minute traffic jam leaving Midway airport, the rest of the weekend was great. We did lots of shopping. My favorite parts of our two-day trip were the Wicker Park neighborhood, which included Filter, a fantastic coffee house serving the best vanilla steamer I’ve ever had, and Myopic Books, a wonderful used book store. I could’ve easily spent an entire afternoon browsing their shelves. (If you’re curious, I picked up a huge copy of Willa Cather’s work, “Brain Storm” by Rick Dooling and “In the Bedroom” by Andre Dubus.)

Another favorite part was Saturday night, where we spent an hour or two at Danny’s Tavern. Let’s just say Wendy had a wonderful evening on Ketel One and cranberry juice ;-)

Here’s a few photos from my weekend. Chicago, I love you!

Matthew and me before lunch Sunday in Wicker Park.

Matthew and his cousin, John, who lives in Chicago.

Matthew and his older brother, Tim, who also lives in Chicago.

If you’re a Wilco fan, you should recognize this photo.