#chicago staycation

[stoneyocean]

Things to do in Chicago

[copperbadge]

Lately, it's felt like every time I've started to work on writing, I'll just be getting into the rhythm of it when I get interrupted, either by work or the cats or because the time I'd booked in the library study room is up (you can only do two hours at a time, and only four hours a week total). It was getting to the point where I kept re-reading the same chapter or so of previous work but never managing to add to it.

So I tried an experiment this past weekend -- I found a really cheap rate on a local hotel room, and on Friday I took an overnight bag and a very old laptop with limited processing power and checked into a room about a mile from home for a quasi "staycation". I unpacked and had a quiet night on Friday, as prelude to working Saturday-Sunday. The idea was to write uninterrupted by other people, pets, the presence of all my Stuff around me at home, et cetera.

I had snacks but I also bought meals out, which was nice; I don't often order in or buy out when I'm at home. The way I set up was that I would do fifty minutes of writing with do-not-disturb engaged on my phone and then ten minutes of checking email, texts, etc. since often what pulls me out of writing is a text or an email that needs answering, or the anxiety that I'm missing one that would. If I set it so that every hour I check, well, nobody's going to die if something doesn't get answered in an hour, so the anxiety isn't there, and neither is the distraction. (I found a nice app for this, review later depending on how functional it continues to be for me, but it's a like $4 app called Forest.)

It worked pretty well -- writing for an uninterrupted hour, as long as I know what I'm working on, is very functional for me. I average about two thousand words, that way, though there is a limit to the number of hours I can put in. I ended up doing two hours in the morning and one hour in the afternoon, then switched from fiction writing to clearing out my tumblr drafts and some correspondence for the fourth hour. So it went something like

Go out and get breakfast, bring back and eat in room

Change into lounging clothes and do two one-hour sessions

Go out and get lunch, eat lunch out

Bit of a rest break back in the room

Two one-hour sessions, one of writing; when tired, switch to something that requires less creativity

Go out and get dinner, bring back and eat in room

And then in the evening the plan was to watch movies or catch up on reading, but I ended up being mentally weary, so instead I did some simple tarot reading. It was less divination or even meditation than just messing around, keeping the creativity stimulated; I did a couple of Creative Writing spreads, some very brief divination spreads (I nicked a nice three-card spread here that I mentally call He To Hecuba, and just used it in general rather than for a specific question) and then invented a spread when I was starting to get irritated that the same like, five cards kept coming up, more on this in its own post.

Sunday I did one more writing session but it was less successful, I think partly because what I was writing required a lot of research and partly because the previous day I'd dumped eight thousand words into the file. (Research took longer because I brought the most garbage laptop known to man, and the browsers crash if you try to open Google Maps, but in other ways it was ideal since there wasn't much I could do on it other than write.) But I had a good breakfast, got some rest, packed up easily enough, and headed home just ahead of the rain storm.

I don't think it's something I'll be able to do in that format especially often, since the deal I got on the hotel was an anomaly and Chicago lodging, even just AirBNB stuff, is stupid expensive. But in addition to helping get some work done it was a nice break, so I'm going to look into ways I could swing it on a perhaps monthly basis, or some other way to cheaply spend an entire day alone with decent access to a bathroom/snacks and a way to come and go easily. I've looked into coworking spaces before but they tend to be prohibitively expensive and don't really have the setup I'd prefer; there's a hostel on the north side with private rooms that I might try out but it doesn't seem significantly cheaper than a hotel. I might just have to pick one weekend a month and watch last-minute hotel price cuts where they simply want to fill a room for a day or two.

Anyway, functionally I wrote almost a fifth of a novel this weekend, and one that I wasn't feeling super on fire about; I'm feeling much better about it now that I've got some established plot going and I feel like I "know" the newer characters a bit better. (Also I'm enjoying writing Simon as someone who is absolutely entranced by his love interest and clueless that what he's feeling isn't mild antipathy because they met while fighting over ricotta.) So it was a big help, although if I were to put a budget line item in the Extribulum Press ledger for "writing staycation" it would wipe out my royalties surplus very quickly.

[notbecauseofvictories]

what if I did a staycation with a musical, fancy dinner, and free day at the chicago leather museum. is that anything.

[squadmuse]

DATES ALPHABET

THE MATT CASEY EDITION

A/N: @deanstead 's genius mind and fantastic Matt fics plus her anons have got me deep in the Matt rabbit hole, much love & kudos to them all… so here is my first ever Matt fic!

A - Amusement Park / Arcade

An arcade date definitely happens when you’re dating Matt. The two of you walk along Navy Pier one evening, it’s a lovely summer night and both so in love - you play shooter games, racing simulators, throwing games and more, with Matt winning you so many cuddly bears & animals.

B - Biking / Brunch

Brunch usually happens as a date for you and Matt to catch up after a long shift. You’ll meet each other there and get a booth, cuddling up and chatting away over some nice coffee or fruit juice, pancakes and fruit. The two of usually playfully steal bites of the others order.

C - Candlelit dinner / Cabin getaway

Matt will ask Kelly for use of his cabin once in a while, usually for the day during a holiday. The two of you unplug (not entirely due to careers) and enjoy being around nature.

D - Dinner Cruise / Drive-in Movie

The dinner cruise date is usually reserved for anniversaries and it’s something that you and Matt always look forward to and enjoy the nice meal on the water.

E - Eiffel Tower / Escape Room

Matt loves spoiling you and one time took you to Paris, France for a vacation holiday and one of your dates there was up the Eiffel Tower. He is a big romantic gesture guy and where else than the City of Love?

F - Football Game / Fireworks

The 4th of July celebrations are a date where you and Matt cuddle on a picnic blanket if he’s luckily not working, and watch the Chicago sky light up but if Matt is on shift then he’ll have you come to 51 and watch them there with you.

G - Gala / Glamping

A gala date happens more when Matt is an alderman but it happens once in a while for a charity or the firehouse. He looks extremely dashing in his dress uniform and you look lovely in your gown.

H - Hockey Match / Harvest Festival

Matt surprises you one autumnal Saturday with a date to a harvest festival. The two of you just enjoy the day, drinking cider, eating pumpkin pie and kissing in corn mazes together.

I - Interior Design Expo / Italian Restaurant

Somehow you and Matt ended up an interior design expo one weekend through his construction job and make it a date. Matt is in his element and thinks of ideas for his renovations etc. while you love the art and design side of things but the two love the merging of your interests.

J - Jacuzzi / Jogging

Matt Casey in jacuzzi is something we all need and it’s something you set up one date night staycation, bringing him to the warm jacuzzi to relax and enjoy which he does and does some more with you in your bikini.

K - Kayaking/Kickboxing

With you and Matt working shifts, one way you have dates is at the gym and you get him into trying out a kickboxing class with you and you both enjoy it.

L - Lakeside getaway / Live Music

A grateful survivor gifted Matt some tickets to a rock concert and of course he took you. Much like the Rush concert, the two of you got front row seats, met the band and got a backstage tour too.

M - Museum / Masquerade

You and Matt like to just spend quiet time with each other and Chicago is a wealth of museums that the two of you wander around hand in hand just enjoying the history around you both.

N - Nightclub / Nine Pin Bowling

Matt and you are very competitive and whenever there is a bowling tournament or game held in the firehouse then the two of you are revving each other up and riling up each other too.

O - Observatory / Orchestra Concert

The orchestra date happens when Matt is an alderman and the two of you are attending a benefit concert for the children’s hospital. It ends up being a soothing experience and the two of you enjoy the new date.

P - Picnic / Photoshoot

Matt and you will have picnic dates during the summer or spring, stretched out on the blanket enjoying each other’s company and laughing as you feed each other grapes or cuddling against a tree in the public park.

Q - Quiz Night / Quiet Time

One night Mollys holds a quiz night and of course you and Matt team up together to compete. He’s a smart guy - intellectually, emotionally & street, and so are you - so it’s no wonder that the two of you walk away with the top prize.

R -Resort Weekend / Road Trip

The road trip date happens when you and Matt go away for a long weekend or public holiday. You’ll pack the car up to go camping and roll the windows down, laughing and singing along to the radio.

S - Spa Day / Swimming

You’re big on keeping up your swimming abilities and the healing power of the water, so once or twice you have dragged Matt to your favourite pool or beach and just swim around. You do end up making out a few times but Matt tries to keep it PG-13 in public.

T - Tiki Bar / Tango Lessons

The tiki bar dates that you and Matt have, usually result in massive hangovers the next day but you both have a ton of fun and Matt is cute in his Hawaiian shirt and you’re cute with your luau on.

U - Upscale Dining / Unplugged Date

Matt enjoys just switching off and getting away from electronics. Sometimes the two of you will read together, just snuggle or sometimes cook

V - Valentines Day / Volunteer

Matt always makes sure he is the one organising your Valentines Day dates together and he always goes all out. Dinner cruises, fancy restaurants etc. these dates are very special to you and Matt.

W - Woodworking / Weekend

As Matt has his construction job, one way you end up sort of helping or doing something linked to his hobbies and skills is via woodworking, and he loves seeing how excited you get after creating something out of the wood.

X - eXcursions / eXpensive

Now an excursion date between Matt and you varies from date to date. It can be sailing and fishing, food tours, aquariums etc. they’re never the same and never boring.

Y - Yacht Cruise / Yoga

You love yoga and whenever you see that Matt is getting stressed out or worked up with his duties, you drag him to the yoga studio and get him into the different positions and he jokes that you want him more flexible for more mature reasons.

Z - Zoo / Zip Lining

You love animals and so does Matt, so the Lincoln Park Zoo is sometimes a date idea. Sometimes it’s a date shared between you both as you take the younger Herrmann kids out for the day or Boden’s son but either way, you and Matt just enjoy any time spent together.

[stpauligirl]

New Tag Game Questions

Tagged by: @amillcitygirl and @gardenarcana

Age when you joined Tumblr: 30-something

Favorite coffee mug or tea cup: For our Christmas cards one year, a digital illustrator friend of ours did our portrait. It was me riding my Vespa and StPauliGuy on his motorcycle. And when we had the cards printed at Shutterfly we also had the design put on some coffee mugs. Because why not?

Morning showers or night showers: how are y'all showering at night at then going to bed with wet hair? I wake up with the worst bed head every day that I have no choice but to shower in the morning.

Pets sleeping on your bed, yes or no: prefer not because dirty. When I'm feeling indulgent I will put her dog bed on the floor next to my bed (she doesn't normally sleep in my bedroom). If my dog tries hard enough she can jump up onto the bed by herself, and I don't have the heart to push her off.

Favorite type of vacation (relaxing, adventure, educational, staycation): adventure/educational. Give me some enrichment! I love museums. I want outings and activities. I want to come back feeling like I've accomplished something.

Can you keep plants alive: yes, and especially now that i use self-watering planters

Type of kid you were (sport kid, art kid, music kid): reading kid (stealing this answer from gardenarcana)

Your current ringtone: umm... whatever the default iPhone ringtone is?

Tagging: In the spirit of boop I'm going to tag lots of folks to play, but of course no pressure! @majoris @mariavlc82 @clubgetright @stars-inthe-sky @arleney @wildlingoftarth

Bonus:

This was the prior year's Christmas card. We were living in Chicago so this is us in front of the Sears Tower.

[if-only-angels-could-prevail]

my parents and sister and brother in law are visiting chicago for Christmas which I am v grateful for and they said I could stay in their airbnb and I was like “ohhhh no thanks I usually sleep better in my own place” but then I showed up and they’ve rented a Full Ass House??? i have my own bedroom??? and there’s a blizzard outside??? wtf was I thinking, of course I want to do a staycation during a blizzard

[uswnt5]

Oohh it could be an anniversary staycation! I swear their dating anniversary has to be in October because when they went to Alinea in Chicago it definitely seemed like a celebratory occasion. Makes me wonder if they don’t officially have a wedding anniversary yet

in my mind their wedding anniv is 7/23 cause they're gross like that

[beckyandrick]

Ledgewood girls in Costa Rica

During my junior and senior year of college I lived with 9 other girls on the corner of Ledgewood and Dana avenues at Xavier University in Cincinnati. The 10 of us became ‘the Ledgewood Girls’ and 25+ years later…the name still sticks.

Over the last several months 4 of the 9 other Ledgewood girls have made their way to Costa Rica for adventures. Liz and Gish came with Liz’s friend Ellen in January and we did all the things in La Fortuna and I was good about getting a blog up soon after. But then things got busy and I have not caught up on the blog since Mindy and Bridget/family visited!

Mindy and I were roommates right after college too and then she headed off to Chicago where she has lived since. It had been way too long since we hung out but we always go right back.

Mindy came down for a chill week to escape the cold, gray Chicago winter back in February. While I worked she had a ‘Hotel Hochstetler’ staycation but we did manage to fit in a day trip to La Paz Waterfall gardens, the Starbucks coffee farm and some low key nights catching up on the patio soaking up the warm weather before she had to head back north.

Loved catching up, Min!

Then in March, Bridget and her family came down for Semana Santa (Easter week/spring break). We planned a two part trip starting in the tropical dry forest of Guanacaste at Rio Perdido and then headed to the beach in Tamarindo.

Rio Perdido was crazy hot and dry by this point in the dry season so the thermal river that Rio Perdido was known for and the hot spring pools weren’t exactly what we needed but we made the best of it and sweated through hikes, soaks and silly yoga moves.

Then we moved onto Tamarindo. We had an Airbnb with a gorgeous view up away from the town which turned out to be perfect since Easter Week is one of the 2 busiest weeks of the year in Costa Rica and specifically in Tamarindo.

We had some fun adventures on ATVs and a sunset cruise, morning runs on the beach and afternoons soaking up the sun on the beach or up at our pool.

Loved being able to spend the week making new memories with old friends. ❤️

Cheers to Ledgewood in Costa Rica! Now I just need to get the rest of the girls here!

[violetsystems]

Thankfully I’m off work today. All I really did was watch a zeiram marathon. As if there was any other option other than giving my cat a bath. I haven’t been playing erdtree because the AC was broken. So now that it is fixed that is also an option for entertainment. I did grill some chicken on the George Foreman outside. Block was roped off for a party. I’m sure you could’ve crashed an errant beanbag game. I didn’t realize it was called cornhole until it came up in conversation at a work party with an HR representative. I don’t want to begin to navigate that conversation. It is a nice place to work. Nicer when you get unexpected days off. I’m off every friday for six weeks later in the summer. I don’t have any vacation to spend until August. Chicago is kind of like a long staycation for me. When the ac is working. I’m sure it could be far worse. And it has. So never look back as they say. 🧊

[sasorikigai]

4, 11, 23, 42!!

Munday This or That || @somniaxperdita || accepting

4. crunch peanut butter or smooth peanut butter?

I'm mostly fan of the neither, since I didn't grow up eating peanut butter regularly (peanut butter and jam sandwiches weren't really my typical lunch during my school years, let me put it that way). The only time I would eat peanut butter nowadays is whenever bagels and peanut butter spreads would be offered after the race (10K or more) and I'm famished for carbs and energy. I always have gravitated towards crunch peanut butter due to more interesting texture. I just have a strong preference when it comes to the contrasting textures (the stickiness of the butter and the hardness of the peanut pieces) and that pretty much goes for all the other foods as well.

11. vacation or staycation?

If such circumstance allows, vacation all the way! Since my work puts a huge limitation on when I can travel and the duration of days that I can travel, whenever I can get a chunk of a week off to myself, I will often be the travel planner for my family. I do enjoy researching and looking into restaurants and museums, because I'm foremost an art lover and a foodie. Huge bonus points if I get to travel and run like what I did in Chicago, as I ran Chicago Marathon this year in October. I also plan to travel to Germany next year so I can do Berlin Marathon and hit Oktoberfest afterwards.

23. board games or video games?

Neither! I don't really like either of them, except the ones which I can play on my PC. I used to play Lost Ark and Diablo IV when it came out, but as always, I tend to go all in for a short time and get hugely invested and passionate, but then I quickly lose interest once I hit certain levels with the character(s) I'm only interested in playing. If anything involves games, I would rather play cards with my family (it is a family tradition at this point), or simply workout at the gym I go to and tackle benchmarks so I can better myself fitness-wise.

42. win the lottery or land your dream job?

Despite certain drawbacks of my work (after all, all professions have their pros and cons), I absolutely love what I do (I am an art teacher at a private Montessori school) and will continue to do what I am exceptionally good at. I would really like to win the lottery so I can financially support myself to run all six Abbott Major Marathons, which are Boston, New York, Chicago, Berlin, London, and Tokyo.

[nancyblackwords]

Chicago hotel guide: 7 new, updated and renovated spots for summer tourists and staycations

http://dlvr.it/SqhcXc

[m-ultraarticles]

2 Chicago Hotels Land on US News & World Report's '50 Best Hotels' List for 2023 - NBC Chicago

Please Click The Ads…It Helps Us A Lot…Thank You. Can’t take a vacation? With two Chicago hotels newly deemed some of the top hotels in the nation, you might want to consider a staycation instead. In a list that spans an Inn in Ojai, an adults-only luxury hotel in Vermont, a resort in Hawaii and a mansion in South Carolina, U.S. News & World Report has released its list of “The 50 Best Hotels in…

[travelonlinetipsofficial]

Chicago Illinois Travel Guide 4K - Travel Online Tips CHICAGO TRAVEL GUIDE: Have you been in search of things to do in Chicago when you visit? This Chicago travel Videos #Videos #travel #love #photooftheday #nature #photography #instagood #travelgram #travelphotography #travelblog #travel #travelgram #travelphotography #wanderlust #instatravel #travelling #travel #travelgram #photooftheday #travelphotography #trip #instatravel #foodandtravel #foodie #foodporn #food #foodblogger #foodphotography #foodies #foodiesofinstagram #travel #foodpornshare #sogood #travelonlinetips #MarkWeins #holiday #vacation #staycation

[raisingkidsinchicago]

July 4th Weekend Across All Chicagoland and More

July 4th Weekend Across All Chicagoland and More

July 4th weekend is upon us, bringing with it cookouts, fireworks, and outfits of red, white, and blue. Chicagoland is home to its fair share of festivities, and there are many others within driving distance in the communities of Southwest Michigan, Northwest Indiana, and Southeast Wisconsin. The following are some of our favorites: Chicago The Grant Park Music Festival’s Independence Day…

[omnomwithrob]

Tossed salad and scrambled eggs.

Our Valentine’s Day Staycation 2020 at the Palmer House downtown was great. To quote Wayne Campbell, “she’s a babe.” 

We came, we slept, we ate toast on the floor. 

After checking out, we went meandering for a place to eat breakfast. Tourist activities ensued. 

We didn’t find a lot of enticing breakfast options on foot in that part of downtown, but a cursory google search pointed us to a funny little area just north of Daley Park, where we would find Eggy’s Diner. It was this big square (or I guess rectangle) of land that seemed completely secluded but surrounded on all sides by tall buildings and housing. So quiet and peculiar, almost as if it was made to be a private little oasis for the housing on its west side.

We had worked up quite an appetite on our morning romp in the city, so I was pumped for a big diner breakfast. I had the crab cake benedict, which on the whole was pretty good. The crab cake itself could have been a bit crispier, and the chipotle hollandaise on top was a little spicy for me, but I enjoyed the nice crabby flavor. I especially loved the smaller bites of “Eggy’s potatoes,” which had tasty deep-fried flavor and a seasoning that reminded me of curly fries. The bigger bites didn’t benefit from the same ratio of crispy, flavorful crust.

Rob had the “Eggy’s Breakfast Sandwich,” which involved two over-medium eggs, bacon, dressed greens, housemade red onion jam, and herby aioli. On the bite he shared with me, I found myself most loving the runny yolk from the egg combined with the greens - so moist and satisfying! 

Eggy’s had a very large and diverse menu, which isn’t always a great sign that a restaurant can do any style particularly well, but I was excited by their options. It seems like a great breakfast spot for the folks in that neighborhood, and they did a great job with the quirky, neighborhood-y, diner feel right in the middle of downtown. 

So not only would I recommend Eggy’s if you’re in downtown Chicago for a slightly off-the-tourist-path option, I would also recommend vacationing and staycationing here in general! I’m hopeful that with more and more folks getting the COVID vaccine, we will be able wander in such a carefree way around our city once again. Chicago truly is a wonderful place that we are so lucky to call home.

Caroline 

[jelspics]

Bar 94 at 360 Chicago