illinois: Chicago

This was the first time I set foot in the states (not counting embassy visits) in just under three years.
To get to the states I had three flights. The first was kyiv to Barcelona. My layover there was 5 hours, so I got the passport stamp, then took the train into the city center. I wanted real food, and I knew there was plenty of it in Barcelona.
I went to a tapas restaurant is visited last summer, and stuffed myself :)
I walked a bit just because I could, then went back to the airport. My next flight was from Barcelona to Madrid. The flight landed later than scheduled, after 8pm. I figured that was too late to go into the city (I'm not a fan of walking around brand new cities in the dark) so I walked around the airport looking for a place to hang out for the night.
The airport in Madrid is not the most comfortable place in which to be stuck overnight.

My last flight was from Madrid to Chicago. My feeling of being overwhelmed started on that flight, I'm not used to being around that many native English speakers!
As I only had a carry on bag, I was able to go through a shorter, quicker queue when I landed in Chicago. Yay! I asked the passport control officer for a passport stamp even though they don't normally stamp the passport of returning Americans. Of course I'm allowed into my own country :)
I found a place to sit, and after about 30 minutes my friend Kelley picked me up. It had been three years since I'd seen her but we picked up like there hadn't been any time at all. Traffic around the airport wasn't bad, it was around 1300.
On the way home, Kelley took me to two supermarkets. I know I've previously mentioned my love of supermarkets, I can explore for hours. 

Our first stop was Trader Joe's, which has its own line of products. Just about everything they sell is from their own brand. Some people are fanatic about various trader joe's products.
Our second stop was Marianno's, another chain supermarket. After buying too much at both places, we went home.
We picked up Kelley's husband, and went to dinner at a sushi place. It was my first experience at one of those places where sushi pieces are put on a moving belt, and you can take whateva you want. Yum.
After dinner we went to another American 'icon' (but I don't want to admit to the name) for basic necessities like shampoo and lotion and travel size bottles. (I'd had those bottles previously, but left them in the baths in Budapest.)
For dessert we each had a shake at Steak 'n Shake. More yum.

Before flying to the states I'd told Kelley I wanted to get onto the right time zone as fast as possible. I didn't sleep much on the flights, and wanted to stay awake until at least 8pm, which wasn't easy. As we were returning from dinner and shopping Kelley could see me nodding off in the car, so she suggested a walk to a nearby lake. Perfect idea. We walked for a bit, and I was quite proud of myself for staying awake until 2100.
The next day was the 4th of July, a major American holiday; so we had lunch at a fantastic Japanese ramen restaurant called misoya. I'm told it's authentic. You get to choose what type of broth you want, and what goes into the pot.
We 'celebrated' the holiday by doing what Americans do best: shop. I had a list of stuff I wanted to buy while I was in the states. I walked out after spending money in an apple store, cinnabon, t-mobile, and teavana.
That night we had dinner with two friends I met during the Ireland trip, it was good to catch up and meet their new baby. The baby cried both times I held her, she didn't cry with anyone else, boooo. After dinner we all stood on the front lawn and were able to watch the fireworks being set off by the city of Mundelein. Fun stuff. That's another thing done very well by Americans: set off fireworks.
The next day was a Sunday, but Kelley had to work. She wore black because she want happy about working. 

I continued my shopping spree with Kelley's husband by going to an electronics store and spending a heap more money.
The husband and I got home before Kelley, so we went to the gym. I swam for 30 minutes, feeling as though I was going to drown the entire time. At the same time, it felt good to do something active.
Monday Kelley dropped me off at a train station, I rode into Chicago. I got to meet up and spend a few hours with my friend Laura; she and I met when we taught at the same school in Seoul. I love catching up after a few years, in a new place. Go figure, the first restaurant we wanted was closed, as was the first bakery we tried. Fortunately, second options were available for both main course and dessert.
For dinner I met up with another girlfriend I met overseas, Megan. Megan and I met in garmisch, more than 10 years ago. She is making a big change in her life, changing careers, I'm excited for her.
Getting home ended up being an adventure. It turns out the trains to the suburbs stop running at something like 1900. That's not very helpful if you're a visitor like me. I definitely don't party all night, but 1900 still strikes me as super early.

The following day Kelley and I had a girls day. We started by going to the Chicago botanical garden, I'd never heard of it before. The entry fee is per car, so it can be cheaper if you come with more friends.
The entire area is divided into separate areas of themed gardens. We both liked the Japanese gardens the best. It was nice to wander and relax.
For lunch Kelley found an afghani restaurant, called Kabul house, in Skokie. Not only was the food great, it was really well presented. On the way out of that town to our next sight, we stopped at a bakery called sweetie pies, or something like that. I had no willpower at all, and ended up buying a red velvet cake truffle, a raspberry chocolate chip scone, and a raspberry/blueberry pie. That pie was AMAZING.
Our second sight of the day was the Baha'i house of worship. Beautiful building. There was a visitors center, showing both the history of the religion in general, as well as the history in the Chicago area. I really like the way it takes aspects of Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc....
These few days were a fantastic way to adjust to being back in the states. Kelley and her husband are awesome.