usa: illinois: chicago, mundelein, and a festival

My flight back to Chicago went as scheduled, then I took an uber taxi to Kelley's house. I didn't do much of anything the rest of the day, because I didn't have to.
The next day I went with Kelley to work in Arlington Heights, then caught a Metra train from there to Deer Park. I'd made arrangements to meet up for lunch with my friend Laura.
Laura and I met when we worked for the same school in Korea, we've stayed in touch ever since. We're both from the midwest originally, so we have more in common than just teaching in Korea. It was great to catch up with her.
After lunch I got on the next train into the city center of Chicago. I walked all the way to Navy Pier, I don't think I'd been there before. If I have, I don't remember it. From what I could tell, there isn't much to see or do. Have lunch, ride a ferris wheel, or look at the skyline of Chicago.

On the way to Navy Pier I walked by a beach, which was super crowded. I love beaches, but there is no way that would be a good time, even for me.
After Navy Pier I walked to Millennium Park, to see the Bean. It wasn't the first time for me to see the Bean, and it is super touristy, but I still find it fascinating. Everyone is trying to take the perfect photo for their social media profiles. I know that such a photo is impossible, but i did it too. I also took a photo of a guy in a Ronald McDonald costume.
In addition to the Bean I took a few minutes to check out a fountain area of the park. In this area were two digital photos, which regularly changed to show different faces. Nifty.
My train back to Mundelein got back just a few minutes after the post office closed. I probably should've paid better attention to the working hours, and planned accordingly. Sigh.

The next two days I stayed in Mundelein. Kelley and Jon were planning to host a seafood boil party, so we needed to get the house ready. I did some deep cleaning, shopping, and decorating.
The morning of the party I picked up some food and did last minute decorations. Who doesn't love lobster balloons and blow up lobsters? We also put giant googley eyes on the tree out front, just because we could.
Everyone who came to the party brought a side dish, so there was more than enough food. I ate too much, but I didn't regret it.
After the party everyone helped clean up.
A couple hours later we packed up several cars, and drove to the grounds for Ravinia Music Festival. I'd never heard of it, but Kelley and Jon had heard of a performer known for New Orleans style jazz music. 

The concert that night ended up being over three hours, not counting the opening act!
Apparently this festival is a thing, because everyone who goes brings a picnic and chairs and blankets, etc... Fun, and the music was good. Thank goodness traffic wasn't too bad on the way home, and I'm grateful Jon drove home.
It was a great last night with Kelley and Jon. The next day they went to work, and after packing up, I ordered an uber taxi to get to the airport. My driver didn't know how to get to the airport and didn't seem to want to keep his phone on to use GPS, so it was an adventure to get there. The ride was a LOT longer than it should've been.
This won't be the last time I spend time with Kelley and Jon, as they are my chosen family.
Getting back to Moscow was as planned.