Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Chicago Marathon: Day 1

We woke up at 5:30 Saturday morning and Garth and I drank our coffee together and prayed for the weekend ahead. We got ready, packed the car and picked up our friends, Angie & Geoff and we were off to Chicago.


We stopped for breakfast at Panera and had the most amazing Asiago bagel sandwich with cheese, egg and bacon. I think I'm addicted to Panera breakfast now. We grabbed our food and were back on the road and on our way.

We made it into Chicago around noon and stopped at the McCormick Center so the boys could pick up their bibs.




It was busy and full of energy of all the excitement of the pending marathon.



We explored the different booths and grabbed as much free swag as we could. We signed a water bottle for the troops which was my favorite part.


G & I at the Expo:


Geoff & Angie:


Angie & I:


Three of us:


All four of us in front of this wall with all of the runners names:


We left the Expo and headed to our hotel, the Hyatt. Our room wasn't ready yet so we checked our luggage, parked our car and enjoyed Cobb salads at The Bistro at 151. I would recommend this place not only because it is convenient, but the service and food were fantastic.


After lunch we were able to check in. The view from our hotel room:


I was definitely reaping the benefits of Garth running a marathon, no?


So pretty:


Seriously, I could get used to this view:


The boys relaxed and watched football and Angie & I went shopping on the Magnificent Mile. I took my FIRST taxi ride but forgot to take a picture and bought a cute shirt at H&M. We came back and got ready to meet my parents, brothers and SIL for dinner. We went to Bella Bacinos for dinner thanks to the a recommendation from the Hyatt concierge. The food was amazing, the atmosphere was cool and our waiter was funny. The best part was it was really close to our hotel and Garth could get plain pasta with chicken and broccoli.


Not to mention a very pretty walk back to the hotel. I don't know why I didn't take a picture of my amazing garlic, spinach and alfredo pasta or more importantly, my family, but I didn't. Gah! We had a great time catching up, laughing, and enjoying downtown Chicago. We dropped Garth off at the hotel to rest up for the next day and I went out to Epic with my family for a nightcap. Again, I didn't take a single picture. We came back to the hotel around 10:30 to go to bed. Perfect beginning to one of the most amazing weekends of my life.

Next up: Race day!

5 comments:

Jen Caputo said...

It's so fun to see Chicago through someone else's eyes! Glad you had such a good time, the view was really awesome. Did you know that Jimmy and I went to high school with Geoff and Angie?

Kenya said...

I love Chicago! such a fun place!

Anne said...

OMG panera breakfasts.... mmmmm... have you had their quiche cup things? so good! that is SO cool your family came down to support Garth too! love it

Miss Caught Up said...

I so LOVE Chicago! Looks like you had a lot of fun! :)

Heather (Live.Love.Laugh.) said...

My hubby ran the marathon!!! Great pictures!