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/ Treasa Ní Chonchúir

A city skyline on a sunny day. Many skyscrapers, both old and new, reach for a clear blue sky. In the foreground, a body of water.

The Windy City

Eryn and I went to Chicago for Bill and Ashley’s wedding. Bill is Eryn’s oldest friend; they’ve known each other since they were four years old. I’d not been back to Chicago for anything but layovers in twenty years, and looked forward to making the most of our visit.

We got into ORD , and crashed as soon as we got to our hotel.

Thursday morning we had brunch at Beatrix, the restaurant in our hotel, with Eryn’s parents and some of the groom’s family. Afterwards the two of us took a leisurely stroll to Navy Pier with Eryn’s mom to take in the sights. Soon it was time to get ready for the wedding, which was held just a couple blocks south, on Celeste’s rooftop. Eryn’s dad, a retired minister, officiated. It was a lovely ceremony. You could tell he’s done a few of these before. The dinner and reception were also on the rooftop, and when it was all done we popped downstairs to Celeste’s cocktail bar for the afterparty.

Two smiling women sit close beside each other. The one on the left has long, curly, gray-and-brown hair. The one on the right is wearing glasses; her long brown hair has bangs in the front. Both women are dressed in dark dresses. They look happy to be together.
We clean up pretty well!
A groom and bride stand in front of an officiant during their wedding ceremony. The groom has a shaved head and a ginger beard. He’s wearing a black tuxedo with a shawl-collar jacket. The bride is in white; her dress is mostly silk in appearance, with a lacy shoulder piece. The gray-haired officiant has joined their hands together in the center of the frame. He (the officiant) is wearing a light stole over a navy suit; the stole’s printed with a musical motif. The couple look at the officiant, who is looking at the bride and smiling. The three stand before an ivy-covered wall.
Bill, Al, and Ashley

A two hour time difference isn’t that bad but it conspired with my (blessfully mild) hangover to make Friday morning a bit slower than we’d originally had in mind. We had brunch with Eryn’s folks and then found a pleasant spot along the Chicago Riverwalk to sit and chat with them before they caught their train to the airport.

We spent the afternoon wandering around Wrigleyville with Bill, Ashley, and Fig, their adorable doggy. When we got back to River North later that night, Eryn and I stopped by The Kerryman, an Irish pub just a couple blocks away from our hotel. Two of the owners are (distant) cousins of mine from Kerry. We’d never met. One of them, Trevor, was on that night and we had a great time getting to know each other a little. I hope we see each other again one of these days!

Three people pose for a photo in the middle of a pub. The woman on the left is in an olive green dress and a gray cardigan. The woman at center has a yellow baseball hat on, and is wearing a charcoal-gray t-shirt over blue jeans. The man on the right has a maroon t-shirt on over navy pants. All are smiling.
Eryn and me with Trevor at The Kerryman

We had coffee at Tary, a lovely little Kazakh spot, on our last morning in town. We then checked off a few things on the standard tourist list: We took selfies at the Bean; we spent a few hours at the Art Institute, where we saw Chagall’s America Windows and 神奈川沖浪裏 (The Great Wave off Kanagawa), among many other pieces; we attempted (but failed) to go to Willis Tower’s observation level. Then it was time to catch the Blue Line back to O’Hare.

A silver subway train pulls out of an above-ground station. The station platform’s are wooden. City buildings are visible past the station platform roof. Signs indicate the name of the station is Quincy.
The L is charming, if loud.