Not As Expected

There are a lot of things in my life that have turned out 'not as expected'....in yours too? I won't bore you with all the unpleasant details about my life.  On tuesday, I and 3 other friends, went on a bus trip with a bunch of Red hatters. The trip was not as expected, not as described in the email we received. It was a 'Bling trip' to Chicago. None of us were really interested in buying any bling....our group is pretty casual. I have lots of hats, scarves, and jewelry. Two of the gals did purchase fascinators (small hat type headbands), they were quite inexpensive. I would have purchased a purple one but they were sold out.

One of the things we wanted to do was take the $3 water taxi to the Wrigley Building on Michigan Ave to see some of the architecture. When the tour guide called to confirm the day before we left she was told that they don't run after Labor day. I am not sure who thought that it would be available in Oct. Instead of that we drove around town and the lakeshore.

 

 We didn't have time to stop at Navy Pier.

 We were hungry and opted for an early lunch and a shorter shopping time. I was up at 4:30 and left an hour later. It was fun looking around.... I love these labels.

  I am probably one of the few people who has not spent any time in Chicago so it was interesting to me to see some of the sights.

 It's hard to take pictures while riding on a bus. I spotted this neat 'portal' while sitting at a stop sign.

 Sailboats at the lake. Sailing is on my bucket list, but I don't think it's going to happen. 

The Gold Star Families Memorial

 The email describing the trip also said we'd get to tour a fortune cookie factory. That didn't happen either.....the bus drove in the alley to the cookie outlet, we could only purchase cookies. We did get some delicious cookies for a great price tho!!!!

Connie, Debbie, Carolee, and me.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day to be outdoors, sunny and upper 70's (at least). The parts of the city that we saw were very pretty; large pots of flowers downtown, racks of blue bikes to rent and ride in the city, interesting buildings (both old and new). No, the trip was not what we were anticipating, but it was fun anyway. It was a good time spent with friends in a different setting than our everyday spots.

I was the designated driver, but will only do so if I have someone to ride shotgun for me. I didn't sleep well the night before and had a headache for most of the day. I think  I got home after 9....and was in bed before 10. My alarm went off at 5:35 for work today. One of the other gals was sick to her stomach from all the starting and stopping I was doing during the morning rush hour in Milwaukee. Yes, next time I leave extra time for rush hour.

The bottom line is that it wasn't the best trip, nor was it what I expected but I did have a good day! I love going places and seeing different things so I will definitely be open to more day trips. That Red Hat group is planning a spring trip to Nashville or Memphis.....I've penciled it in my calendar!