St. Patrick’s Saturday

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Yes, the actual holiday is still 5 days away but in Chicago, we do St. Paddy’s Day up big on the Saturday before.  There’s a parade, annual dyeing of the river and the entire day is dedicated to all sorts of Irish-themed shenanigans.

First up: brunch at our apartment.  Temps are still in the 30s so Ryan and I figured the best plan was to host a morning of good food, adult beverages and watch out the window for the river to turn green before braving the elements.  Mission accomplished!  Our nearest and dearest came over to nosh on quiche, apple turnovers, cinnamon buns, homemade donuts (thanks, Erin!) and hash browns, washed down with mimosas and Guinness (naturally).

Second on the agenda: head down to see some green!

The green in this picture does not do it justice.  The river is BRIGHT green.  Anti-freeze green.  Wicked Witch of the West green.  The greenest green there ever was, people.

After some ooo’ing and ahhh’ing, our crew carried on to a bar in River North.  Lots of green beer, girls in ridiculous costumes (ladies with the drums, tambourines AND whistles, I’m talkin’ ’bout you), and more Charlie Sheen t-shirts than I could count.  People watching at its finest.  Or worst, possibly.

All in all, a highly successful St. Paddy’s Saturday!

Snowiest February in Chicago’s Recorded History

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Yesterday was the day February 2011 won the prize for most inches of snowfall on record, beating out 1896 by 3 inches.  The dusting we got overnight made everything white again so even if more snow was not on my high list of wishes, it did make the city look very pretty.

When I called Ryan on my way home from work, he was only a few blocks ahead and offered to wait for me to catch up so we could walk home together.  What a doll.  I snapped this picture from the Columbus Street bridge.  What I love about it is that is doesn’t look like we’re in a city; it looks like we were in the middle of the woods, entirely alone.  But right next to that white path is a river and tall buildings and a busy highway.

I think that might be my favorite thing about Chicago- so many quiet moments in the middle of the hustle and bustle.