As I mentioned in my previous blog, Tina and I were in Chicago this weekend.

After work on Friday we met my aunt Bonnie and uncle Steve for fish fry at Chissy's Supper Club near Plymouth.  It was where we decided to make the switch...the Ali and Murphy (our dog) switch.  The perch was awesome and they give you a lot!  A lot!

Tina and I were up before 6am Saturday and on the train to Chicago before 8...we were in downtown Chicago by 9:15.  This was an early birthday gift for Tina...a weekend of shopping, dinner and a show in Chicago.

It was 70 Monday through Wednesday...when we got to our hotel it was 38, windy and raining.  We did not care.  We had our umbrella and we warmed up in the stores.  The problem is that you got hot in the store with all the layers.

One observation...the bad economy does not exist on Michigan Ave..  They say consumer spending is way down..not on Michigan Avenue.  They say housing is way down.  Everywhere I looked in downtown Chicago was either a new high rise condo building or one being built...and these are all high dollar places...it was unbelievable.  It was a madhouse in Chicago this weekend.

The deals are unbelievable.  I saved 75% on a suit.  Better yet, the stores will ship your purchases to you...that saves you on taxes...we only had to pay Wisconsin taxes, not the 10.25% Chicago sales tax.  That is way too high.

We shopped all day and had a great lunch before heading back to the hotel to get ready for dinner at Sushi Samba on Wells Street.  It is a Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian restaurant.  It was beautiful inside, very trendy, and the food was delicious.  Awesome sushi and the best Mojito I have ever had.

After dinner we went to Wicked.  The show's run is coming to an end in January and we have been told by so many to go see it and that it is a remarkable show.  I was very impressed.  Tina and I love going to shows and this was the best show we have seen since Lion King.  That show was visually awesome, Wicked was beautifully written...very clever and smart.  It was very cool how they brought everything together in a creative way!  To top it off, the actors were phenomenal.  If you have a chance, get to the show before it goes away.

It was only 11pm after the show so we went to a bar/restaurant for drinks and dessert down by Grant Park.  It was a cold weekend, but it was a great weekend.

After breakfast on Sunday we walked in the snow showers around downtown and had a delicious Chicago pizza at Pizzeria Uno.  After that we headed to the train station to get on the 3:15pm train.  We were back in Milwaukee by 4:40 and we had to drive up to Green Bay to get Ali and Murphy.  We had dinner with family and were home by 9:15.  We missed Ali and Murph, but it was great to get away.  Thanks to Bonnie and Steve for watching our kids.