Christmas in the City

Because Vince will be in California on Christmas, he and I celebrated our Christmas tonight. We had a very nice and expensive dinner at the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Tower. The reviews we read for this restaurant were not very encouraging that I had second-thoughts of going. Vince convinced me that the people who gave bad reviews may have had bad nights and not due to the food or the service. So, I put on my red sweater top, black pants and shoes, painted my lips with gloss, grabbed my coat, scarf and mittens and reluctantly drove to the restaurant with Vince.

The elevator ride to the 95th floor was quick. We had to wait a little while to get a window table. The ambiance was indeed classy. I wished I wore something more special other than my red sweater and black slacks, but it was a cold night and I wouldn't sacrifice comfort for fashion. (hahaha, Vince would laugh if he read that) We did get our window table, but Vince was disappointed that we were given a table at the very corner of the restaurant. It was almost near the kitchen. We had the view of the Sears Tower and the Navy Pier. From our table, we could see the lights of decorated downtown buildings. It made me realize once again, how beautiful Chicago is.

The menu didn't sound very inviting. They had some salmon, bass, steak and others. The food was all right. I had the Shrimp Linguini and Vince had steak and mushrooms. To be honest, I've had better. The most delicious part of the dinner was the dessert. I loved the Creme Brulee. What creme brulee did I not love, anyway?


All together, I would say it was a nice dinner. The atmosphere of the restaurant was classy, romantic and almost magical. The food and service were good. I just felt that the waiters could try to be a little warmer.

After dinner, Vince and I drove to Oak Park to look at the houses with lights and Christmas decorations. There were only a few but we took pictures of the two houses that were fully decorated from their roofs down to the lawns. They were fun to look at.

When we got home, we opened up our presents for each other. I got Vince his wish. For months, Vince had been begging me to allow him to get an X-Box. I told him he shouldn't get one until he passed his boards. I meant his specialty board. But I always felt bad when he'd tell me, "Should I get an X-Box?" "Can I go to Ernie's place to play?" "Can I get an X-Box?" Ok, ok, I am tired of him telling me that. So I got him an X-Box. He's been a good boy all year, anyway. Now, I think we both should make rules on when to play this thing.

Vince gave me a Coach purse and a CD by ABBA. I think he's tired of me listening to my Mamma Mia soundtrack which he hates so much. He said he prefers the original Abba, not that he likes Abba, but if he had to listen to the songs, he'd rather listen to them than to the Mamma Mia cast. So he went to Best Buy and got me an Abba CD. The purse was bought with the help of our dear friend and shopping buddy, Notch. I am sure glad that Notch has great taste. :)

Pictures to come.