CHICAGO!!!

Wow..... I had a cold weekend!
For the past three years my Mom and I have had a mother/daughter trip around the holidays. The past 2 years were San Francisco and this year we went to Chicago. I cannot believe how cold it was. On Saturday it got down to -5 degrees and snowing!!!The locals said they were 20 degrees below the average and that it's never that cold in December. Well wouldn't you know....especially for us!
We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel on the 21st floor. It was right on Michigan Ave. Also known as The Magnificent Mile. It is some of the worlds best shopping. We had such a blast hustling and bustling around taking trains and taxis everywhere. It was really cool to live the urban life surrounded by skyscrapers for the weekend, but I don't think I could live like that all the time!
My Mom and I fell like all we did was eat while we were there! We went to dinner once at a Thai restaurant and to the popular China Gate restaurant and of course we couldn't leave the city without trying some famous Chicago deep dish pizza! We went to a place called Gino's East for that and the restaurant was so cool. Every square inch of the restaurant is covered in people signing or engraving their names so of course we had to follow tradition and find an open square inch but it's there...Monica and Cassie were here 12/08!
Anyway, check out some pics...

Thanksgiving 2008
whew! Thats a chore....but definitely all worth it!
And to think the food isn't even my favorite part...it's family and friends sharing the holiday together!
My menu this year consisted of: herb crusted turkey, sour dough artichoke Parmesan stuffing along with traditional, broccoli gorgonzola casserole, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls and salad. It all turned out very good but I tell ya I'm glad that only comes around once a year!
Hope all of you had a wonderful holiday and that this finds you all healthy and happy.