39 and Counting....

We celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary by doing a day trip into Chicago -- train (only way to go into Chicago on a Saturday when it is the Taste AND the Cubs and Sox are playing -- each other!!). Walked from the train station to where we were going to see Jersey Boys and then wandered around looking for a restaurant that was open for lunch. Decided on the Italian Village which was only about a block away. It was wonderful -- incredibly cute and quaint. It actually has three restaurants: Saturdays, Sundays and holidays you are sent upstairs to "The Village." We were put in a little booth that actually was a BOOTH -- little door, tiny window, and almost completely cut off from the rest of the restaurant. If it wasn't for little Johanna in the other half of the booth who screamed most of the way through her lunch -- she did want pasta, she didn't want pasta, she didn't want to share her pasta, she wanted pizza....it would have been terribly romantic. The building was built in 1927, and I didn't have any trouble imagining Al Capone and his cronies brokering deals in that same little booth.

Then we went to Jersey Boys. The theater was amazing. Built 102 years ago, it seats 2400. As soon as I found out it used to be called the Schubert, I remembered I had been there before -- as a freshman (?) student nurse, we were given tickets to see Carol Channing in "Hello Dolly." Same nosebleed section -- but oh, it was fantastic!

We really enjoyed this musical. Warning: the language is a bit rough....but the music is SO our era! The story is about Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons -- just one of the more than 10 or so names that the group was called. Remember songs such as: "Oh What a Night", "Silhouettes", "Earth Angel", "Sherry", "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Walk Like a Man", "My Boyfriend's Back", "Dawn", "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You", and "Rag Doll." ?? They were all there, and more.

Standing ovation -- the roar of the crowd -- great way to celebrate!!