Divide and Conquer

Wednesday, January 4

Taking advantage of cheaper air fares after the holidays, R and I flew back to Illinois for a welfare check on our folks. But we decided to split up so that we each would get more time with our respective parental unit(s). After the norovirus debacle last year, my secondary objective was to make sure to get some Lou's this trip.

Who cares how cold it is outside when you have hot pizza in your belly?

Thursday, January 5

I dropped off R at his dad's place in the morning and then hit the road for Central Illinois, with detours for a few passport cancellations along the way. 

My first stop was the Cook County Forest Preserve Headquarters in Forest Park for the Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Area and Chicago Portage National Historic Site stamps. Taking Harlem Avenue south, I drove through parts of Chicago that I had never been to before!

After lunch at Steak 'n Shake in Joliet (Chili Mac - yum!), I hopped onto I-80 and headed west towards Seneca, where I got another I & M Canal stamp at the Village Hall. 

Following US-6 along the Illinois River brought me to Ottawa. The visitor center had a passport stamp for the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area. When the staff there told me that the site of the first Lincoln-Douglas debate was only a block away, I stopped by on my way out of town.

The "Railsplitter" and the "Little Giant" held the first debate of their campaign
for the U.S. Senate in Washington Square Park on August 21, 1858.

From here, I continued driving along the north side of the river to the Illinois Waterway Visitors Center. Luckily I arrived just in time to see a barge entering the lock! After getting another I & M Canal stamp, the ranger pointed out the spotting scope set up to view the bald eagles atop the trees on the other side of the river. You'll have to take my word for it since I didn't have my DSLR with me.

By this point, it had started to snow in earnest, so I quickly crossed over to Starved Rock State Park to grab my last stamp at the visitor center and then drove the rest of the way to my parents', where I enjoyed this for dinner...

Mapo tofu, cha shao (BBQ pork), spicy eggplant, and shrimp

Friday, January 6 - Sunday, January 8  

These days were pretty low key for me, running errands with my parents and getting my fill of more good food. 

Monical's - love the small corner pieces!

Lu dan (soy marinated eggs) and braised ox tail

Meanwhile back in Chicago, R got to experience firsthand the active social calendar of his dad's senior living community - bingo, poker, tai chi, blackjack, poker, happy hour... Notice a theme?!

And he was able to get together with some of his best friends from his growing up years!

Monday, January 9

Can you tell which are the ones I made?

Since my mom fixed sheng jian bao (pan-fried pork buns) for breakfast, I got to practice my wrapping technique alongside the master. It's probably good that the boys weren't here because I don't think I would have the patience to make enough bao to satisfy their appetites!

After loading up the car, I hit the road back up to Chicago, with a quick stop in Normal for...

Gondolas!

I even bought a couple extra to bring back for our friends who went to school at ISU. Since I delivered them straight to their home/office, do you think I could get a side hustle with Uber Eats?!

In the evening, R and I went over to his aunties' for dinner. An added bonus was getting to meet the newest addition to the family - his cousin K's first grandson!

Tuesday, January 10

We spent the day with R's dad. Actually to be more precise, R and his dad dealt with the "check engine" light issue in his car, while I stayed back in his apartment to work remotely. For dinner we went out for Korean fried chicken at K-COOP in Morton Grove. 

Classic wings with dipping sauces (creamy garlic, soy spicy, and creamy truffle aioli)
and Spicy Major wings

Wednesday, January 11

One more pic before our flight home