I began a 12 day vacation on Thursday. I left Indianapolis at about 930a ET and headed toward Chicago to spend the first four nights with Seven and her parents. She had been telling me for a while about a special surprise she had lined up for me that required me to dress well. Now I spent a fair bit of money a while back on a good suit, then followed that with some custom tailoring to get it just right. I don’t get a chance to suit up very often so it’s always appreciated when I do.
Part of the plan was that she, I, and her folks will be spending the night at the Wyndham in downtown Chicago after a very special dinner reservation. It turns out that our 630p reservation was for a restaurant called Cité. This restaurant also happens to be on the 70th floor of Lake Pointe Tower, in downtown Chicago.
I’ve had a problem with heights since I can remember. When I heard exactly what the plan actually was, I felt my guts drop. High quality food is on my list of favorite things but being 700+ feet up in the air is on my list of things I really don’t enjoy. However, the reservations were made, everything was set…and it was time to face it.
You know what happened? Not a damn thing.
We looked out over the city (a stunning view, by the way) and it was an incredible view. The weather hadn’t been particularly great all day but luck seemed to be on our side when the hostess said the fog had started to lift about ten minutes before we arrived. By that time, it was completely dark and everything was lit up, an extra bonus being the Christmas light displays on many of the high rises.
The food was better than I have words for. The four of us split two first course dishes, one crab souffle and one tuna and salmon tartare. For dinner, I had their french onion soup followed by diver scallops and a vanilla panna cotta for dessert; all accompanied by a drink called a Dulce Dino containing apple infused vodka, rosemary syrup, and some other things that I can not, unfortunately, remember but it was awesome. Definitely a great way to begin my scheduled diet break. Seven had an endive salad and Scottish salmon with a chocolate macchiato to finish along with a drink called an Auld Acquaintance containing bourbon and a few other things. In all, the meal was perfect.
In all, it was an excellent night spent walking the Magnificent Mile, enjoying a fantastic meal with a spectacular view, and being with my girlfriend. It was all a little better because I was presented with a chance to step outside my comfort zone and survived. Funny how often that happens when you let it.
We leave to see my parents in Boise on Monday night. We have a lot of fun things planned for that trip too.
