When Life Gives You Lemons

When life gives you lemons, what if you don't want to make the lemonade? Everyone has problems, sometimes they spring up out of no where, or in my case, drip from the ceiling out of no where. My problem didn't actually drip out of no where, it began in 2009. Instead of replacing the leaking air conditioning unit that was poorly installed during the 1995 construction of our home (my husband bought it in 2002), we decided to bandage it up, a quick-fix. You know what band-aides do eventually? They fall off. After numerous band-aide replacements, we had to bite the bullet and replace our air conditioning unit. 

Of course we shopped around. After having multiple people come in to look at it,  some  never returned our follow-up calls, even a "family friend" (I use this phrase lightly).  We finally found a company who decided to take on the challenge. 

I better enjoy this new air conditioner, because this is my vacation for next year.  

What did I learn about this entire experience? Well, as so many of you know I love makeup, movies, travel, books, shoes, clothes, electronics and handbags, but even with occasional "shopping spree" I am quite the "little saver". I'm not stressing about this home renovation project. I just want to get it done!

I also learned not to rely on the "cheap" band-aide fixes because those will just lead to a bigger, more expensive problem in the future.  

My husband, the funny guy that he is, told me that I couldn't buy anymore books. This made me chuckle. I told him, "You needn't worry, I buy used." 

A Year to be Thankful Day "I Don't Know Because I Stopped After a Month": Three Things That Make Me Happy

In a time where I feel it's hard to be thankful, I have to remember that others have it worse off than I do.  It's been a while since I posted (see the title above) this list because I, well, I just got too busy, I'd forget to post or I became too lazy. Here goes.....

1. For the first time in 11 years I have a Disneyland Pass. My hubby of 10 years surprised me with this for our anniversary in June. 

2. As much as I get annoyed with him, I am married to a good man. I realized that my first visit back to Disneyland. He does his best to try and make me happy. 

3. My air conditioning went out and I have to get it repaired. It's going to be expensive, but I feel I can get through it. It's making me a stronger person to know that I can figure it out. No one wants to spend the money, but we'll be ok.

P.S. I'm trying to complain less. How can anyone be upset when they get to come home to this sweet boy! Next post will have pictures of the other dog, Mia (Mama Mia).

Picture 1 of various stages of sleep. 

Before people get their pantie in a bunch, I'm not laying on him. 

I should model 

Don't get me out of bed please

Picture 2 of various stages of sleep.  

Picture 3 of various stages of sleep. What can I say, I sleep a lot.

Sammy intently watches TV with us. He's waiting for a dog!!

Top 10 Movies: January-June 2018 Edition

I'm keeping this short! For the past few years, it has become tradition of mine to list my "Top 10" of January-June and then July-December.  Without further ado here goes my first Top-Ten-Films list for 2018.

10. Solo: A Star Wars Story: PG-13 Action/Sci-Fi: I was going back-and-forth with deciding to add this movie on my list. I really liked it a lot and think that it got a bum rap being released so soon after The Last Jedi  The Last Jedi Review a movie I really didn't like at all. Is Disney ruining the franchise? Maybe a lot, so yes. 

9. Blockers: R Comedy: This movie was highly inappropriate and super funny.  This is like a senseless beach read.  A movie that makes it so you don't have to think, you just have to laugh and those laughs I got, were from John Cena. 

8. Game Night: R Action/Crime/Comedy: I love Jason Batemen. This was a very funny movie. Creepy Gary was, well creepy. 

7. Annihilation: R Sci-Fi/Horror: Padme and Poe in the same movie, it's like a Star Wars reunion. The horror isn't as bad as you would think. I'm not a fan of gore (gratuitous gore) but this was manageable. This was a creepy movie with an ending that is left up in the air.    

6. Adrift: PG-13 Action: Oh this movie broke my heart. I thought this was going to be a boring journey about being lost at sea. There was a "surprise ending" with clues leading you from the start.  

5. A Quiet Place: PG-13 Drama/Horror/Sci-Fi: This movie was so good. I honestly don't know how they were able to stay so quiet. I wouldn't make it, I know that for certain. 

4. The Incredibles 2: PG Family: I saw the original for the first time about a week before I saw this one. This is a case where the sequel (for me) was better than the original. It was a situation where my husband and I were out and decided to see a movie, but we had seen all of the other movies in the theater. Because I didn't like the original at all, I was hesitant in seeing this one. It was released 14 years after the first one. That's a long time to wait for a sequel. Unlike the first one, this held my interest. 

3. Avengers: Infinity War: PG-13 Action: I already posted a review about this one. Thor is my favorite and I usually don't prefer blonds. Avengers: Infinity War Review

2. Black Panther: PG-13 Action: I already posted a review about this movie.  Black Panther Review I'm hearing that it maybe even has the potential to be an "Oscar Award Winning" film? 

1. Three Identical Strangers: PG-13 Documentary: AMAZING. This is the story of triplets who were separated at birth, and adopted out to three different families. They became a media sensation in the early 80's and even had a small role in Desperately Seeking Susan. I recommend this movie to everyone. Believe it or not this documentary came with some shocking twists and turns. 

Here is a list of all films that I saw during this period. The ones in bold are those that I liked, but they just didn't make my Top-Ten-List. These are in no particular order and do not include those movies listed above.  There were so many more movie that I wanted to see, but didn't because of limited release. 

I Feel Pretty PG-13
Deadpool 2 R
Won't You Be my Neighbor PG-13
Book Club PG-13
Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom PG-13
Winchester PG-13
Fifty Shades Freed R
Pacific Rim Uprising PG-13
Pandas G (IMAX California Science Center)
Overboard PG-13
Life of the Party PG-13
Tag R
Ocean's 8: PG-13

Ant-Man and the Wasp, Paul Rudd and an Evening at Disney Studios

Recently I was asked to attend a special screening and press day for the upcoming Marvel sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Peña, Hannah John-Kamen and Randall Park. As with the original Ant-Man, Rudd was a part of the writing team. The movie was good, not great, but fun nonetheless. 

So much is given away in the commercials for this movie, there isn't much left for us in the actual film. Radio segments are saying that critics are amazed with the surprise ending. There really wasn't much of a "surprise" ending to speak of. Unfortunately I wasn't on the edge of my seat. In the Marvel timeline, this comes before the events in Avengers: Infinity War and is a sequel to Ant-Man and Captain America: Civil War. It would have helped me to re-watch Ant-Man since I've forgotten the events of that film. It has to be hard to be the film that follows Thor Ragnarok, Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War. These three set the bar really high. 

There were some laughs in the film. Michael Pena has some of the best scenes. His montage is the best. At the press day in Pasadena, Evangeline Lilly stated that Luis's "montage" was her favorite thing to film. Randall Park plays the FBI agent, Jimmy Woo, who is in charge of making sure that Scott Lang finishes out his house arrest after helping Captain America.    

Hank Pym and his daughter Hope van Dyne are desperately trying to find Janet van Dyne in the quantum zone, where she has been trapped for the last 30 years.  Laurence Fishburne leaves the DC to join the MCU. Will he return as Perry White in the next Man of Steel movie? Will there be another Man of Steel?

The movie, at it's core about family and the love of a family. That's evident in Scott's relationship with his daughter Cassie and Hank's relationship with Hope. There is one line I wish they would have changed. It's when Scott and Cassie are talking and he mentions that Hope reminds him a lot of Cassie. I know the message they are trying to convey. I just wish they could have conveyed it a different way. 

My husband and I were able to watch Ant-Man and the Wasp at the Disney Studios in Burbank. I've been there before and I just love it! We were given drinks and finger foods before the screening and popcorn during. We watched the 3D version of the film and I wasn't a big fan. I don't particularly care for 3D films to begin with, I think they're a waste of money. There was nothing spectacular about watching it in 3D.  

Being on the studio grounds is a very magical experience. My dream was to always work at Disney Studios.  

A few days later I went to the press event at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena. I love the Langham. It's beautiful.  My husband took me there once when we were dating. They have a beautiful courtyard garden. While walking through this garden to get to the other side of the hotel, I bumped into Paul Rudd. This was an amazing experience!! I've loved him since before Clueless. Anyway, I digress. I walked back into the hotel from the courtyard and ran into a group of people. within this group was Paul Rudd. We made eye contact, he smiled and I said......nothing. It took a minute for my brain to register the fact that this was in-fact-PAUL-freaking-RUDD!! Before I had time to whip out my phone for a selfie, he was gone and I was already on security's radar. 

As with many of the press junkets I attend, some of the costumes are on hand. I really loved the Wasp costume. Evangeline Lilly is so much fun in this movie. Her fighting scenes are awesome! Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly have great chemistry. How can you not have chemistry with Paul Rudd. He's such a dream!!!  They have this action figure that is so lifelike, its scary. I've never seen anything like it before. I has "facial hair". 

My students know that I have an obsession with FunkoPop dolls. I have a "wall-of-pop" in my classroom. They give them to me as gifts. The Wasp, Hope and Scott are adorable!!

The few days that I spent in the MCU were terrific. Paul Rudd is still adorable. The movie was good, but not great.  I'd give the movie 3 out of 5 Pink Gerber Daisies. Most of the action scenes were already given to us in the commercials. I wasn't surprised by the ending. I actually have some hope for the future, and by future I mean 2019's Avengers 4. Let's face it, we know that in the MCU, no one is really ever truly gone. 

Han Solo, With Some Spoilers

A few weeks ago I was invited to watch Solo and then attend the Han Solo press conference in Pasadena. Let me start off by saying how much I hated The Last Jedi. Fans of the original Star Wars franchise were, made to feel ashamed and stupid for not "understanding" the film. The way they handled the Luke Skywalker character was shameful. (And) Disney is still using Rian Johnson to create even more Star Wars films, WHY??? 

Fast forward to May 25th. I'd heard all the rumors, watched all the videos, read all the stories. Solo: A Star Wars Story, was going to be terrible. You know what, it actually wasn't. Maybe it was the fact that I went into the theater with much lower expectations, but I really liked this movie. To make one thing clear, I'm not saying I loved this film, or that I liked it because I went to the press junket. I actually also went to the press junket for The Last Jedi and I panned that movie in a review. I loved the way the cast interacted with each other. It felt like they actually got along. I thought everyone had amazing chemistry and the story line was good. There were some new characters and I was interested in learning about them. 

Alden Ehrenreich is actually a lot of fun as Han Solo. He may not look like Harrison Ford, but he's cute, and he has this adorable twinkle in his eye and adorable smirk on his face. I also loved Donald Glover, as Lando Calrissian. The two of them together is amazing. Unfortunately, the next time we see them together is in Empire Strikes Back, so a sequel with the two would be out of the question. Chewie is amazing. All of the actors in this film are good. I really liked what the writers and Ron Howard did with Solo. We even get to see some of the events mentioned in A New Hope through Return of the Jedi. For that reason alone, I was pleased with the film. They didn't forget about the fans.

Qi'ra, Solo's love interest, is mysterious and now I want to know more about her, thank you Disney and Lucas Films. Could we please get another movie with Qi'ra? Is this what they are opening the door to? Solo learns from his "master" smuggler (remember there is always "one master and one apprentice"), Tobias Beckett, (played by Woody Harrelson) to, “Assume everyone will betray you, and you’ll never be disappointed.” Words he's lived by ever since. 

Now, the big event at the end of the movie, the big unexpected WOW, the return of Darth Maul. I knew he didn't die, we all knew that. Rebels and The Clone Wars already establishes this fact. We also know that Obi-Wan eventually kills Darth Maul. Here's my hope. Obviously an Obi-Wan film has been rumored for a long time. Everyone LOVED Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace. Let Obi-Wan and Darth Maul's story line continue in the new films. Could this be their plan anyway? 

Obviously my mind is running with all of the possibilities. Looking at the Rotten Tomatoes Scores of both films, there is a huge disconnect between critics and fans. Right now Solo has a 71% Fresh rating with critics and 57% with fans, whereas, The Last Jedi has a 96% with critics and 46% with fans. Did the critics inflate their ratings with The Last Jedi, just to stay on the "right" side of Disney? Is their slight disapproval of Solo a way to appease the audience? I really think Solo deserves a much higher score from both critics and fans. 

No Disney, we are not trying the sabotage the franchise. We just want to be heard. I think Ron Howard did a fantastic job with telling the Han Solo story. There was some nostalgia to this film, that I didn't feel with The Last Jedi.  There are no light sabers in this one, but I'm ok with that. There were a couple of scenes I thought didn't work, like Qi'ra and Han's reunion, but at least no one is floating in outer space like Mary Poppins. 

Things I don't want moving forward with this franchise 1. a Boba Fett movie. I never knew why there was so much interest in him anyway. 2. Stop putting out a new Star Wars film every six months. I think Disney and Lucas Films should have waited a bit before releasing Solo. Many still haven't gotten over the disappointment they felt with The Last Jedi. 

Something I want moving forward, an Obi-Wan film starring Ewan McGregor.

Ok, so I did also attend the press conference and I saw some pretty awesome things. I'm obsessed with Funko Pop! figures. As a matter of fact, I have a wall of Pop at my work. My students love them. As with most movie releases, there were so many new figures released with this film. 

Look at all these Pop! figures, I just bought a Chewie last night

The highlight of the press conference for me was sitting on the Millennium Falcon with Chewie as my co-pilot. 

I got to see many amazing costumes from the film as well. 

Overall, I really liked this movie. Were the story and acting perfect, no but it held my interests from start to finish. In essence, it was a cowboy movie in space, starring a much beloved scoundrel. I would give Solo: A Star Wars Story 4 out of 5 Pink Gerber Daisies. 

Sugar Bloom Beauty Boutique: Pamper Yourself

It's not a secret that I'm obsessed with makeup, skin care and all things organic. I had the pleasure of trying out a spa that recently opened in La Mirada called, Sugar Bloom Beauty Boutique. Sugar Bloom Beauty is owned and operated by makeup artist and esthetician,  Kristy Bradvica. Full disclosure, I've known Kristy for a very long time. She was the makeup artist for my engagement photos and wedding, over ten years ago.

Sugar Bloom Beauty Boutique is located at the Phoenix Salon Suites in La Mirada, California. The cool thing about Phoenix Salon Suites is that it's like a one-stop-shop for beauty lovers. Each proprietor rents their own suite, not chair. The experience is more personal and relaxed. Each suite is decorated to the owner's tastes.

The space was very cozy and comfortable. The products that Kristy has chosen for her facials are organic. She pays particular attention to the ingredients she uses on her clients.  She said she did a lot of research before choosing the skin care line, Skin Script. She likes how she can customize facials to her clients' needs and knows that the ingredients she is using, are healthy for us too, both inside and out.

I had the May special, the anti-aging Blackberry Facial. Kristy stated that, "Anti-aging care should begin in your twenties."  The smell of these products was amazing. You think, 'it's blackberry and it smells amazing, maybe I could eat it', but I was told, unfortunately, it wasn't edible.  The facial was divine. The Blackberry Mask, Kristy said, might tingle on the skin. I didn't notice much of a tingling sensation, for me it was more of a cooling sensation. No one likes pore extraction, but it's the price we pay for beauty. You can ask to skip that part if you're too sensitive, but what's the point of a facial if you don't clean your pores. After the pore extraction, Kristy used the cooling globes all over my skin. These glass orbs cool and refresh the face.

Kristy doesn't just specialize in facials and makeup, she's also licensed in spray tanning and sugaring. This was the first time I tried sugaring. Sugaring has been around since the time of Cleopatra. It's organic, water soluble and works with the temperature of your body. To find out the benefits of sugaring over waxing take a look on her Facebook page Sugar Bloom Beauty Boutique. To say that sugaring is like tiny kittens licking the skin, would be a lie. You do feel it, slightly, but you also feel waxing, hello you're pulling out the hair from your body. Sugaring had a resurgence in the 90's, remember when Monica, Phoebe, Joey and Chandler were stuck in Monica's room on Friends? That was sugaring. There are numerous benefits for the skin in sugaring. 1. The ingredients are natural  2.There's no damaging the skin, like in waxing and 3. Sugaring smooths and exfoliates the skin.  

Kristy also sells many of the amazing products that she uses. Facials begin at $65 with the option for add-ons, (like the refreshing cooling globes). Make sure to check for specials, like May's Blackberry Facial for $60.  Right now Kristy does accept walk-ins, but it's always best to make an appointment. 

Products used in my Blackberry Facial:

• Green Tea Cleanser
• Glycolic Cleanser
• Ageless Hydrating Serum
• Vitamin C Serum 
• Acai Berry Moisturizer 
• Blackberry Enzyme Mask
• Vanilla Bean Hydrating Mask
• SPF 30

I think that it's so important to support local businesses and to support companies using organic products. 

My Ranking of the Marvel Films

Here is my ranking of Marvel films that have been released over the last 15 years.  Remember this is just my personal opinion. I'm curious to see how others would rank these films. I didn't include anything from Fox or Sony. Bravo Disney for acquiring the rights to the X-Men and I guess The Fantastic Four.    

20. Hulk, 2003: I don't know if this can count? I only saw it on cable, once, and I don't think this is considered a part of the MCU, whereas Edward Norton's version is.

19. Captain America: The First Avenger, 2011:  This was a snooze fest. I've watched it only twice, the first time, not really watching but more along the lines of napping. We did not see this in theaters, it was a rental at home. 

18. The Incredible Hulk, 2008: Better than the 2003 version, but I get annoyed at reboots. I can remember when and where I saw this film. My husband and I had just gotten married. We waited until the 4th of July holiday to watch it. 

17. Thor: The Dark World, 2013: This was bad, definitely worse than the original. It felt very rushed. 

16. Iron Man 3, 2013: I wish Iron Man's final solo outing could have been better. 

15. Thor, 2011: Thor's first outing was really bad, sorry Kenneth Branagh, nice try though. There were some funny parts to it, but I just didn't care for the character, The God of Thunder with long hair and a hammer. He was nice to look at though.

14. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, 2017: I thought it was ok, not a favorite, but not bad enough to be at the bottom. Mantis was a great addition. The scenes with Drax and Mantis are the best. 

13. Iron Man 2, 2010: Just ok.

12. Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2015: I felt it was just another rushed film and I was a little lost. Those damn infinity stones!!

11. Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 2014: This was a much better movie!

10. Spider-Man: Homecoming, 2017: I hope Marvel gets to keep the rights for this film. Sony did a horrible job with the reboot and should have left the films alone. He should be called Spider-Boy, not Spider-Man.

9. Guardians of the Galaxy, 2014: Chris Pratt and Dave Bautista are really funny, the end. 

8. Iron Man, 2008: The movie that started it all.  

7. The Avengers, 2012: I really enjoyed this movie, but there are so many more that I love. It was a fun.

6. Ant-Man, 2015: I love Paul Rudd. I really thought the movie was going to be stupid, but I was wrong. It was good. 

5. The Avengers: Infinity War, 2018: I can't wait to see how this ends and bravo for bringing Nick Fury back! P.S. I saw him at LAX on my way to Chicago. I forbade my husband from yelling something out to him. We had to keep our cool. 

4. Doctor Strange, 2016: Come on guys, I'm waiting patiently for a sequel. I LOVED the special effects!! 

3. Black Panther, 2018: I think the hype ruined it for me. Sorry, as much as I LOVE Chadwick Boseman, and I think Black Panther is awesome, I didn't love the movie. 

2. Captain America: Civil War, 2016: I loved this movie!! It was like The Avengers: Infinity War Jr. This was the best of the three and one of my favorite Marvel films! Captain America Civil War

1. Thor: Ragnarok, 2017: This is still my favorite Marvel movie!! I wrote a review a few months back, so I won't say anything more here. Thor Ragnarok

So here is my ranking of the MCU. I can't wait to see what they have in store for us next!





  

Avengers: Infinity War

I love Thor, I love Black Panther, I love Captain America, I love The Avengers. For years now, we have been awaiting the arrival of the "big bad" Thanos. It's no secret that he is the baddie in The Avengers: Infinity War. With that being said, this review comes to you with spoilers. If you haven't yet seen Infinity War and you don't want to be spoiled, turn back now. You've been warned.

At the end of Thor Ragnarok, doesn't Thor meet up with the Guardians of the Galaxy? It was the last "end credit" scene, I mean, am I wrong about that? So here's my idea of a plot hole.  Infinity Wars opens up with Thor and Loki being attacked by Thanos. He wants the infinity stone in the Tesseract. He kills most of the inhabitants of Asgard who were saved in Ragnarok. Loki gets killed again. I hope that this time he stays that way, but more on that later. Thor is flying in space (why does Disney continue to this??  It's lame) and lands on the Guardians spaceship. There is a hilarious exchange between, Thor and the Guardians. Chris and Chris nail it. What a great comedic duo. Drax and Mantis are amazing! But again, why are Thor and the Guardians being reintroduced? Someone please explain this to me, seriously.

The setting takes place in various locations, with various members of Team Avengers working together to try and stop Thanos from collecting all of the Infinity Stones. The purpose to have all the stones is to rid the universe (not just the world) of half the population, so that those who do make the cut, can live happy lives without the fear of starvation and poverty. He succeeds in collecting all six infinity stones, even the Soul stone which is being watched over by Red Skull from Captain America. In order to do this he must trade a soul for a soul, so he kills the only thing he ever loved, his "daughter" Gamora. This annoys me, but more on that later.  Apparently, Thanos is a kidnapper who abducts Gamora from her home planet, after he nearly destroys it.

In the end Thanos, with the snap of his finger, kills almost everyone in the universe, except for all of the ORIGINAL AVENGERS, oh and Rocket.  So, we are left with: Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Captain America, and Bruce Banner. All of the characters who only have one movie left in their Marvel contracts, which means, something will happen and everyone will be resurrected again, a la Justice League's Superman.

Now this is where I have the problem. We know contractually the recently obliterated Avengers will be back. I think that Vision and Loki are truly dead. I hope they are, not because I didn't like their characters, but because we need to have some loss.  They didn't turn to dust like the others. Vision's body was still intact. Loki, we just didn't see again. Thor even states, "He's been dead before." Gamora we know is already coming back. She'll be in Guardians 3. I'm really over the "resurrection" story-line. It's been played out, it doesn't work.

Overall, the movie was wildly entertaining. It kept my attention from start to finish. When Captain America and Thor showed up to the fight, the audience went wild. My husband took a nap, but that's typical. Ragnarok is still my favorite film in the MCU. I definitely liked this movie better than Black Panther, and would recommend it if you're already a fan and have seen the previous films. Newbies would be lost. Articles I've read, stated how connected the Avengers were when they got together to fight, I would have to disagree. My dream is to see everyone working together. I would have LOVED to see an Iron Man and Captain America reconciliation, is that too much to ask? I wish I watched all of the previous films leading up to this one. That would have been helpful. I mean we're talking a ten year span of movies.

This movie only had one end credit scene. Nick Fury calls on Captain Marvel right before he turns to dust. So chances are, she'll be in the next one. Pay close attention to Chris Hemsworth's eyes. Rocket gives him a new eyeball, so no more patch. I was disappointed to not see Ant-Man. I love Paul Rudd so much! I'm thinking, he might be in round two.

Overall, Avengers Infinity War gets 4 out of 5 Pink Gerber Daisies.

UPDATE: One thing I forgot to mention that really irked me, why didn't they just cut off Thanos's arm when they had the chance??? 

Spring Break in Chicago

I saw snow fall for the first time and it was the most magical thing ever. Don't get me wrong, I've seen snow on the ground before, in Big Bear and New York, but being a Socal native, I've never seen a snowfall. Every year my husband and I travel out of state. The last two years we traveled to warmer climates, this year we went to Chicago and had a fantastic time. 

Happy at the beginning

I lost these glasses and I loved them so much!!

I love the big city. I love the shopping, the art, the food and the nightlife. I love the ease of getting around. Chicago was one of the last "big cities" for me to travel to and it didn't disappoint. Be prepared, public restrooms rarely have seat covers, there are only hand driers (these spread germs and spray feces on your face) and charge for bags.   

The views from our room at the Wyndham Grand Riverfront were amazing. I love staying in the timeshare. I feel like I'm at home. Of course you have to deal with the constant sales calls. My hubs and I just ignore them. 

Chicago is known for it's stuffed deep dish pizza. I'm not a fan of deep dish myself, but when in Rome. Our first stop was Bella Bacinos Italian Restaurant. The pizza was good and I enjoyed it. We also had deep dish at Giordano's. This is supposed to be a popular tourist destination. By the end of the trip, I was tired of pizza. 

The first thing we did was brave the freezing temperature to go on a sightseeing tour of Chicago's architecture on Wendella's boat tours. I enjoyed learning about the city's history. The tickets were a bit pricey, but the 75 minute ride was well worth it.

Tax in the city is ridiculously high, be forewarned. It's 10% in the city. I didn't shop a lot. I didn't have room in my suitcases anyway. I had to bring heavy winter coats. You see, because I live in California, it takes my body a few days to adjust to the cold weather, and oh boy was it cold. I thought it was colder than my trip to Massachusetts in November. I don't think that temps reached higher than 34 degrees. 

We spent a lot of time going to the museums. It was a cultural trip. We first went to The Museum of Contemporary Art. I wasn't a fan. Looking back, I wish we would have gone to the Art Institute of Chicago. It holds one of my favorite van Gogh's. 

We also visited one of the public libraries in the city. We went to the Adler Planetarium and Shedd Aquarium. Adler and Shedd were both located near each other. If you have the time, it's easier to kill two birds with one stone. Since we didn't leave our room before noon any day that we were there, we had to make two trips to the area. Take the 146 bus, not Uber.  I also suggest getting a city pass. It gets you to the head of the line in most places. You get tickets to The Field Museum, The Museum of Science and Industry, Shedd Aquarium, Willis Tower, and either the Adler Planetarium or The Art Institute of Chicago, but not both.

Public transportation makes getting around the city a travelers dream. We took the Metro to Wrigley Field. We couldn't go on a tour of the stadium, but we had a good time walking around the Wrigley area. I suggest getting a metro pass for the week. They aren't that expensive and can be used on bus fare too. Parking in the city is ridiculously expensive too, that's why we didn't rent a car, parking would have cost us $66 a night. 

One night we went on a "Gangsters and Ghosts"  tour of the city. It was ok. I think I would have preferred to also go on just a gangster tour and had drinks at a former speakeasy.  I didn't find that there was much of either gangster or ghost on the tour, so we were slightly disappointed. I had a good time nonetheless, looking at the beautiful historical sites. Our tour guide showed us the beginning of Route 66. Now I can say I've been to the beginning and end of famous Route 66. 

Did you know that Sears Tower is no longer called Sears Tower? It's called Willis Tower now. It's super sad, because the last Sears store in the city is closing down this year. I think I would have liked to visit the Hancock building and "Tilt". The day we went, it was closed for a private party and a visibility of zero.  From the Willis Tower, you can see three states on a clear day; Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin. 

Navy Pier was another tourist trap. We had a lovely dinner at a seafood restaurant called Riva's on the pier, but the pier itself is geared more towards kids. They have a children's museum, and arcade. There was a lot of remodeling going on, and it probably wasn't the best season to visit the pier. It did snow the night we were there. 

The shopping is of course amazing. I feel like if I can get it back home, I shouldn't be buying it on vacation. Michigan Ave. has Magnificent Mile. A mile of upscale shops on both sides of the street. We visited two Macy stores and two Sephoras. I just loved to window shop. 

I love movie While You Were Sleeping. To be able to watch that film and identify the locations is really cool. Of course we heard about Ferris Bueller's Day Off, which ironically was also filmed in Long Beach. I was wishing that there was some sort of John Hugh's tour, but sadly, there wasn't. 

The city views were amazing. There was so much to do, I don't feel that we even scratched a portion of the surface. Oh well, it looks like I'll have to travel back to this gorgeous city!!

My favorite picture

One of my dreams has always been to work in the media. It was a privilege to see the Tribune building. 

My sad face having to leave this magical city!

Overall, we had an amazing, cold adventure in the city. I was sad to have it come to an end, but life isn't a vacation. now, we can't wait to start planning our next destination.