Spring Break Trip 2023
In March 2023, we took a few days off of work for a mini spring break trip! My husband, David, and I drove to Chicago, Illinois on a Thursday where we first stopped at the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art. It was full of beautiful sculptures made from gorgeous stones and gems such as jade, coral, and amethyst. After touring the Lizzadro, we ate deep dish Chicago-style pizza at Lou Malnati’s while watching a March Madness men’s college basketball game on one of the TVs.
On Friday, we visited the Shedd Aquarium, which is my absolute favorite aquarium that I have ever been to. Including this trip, I have been there at least 3 times. I love looking at all of the different fish, beluga whales, dolphins, jellyfish, leafy seadragons, seahorses, and more!
In the afternoon, we walked the short distance from the Shedd to the Adler Planetarium. I had never been there before. It was informative, but it felt like a greenhouse in there because of how the sun came in through all of the windows. It felt like we were baking! And what’s worse is that we had layers on since it was freezing outside! That night, we tried food at the Port of Peri Peri restaurant, which serves a chicken dish originating from both Africa and Portugal. It was good, but a bit spicy!
On Saturday, we went to the Chinese American Museum in Chicago to learn more about Chinese immigrants and how they influenced Chinese restaurants in America. Afterwards, we walked to Sushi Plus to eat lunch with one of my friends from elementary school. Sushi Plus serves sushi on a conveyer belt! It comes around on dishes, and if you see a dish go past you on the belt, you just take the dish off the belt. The waiter then calculates how many dishes you have taken off and then bills you accordingly. I had a great time getting sushi in this new way, as well as catching up with a dear friend.
Next, David and I drove to Valparaiso, Indiana which is where we both attended college: Valparaiso University. Because the university was on spring break, we could not go into the Union or its bookstore. We were able to go inside the chapel though. We got drinks and hummus at Four Corners Winery, and then we ate dinner at Stacks in downtown Valpo, which had expanded its restaurant since the last time I had ate there.
On Sunday, we had lunch with some of my friends that I had met in Valparaiso after graduating college at Ricochet Tacos. It apparently has already closed down and has been replaced by a different restaurant. We caught up and then walked around the corner to catch up some more at Blackbird Café. This was a nice short trip to take a break from work, see new sights, go to a solid staple (Shedd Aquarium), and most importantly, catch up with good friends!
