Chi-town (part 1)

So, off to Chicago for a long weekend to visit my friend Jean. Jean and I have been friends since our freshman year of college, and I've been promising to visit for a while - it's time! My trip started out with one of the more hilarious cab rides of my life. As I hopped in, the cabbie asked me, "Are you republican?" Apparently he's looking for a third wife, but only if she's republican. I turned him down.

So I got to Chicago last night, and we drove straight into west Lakeview, which is the neighborhood where Jean lives. I especially enjoyed the hilarious signboards that we passed on our way back - taxidermy, a prostate clinic, a massage parlor called 'Latin touch.' We got real, true, deep dish Chicago pizza for dinner (which I learned is all about the order of the ingredients). 36 hours later I'm still full - it was amazing. I might move here just for the pizza.

Today I got to go to school with Jean, who teaches middle school social studies. It was both awesome and hilarious to see Jean totally in her element - she's wonderful with the kids, and they adore her. We have lots of plans for the next couple of days - but I'll save the stories for another post.