Another magical evening

Hi everyone:

We're back in our hotel room after a pleasant evening out at the Goo Goo Dolls concert at the Chicago Theatre. We were only four rows from the stage so, for the photo we're sharing here, I kept the camera completely free of zoom. We were close enough to read the text on the artists' clothes and instruments.

In addition to the Goo Goo Dolls, we saw Mat Kearney, K.T. Tunstall, and two of the members of O.A.R. If you're not familiar with these other bands, give their music a listen; they are all really very good. Many thanks to David and Rick, who work with the Goo Goo Dolls, for making this happen at no cost to us.

Ultimately, the evening proved to be longer than Patty's endurance. About eight songs into the Goo Goo Dolls' set, I looked over to see how Patty was doing--and noticed she was asleep. At that point, I suggested that perhaps we could finish our evening on a lower-key note in our hotel room, and Patty agreed. It was so nice, though, to see Patty dancing to much of the music; I could watch her do this all night long. As I write this, we are back in our room, Patty has gained a bit of a second wind, and we're happy about a really nice evening out together.

Our hotel room is incredible. For a very, very low rate (what do they say--a price too low to print?), Patty is enjoying a wonderful suite at the W City Center Hotel (thank you, Andrew.) Okay, I'm enjoying it, too--but the goal was to provide Patty with a special night out and, so far, mission accomplished. We had a low-key dinner at the Elephant & Castle pub before the show; we both felt we overate, although I'm now wanting a cheeseburger and Patty is craving--what else--cottage cheese.

I'll sign off for now...we don't get too many opportunities for private time in the city, so I don't want to lose what's left. The wireless Internet connection in this room is pretty inconsistent, so perhaps I'll share more pictures tomorrow when we get home.

Tomorrow will be a less scheduled day, with the itinerary largely dictated by how much energy Patty finds in the tank when she awakens. Even though she is tired, Patty just seems so happy. It's a good thing. Good night.

Love,
Brian