Reading about Ben’s gap year on this blog makes me feel a wide range of emotions. Joy, that he gets to experience such amazing adventures, encounter so many interesting people, and fulfill so many of his larger-than-life dreams. Pride, that my boyfriend’s determination and diligence have allowed him to accomplish all of the things he set his mind to this year. Excitement, that I am able to hear about the thrills of his travels when he returns home to me and share in his delight with him. And finally, Jealousy, that he gets to do all of these incredible things while I’m at home drowning in the monotony of adult life. Kidding! Sort of.
My mild jealousy is the reason why I am so grateful that I have been able to accompany Ben on some of his travels when I have time off work. I’m a teacher with the benefit of enjoying a plethora of breaks, so I tag along with Ben when I can. We’ve taken weekend trips to Whistler and Leavenworth and frolicked in the snow, jetted down to LA and Napa for weddings and wine, gotten scuba certified in the colorful Belize Barrier Reef, and traipsed all over Guatemala drinking coffee and eating chocolate. One trip to the Midwest during my Spring Break was particularly memorable. Ben has asked me to guest write a blog post about that trip, probably because he has SO many adventures to write about and just doesn’t have time to finish it all as he gallavants around the world. But let’s imagine it’s because of my impeccable writing skills and story-telling ability. Without further ado, let’s begin!
We began the trip on Friday night with a red-eye flight to Chicago. I tried and failed to sleep, as is always the case with me and red eye flights. We landed in bitterly cold Chicago and immediately hopped on the Subway to head towards the neighborhood where Alexandria and Mark, Ben’s college friends, lived. Our plan was to stay with them in their apartment for the Chicago portion of the trip. I was slogging around, dragging my suitcase and wishing desperately for coffee and a nap, which were both awarded to me when we arrived at their beautiful apartment.
When I woke up, I felt significantly more like a regular human. We took an uber and met Mark and Alexandria at a Korean/Mexican fusion restaurant (seems strange but it works) and enjoyed some delicious tacos. Mark went home to rest and Alexandria walked us around to see some quintessential Chicago landmarks, including Millennium Park and the Bean, the Chicago Theater sign at State Street, and the riverwalk. We spent a few hours enjoying the exhibits at the Art Institute of Chicago, (Ben addition: The little room exhibit is one of my favorite exhibits in the world!) and then grabbed some drinks together.
We were playing pool at the bar when Alexandria got the news… Mark had tested positive for Covid. Slightly rattled by undeterred, we quickly got to work drinking more and finding another place to stay. We found a cute hotel nearby and ubered there to get settled in. I, as per usual, really wanted to go dancing, so I dragged Ben out on the town. Unfortunately, we were a little early and the dancing hadn’t quite started yet in the clubs we found, so we just sipped some more fancy drinks and called it a night.
The next day was Easter Sunday, which meant that I got to share with Ben some Catholic traditions. We found a beautiful cathedral to attend Easter Mass, and we were both in awe of the ornate stained glass windows and painted arched ceiling. The Mass itself was a bit traditional and dull for my taste, but I enjoyed helping Ben follow along in the prayers and traditions that I’ve done my whole life.
(Ben Addition: The holy water is not supposed to burn apparently…)
After Mass, we went on the Chicago River architecture cruise tour. This tour had been recommended to us by essentially everyone we knew who had ever visited Chicago. It was definitely worth it, although it was bitterly, painfully cold. Even so, through the sound of my chattering teeth I learned a lot about Chicago’s history and the different styles of architecture juxtaposed throughout the city. Highly recommend!
(Ben Addition: The cold was bad, us not having the right clothes for the cold was so much worse. Still a fun tour!)
After the river cruise, we got all dolled up and headed to Alinea – a 3-Michelin Star restaurant that Ben had managed to snag reservations to. This 8-course dinner with wine pairings was the most incredible and unique dining experience I have ever had. Each course was a curated experience with distinctive themes and flavors presented on the table as art. We were literally eating art. The final dessert course was a full-on performance featuring Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” blasting as the waiters painted our table with chocolate. I don’t think I will be able to adequately describe this meal in a way that does it justice, so I will just allow you to marvel over the photos and encourage you to try the restaurant someday if you can.
(Ben Addition: It was insanely good and our waiters were so much fun. I asked so many questions and they took joy in answering each one)
On Monday, we met up with Alexandria again to explore the Field Museum and see SUE, the famous T-Rex skeleton. All of the exhibits were super interesting and we had a great time wandering around the museum. Ben was especially interested in an exhibit about birds, which gave me and Alexandria a lot to make fun of him for. We then headed to Giordano’s for some must-have Chicago deep dish pizza and Wrigleyville for a Cubs game. We were able to meet up with some friends of friends so we had more people to suffer through the freezing cold baseball game together. We all went out afterwards and tried some Chicago malort… certainly not the best alcohol I’ve ever had, but I also can’t say it’s the worst.
The next day, I insisted on going to the super-touristy Willis Tower sky deck, where you can stand on the glass floor and look down at the city below you. It was another cold but clear day, so we had some amazing views. We met up with a friend of Ben’s for dinner before going to Chicago’s “Broadway” to see Six!, a new musical about the 6 wives of King Henry VIII. It was SO, SO GOOD. We had a blast and ended up listening exclusively to the show’s soundtrack for the entire rest of the trip. After the show, we found a very-well hidden speakeasy bar. We got some fun cocktails and listened to some painful karaoke to end the night.
(Ben Addition: SIX soundtrack songs are a significant part of my 2022 Spotify wrapped)
Wednesday was our last in Chicago. We ate Chicago hot dogs, went shopping at the Magnificent Mile–(I forced Ben to spend an inordinate amount of time in the American Girl Doll store, where I was immersed in nostalgia), and saw one more Broadway in Chicago show with Alexandria: “The Prom”. Overall, Chicago was a huge success. We got our rental car and prepared for the long drive to Michigan that we would take the next day.
(Ben Addition: Madison got stabbed by a chair at the hot dog place)
The drive from Chicago to Ann Arbor takes about 4 hours. Along the way, we stopped in 2 cities to meet up with old friends of Ben. The first stop was for brunch and coffee in Kalamazoo, which I was delighted to discover is a real place. We had a great time catching up with Rebecca there before we were off to Jackson to meet Ben’s former roommate Joe and his wife for even more coffee.
And then, we arrived! I was so excited to have Ben show me his old stomping grounds around the University of Michigan. We checked into our hotel and headed straight to campus. As a graduate of the very small University of Portland (5,000 undergraduates), I was absolutely taken with the sheet size of UM’s campus. We were blessed with a sunny day, so we traipsed around much of the campus and admired the Big House. GO BLUE! We stopped for sandwiches at Maize and Blue Deli, which Ben was a regular at during his college days.
In the evening, we discovered the true meaning of “It’s a small world” by meeting up Molly, a girl who I had studied abroad in Australia with. To meet up again in Michigan of all places after 6 years was quite the surprise, and it was such a treat to catch up. We also met up with Ben’s old college pal Andrew for dinner and drinks. It was at this time that I got to experience the legendary University of Michigan nightlife that I had heard so much about. There was beer,–so much beer– pickleback shots, and an abrupt end to the night when a drunk college girl threw up on my shoes. Nice. At least I got to truly feel like I was back in college!
(Ben Addition: We also went to Frito Batidos, which crazy to say was my first time there too. Throw up happened at Blue Lep… not even Ricks or Skeeps)
The following morning, we went to a diner to meet up with Ben’s friend Jehu a former UM football player. I had heard so much about him, so I was so happy that he happened to be visiting Michigan at the same time as us. The final stop was Zingerman’s, a famous deli with to-die-for sandwiches.
After another quick tour, this time around the engineering campus to see everything we had missed the day before, we packed up and headed to the airport. Time to return to Seattle… But I know I will surely be back in Ann Arbor someday; next time hopefully to see a football game in the Big House!
(Ben Addition: We are trying to find a way out in 2023! Got to see the Big House for a true Michigan Experience.)
