Day 3: CUBS WIN!

At the recommendation of the person we were renting our apartment from, we started off this day at Milk and Honey on Division St. This was a fantastic decision. Jude has a coconut scone and chocolate milk. This food pairing was perfect. The scone was crispy on the outside and soft in the center with toasted coconut throughout. I had the huevos rancheros, only available on the weekend. Served casserole-style, the crock had a corn tortilla in bottom and was layered with black beans, eggs, pico, and cheese. The crowning glory of the dish was a chipotle crema served on the side. Jon had the granola and yogurt with a side of bacon. We didn’t know at the time, but Milk and Honey is known for its granola, and it is available on the restaurant’s website for purchase. The granola was served over a bowl of yogurt and fresh fruit. Jon also ordered a side of bacon to share. The coffee was also delicious, but it was far overshadowed by the food.

We returned to the apartment for some down time before it was time to leave for Wrigleyville. I wrote the first two blog entries about Chicago, Jon read some structural equation modeling stuff for his dissertation, and Jude colored and played.

To go to Wrigley, we took the bus about 3 miles north and then walked the remaining mile east toward the park. The neighborhood was beautiful and the weather was perfect. We had planned to eat lunch in the neighborhood, but our big breakfast left us more in the mood for a snack. We ended up at Deuces, sharing the appetizer nachos.

We then went to Wrigleyville Sports to buy some Cubs gear before the game. Jon and I both picked out some new shirts and Jude got a big foam claw (huge hit). At this point, we were all set to go into the stadium.

Once we found our seats, Jon ventured out to get Jude a hotdog and us something to drink. We were excited to find our seats in the shade and the view was great. I have to take a second here just to than my husband for this trip. Since we started dating, he’s wanted to take me to Wrigley to see my favorite team play. It was just a really special experience, the green ivy, the huge, human-operated scoreboard in the outfield, seeing the Wrigleyville seats on the tops of adjacent buildings, singing “Take Me Out to the 

Ballgame” during the 7^th inning stretch. I found myself missing the game at times because I was paying so much attention to all the little details of the park.

The game itself was great and went into extra innings after the Pirates hit a solo homerun in the 9^th. The Cubs won it in the 11^th, and hot and happy, we ventured out to find dinner.

We ended up at a place pretty close to the stadium called Pick Me Up Café. Jon was unimpressed by the buffalo chicken wrap there, but Jude and I had some of the best food so far in Chicago. Jude had a short stack of pancakes with a berry sauce that we all loved. I had a salad that was topped with fresh, grilled peaches, goat cheese, and a house-made lime vinaigrette. It was amazing. I would go there again though I feel like I have to mention that when you walk in the door there is a sign talking about how they don’t have wifi, you can’t charge up your phone, and they don’t want you to stay and hangout all day there. I understand why they don’t, but the sign at the door sets a really negative tone when you first walk in—not very welcoming.

We took the mile walk back to our bus stop and rode the 3 miles back to our apartment. We were all exhausted, so after showers and pjs, we hit the hay.