Addendum

Silly me. I forgot all about our annual trip to Chicago because the pictures were on a different camera. Kate came along this year as the official photographer. We now have pictures of both of us for the Christmas letter.

Terry and I at Christkindlmarket

We started with lunch at Christkindlmarket. We had some hard decisions to make. So many choices! Kate got potato pancakes. I had curry sausage (a sliced brat swimming in what seems to be ketchup and curry powder served with a roll). Terry had a brat with sauerkraut. Terry and I had German beer. Kate, not a beer drinker, had water. How sad for her.

Lunch

Kate wanted to look at the glass ornaments. So did everyone else. We inched around the crowded shops paying close attention to the position of our elbows amid the fragile ornaments. She did not see anything that inspired her.

Wanting a little something sweet after lunch, we split a Rice Krispie treat dipped in dark chocolate. I make better ones, frankly. This stall did not use real butter, I can tell you that. As we continued our walk around the block, we spotted a woman eating a large and delicious-looking chocolate donut. The bakery stall selling same was nearby. We split one of those, too, and it was still warm. Awesomeness. I could see a real advantage of having a third person to share food with. We could sample more things.

We did the usual tour, with our next stop at the store formerly known as Marshall Field, now Macy. On our way we passed this building and had the following conversation:

Me: Go Do Good

Kate: I read that as ‘Go Do Go Odd’

Terry: Me too.

Here are the outside decorations on State Street

Macy's along State Street

The Tiffany ceiling with hanging stars

The Great Tree in the Walnut Room

Terry and I by the fountain where people have been meeting for over a century

The Christmas tree that used to be in Daley plaza at Christkindlmarket was moved to Millennium Park this year to allow Christkindlmarket to expand.

The Christmas tree in Millennium Park--the lights didn't show up very well during the day

It was a nice day to see reflections in the Bean (official name: Sky Gate). Here is a picture of me taking a picture of Kate taking a picture of herself.

Kate photographing reflection in the Bean, Terry and I are in the background

We walked up Michigan Avenue, admiring the decorations on the Tribune Towers and the Wrigley Building.

Entrance of the Tribune Towers

The Wrigley Building

This tree was outside of the Hancock.

We had a drink in the Signature Lounge on the 96^th floor. Unlike last year, when we could only see the snow coming out of the clouds, we had a nice view of the city.

Our table by the window in the Signature Lounge

And we walked back to the train station to go home. Kate’s pedometer said we’d been 6.5 miles. I wonder if that was enough to work off the chocolate donut….