The interesting thing about the Chicago trip is that, for the most part, I'd already done some form of everything we did that day. I say its interesting because it was an amazing experience and, on the whole, it was an entirely new feeling day. But going thing by thing, I'd done all but one of the things that were on the activity list already.
- Take a train into Chicago... done.
- Go to a Major League Baseball game... done.
- Drink a beer at a sporting event... done.
All things that, absent having done them already, would be amazing things of the day for my project.
Unlike the day before, though, I wasn't particularly worried about finding a new thing to do because Justin and his family had already settled on getting authentic Chicago deep dish pizza and that's something I hadn't done before.
The whole day was lovely though. We rode the train into the city and posed a Michigan gnome in front of major landmarks, which was hilarious and adorable. Once we got into town, we got settled at the hotel and headed over to Wrigley Stadium for the game. Justin bought me a hat. That doesn't have much to do with my personal analysis of the day - it just made me happy. Also, the Cubs won.
Hey Justin, guess what!
We're getting pizza!
The place we went, Gino's, is a Chicago staple with a very cool atmosphere. The walls had writing all over them from places that customers had left their mark and the signs on the walls showed various famous and important people eating their pizza. Though I shouldn't have, I doubted the wisdom of ordering three pizzas to split between the family members. I just couldn't imagine that three pizzas could feed twelve people who spent the day walking around, watching sports and barely eating anything at all.
Don't we all look hungry?
Two things I learned about Chicago deep dish. The first is that it is seriously filling. It is mostly bread with a small amount of cheese and sauce. I ate one piece. So, three pizzas may not have been the right number, but not because it wouldn't feed 12 people. Instead, it was a whole pizza too much. The second thing I learned about Chicago deep dish is that the cheese and toppings are not the main show. The thing that sets Chicago deep dish apart from place to place is the sauce.
The sauce on ours was straightforward, but with an incredibly strong herb blend and a nice bite to it. Not spicy, but it popped. I could tell they spent a lot of time on creating just the right mix of ingredients to make the flavor stand out. Either that or I hadn't eaten for hours. One can never be too sure. What I do know is that by the time we got back to the hotel after dinner I was so tired I fell asleep sitting up. Now that's the kind of day I love having. I know, no matter when I go to sleep, that I've crammed literally everything I'm physically capable of into a day. Its a great feeling. A tired feeling, but a great one.
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