Birthday Weekend in Chicago

I love musical theatre. Sometimes the storylines make me think (Miss Saigon) or learn about history (Les Miserables). Other times it’s just fun to escape into another world (Wicked and Mamma Mia). Anyway, when I heard that two musical theatre legends - Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth - were coming to Chicago in December with a new musical that’s heading to Broadway next spring, I had to get tickets. And downtown Chicago during the holiday season is filled with activity, so my friend and I decided to splurge and stay overnight. The weekend we chose also happened to include my birthday. Great idea!

We left around 8:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, driving to Michigan City and picking up the commuter train there. What a perfect way to travel. After arriving downtown we walked a few blocks to our hotel and then had lunch at one of my favorite Chicago restaurants, The Corner Bakery. Although it was chilly, the day was actually sunny and it was nice to walk.

We arrived at the Ford Center Oriental Theatre for the afternoon matinee performance of The Adams Family and enjoyed the show. It was so incredible to see Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth right there! The actors all did a wonderful job and the story was fun. We had awesome seats fairly close to the front (of course we had ordered them almost six months earlier).

Because it was my birthday, I was convinced I was going to get my picture taken with the two stars of the show. That was going to be the headline for my blog - a photo of me with Nathan and Bebe. After the show we found the door that the actors use to leave the theatre (leading into an alley) and waited with about ten other people. We saw a number of people leave, but neither Nathan nor Bebe came out. After waiting about 45 minutes (and outlasting the others who were also waiting), we realized they either had an alternate exit or were staying at the theatre until the evening show. So, instead of a photo of me with the two stars of the show, I have a photo of me waiting for the two stars. Oh well.

After the show, we wandered the streets of downtown Chicago and enjoyed Macy’s Christmas windows, the German Kristkindlmarkt, the downtown ice-skating rink, and Giordanos deep-dish pizza before heading back to our hotel for chocolate desserts.

We stayed at the Palmer House Hilton, which is one of the oldest hotels in downtown Chicago. The lobby is very elegant with a beautifully painted ceiling and the Christmas decorations were lovely. The hotel also contains several elaborate ballrooms; it was fun to explore the different areas. Everyone was very friendly and helpful and the location was perfect for us. I would definitely recommend it.

After a leisurely breakfast the next morning, we headed back to the train station and made our way back to Holland. What a fun time. I’m looking forward to going again … maybe next summer?