Saturday 31 May 2025
Our penultimate day in Chicago was a fun and varied one.
Weather report: cool but sunny. Jeans again today.
Football scores from Australia report: Waratahs bad in Auckland, Swans deplorable at home and Manly successful at Brookie. One out of three. Not the best way to wake up! (Sounds like I should be grateful for not having to watch the Tahs and Swans games)
After breakfast we went to watch Nolan play t-ball nearby. He had a few good hits but stubbornly refused to do more than a very slow-motion walk to first base. More often than not, it was fast enough to get there ahead of the ball. Nice to see Will’s parents Paul and Mary there – it has been a few years since I last got to chat with them.
Brian and Debbie were also at Nolan’s game, and later we joined them at Edison Middle School where Bri was playing softball. The field is between a school and a cemetery, and when there are older kids playing, it’s not uncommon for foul balls to be hit in amongst the graves, necessitating someone climbing the fence to get them back! What a job…
Frank and Ivana were there as well as Jane and all the other Alley kids, and one of the guys who is usually in for the annual White Sox game (which didn’t happen this year, with the team on the road this week), Mike De La Rosa. Fun to catch up with everyone, and watch Bri’s team record a memorable and high-scoring one-run win. Thanks entirely to Mike’s coaching prowess. Or, at least, that’s what he would want me to say.
Downtown Wheaton for lunch at Shane’s Deli, one of the great local eateries. They took my old favourite off the menu during the Covid period, but there are plenty of great choices. Sitting outside in the sun, with a packet of Miss Vickie’s Jalapeno chips accompanying my Buffalo Chicken Grinder, which has roasted chicken, mozzarella, onion, green pepper, buffalo sauce, ranch, lettuce, tomato between slices of French bread. Really, really good. Shane’s is one of my favourite places to eat here.
After lunch, we walked down to Kimmer’s, an ice-creamery that is celebrating it’s fifteenth year in business and tenth year in Wheaton. There, we watched our friend Scott Weller, who is a local councilman, “compete” in an ice cream eating contest along with some other local dignitaries, including the mayor of Wheaton.
It sounds easy to eat one cup of ice cream, but it’s harder than you might think, with the brain freeze and how cold the ice cream is. Scott ended up coming in second. I like to think that having international support in the crowd helped him out. As usual, hanging with the Weller’s meant meeting all sorts of different people. Everyone knows them!
Aside from being a personal trainer, Kristina also has a balloon business that is thriving. Cool to see some of her best work at Kimmer’s today. Downtown Wheaton is really thriving. They have closed down one of the main thoroughfares through town, which is lined with bars and restaurants on both sides, and set up giant tents with tables and chairs underneath for outdoor dining. Perfect for the kind of warm nights I haven’t gotten to experience on this trip so far. This year, there’s even a bar set up under the tents. A really cool idea.
Fun day – one more to go in Chicago. As always, sad to be leaving but also happy to be coming home.
kitchtrips 