Chicago-style stashing

So, it has been a little while since I was in Chicago. That is what happens when you put off blogging!  Some months ago P. made plans to head for Chicago at the beginning of June to see the US Mens Soccer team in a World Cup Qualifier against Honduras.  And since my best friend's husband is also a soccer fanatic, we thought that maybe we could meet in Chicago for a weekend of soccer and yarn!  And as usual we didn't get any pictures of the two of us. 


Chicago Skyline from the river.

P and I drove from Michigan and got to Chicago in time to pick up Jenny and Mr C. from the airport.  After some amazingly brief drives across the city, we were at the MLS stadium watching the Chicago Fire play the Houston Dynamo.  The game was underwelming, but since the tickets were gratis, thanks to Mr. C's amazing professional connections, the seats were fantastic!

Back at the hotel P and Mr. C were checking out some 20ish something guys seated in the lobby.  Once we were in the elevator it all became clear - we were staying in the same hotel as the US men's national team!  From that moment on it became a game to pick out which incredibly fit young men were US soccer players.  It can be fairly difficult to identify some of the players - especially when they aren't in uniform.

On Saturday the guys put on their matching US men's shirts, and we all headed out, again seeing a few soccer players - I believe nods were exchanged.  We spent most of the day walking around Chicago - it was so great to be in a city again!  Jenny and I headed to our first yarn shop of the trip - Loopy Yarns.  I picked up two skeins of Koigu KKPM.  We then headed for the Field Museum to see their Real Pirates exhibit, which was fantastic.  Everywhere we walked (not in the museum, though) we saw Hondurans. Blue and white wigs, blue and white jerseys, blue and white flags.  It was rumored the game would be 60% hondurans, and I think it may have been closer to 70%.  At noon a Honduran fan came up to P and said that he was the first American supporter the Honduran fan had seen all day.  Luckily, soon after lunch we started to see more American supporters.


The largest clump of American supporters in the stadium - dressed in red - largely made up of Sam's Army supporters. As in Uncle.  Here the Honduran Team is warming up on the pitch.

The game was great - the US won after coming back from behind, and we only got a little beer thrown on us from the Honduran fans in the upper decks.  I went quite hoarse trying to make as much noise as possible since the US fans were so outnumbered. Luckily we were in a pocket of Americans and could band together to chant.  P's description of our weekend can be found here. 


Humble Chicago bridge house.  We were seeing multi-million dollar buildings. I loved this humble sage green bridge house.

The next day our party did a cruise-line architectural tour that was just great - a perfectly lazy way to take in all the great buildings of Chicago without having to walk! (Especially since we walked about 8 miles on Saturday!)  After the cruise we checked out of the hotel - at the same time the US men's team was leaving!  Jenny and I rode in the elevator with Frankie Hejduk who is currently on the injured list, but whom I have seen play in Columbus.


Container Garden, Chicago Botanic Gardens

Off to the Chicago Botanic Gardens and Arcadia (for more yarn).  The CBG was so beautiful, I could have spent far more time there than we budgeted for, but oh well, we will go back. 



 A nice surprise was coming out of a canopied part of one of the walks and seeing at a distance an iron bench by Martin Puryear (not the one above) that I was incredibly familiar with, and then on the other side of a hill was the granite version.   When I worked for the gallery in NYC I had the birch one in my office!  Of course, by this time the batteries in my camera were dead, so no pictures in situ.


Waterfall, Chicago Botanic Gardens

So what did I come home with for my stash?


2 Skeins Louet Gems, in Teal and Willow, 1 skein of Lorna's Laces bulky in Huron, (From Arcadia) and my to KPPPM skeins from Loopy Yarns!

For mittens, a hat, and I hang my head in shame....socks.  sigh.