Mother’s Day: Chinatown Dim Sum, Exploring Northerly Island Park


Liz and I met up with Julie and Bob for Mother’s Day last weekend, and spent a leisurely day hanging out in Chinatown, Northerly Island, and then later in Hyde Park.

We started the day at Ming Hin – our new favorite dim sum place in Chinatown. We made reservations a few weeks prior, and I can’t recommend doing that enough – usually when we arrive, the crowd starts building, and the waiting area is all kinds of hectic.


I didn’t get a lot of photos of the meal, as I was busy… well, eating. But I did get this shot of sticky rice and egg tarts. Which, honestly, I could make an entire meal out of just these two guys – but that’s for another time.


After dim sum, we wandered around a lot – peeking in at some of the shops in the new Chinatown area, and then strolling down Wentworth in Chinatown proper.


Near a small open area, we spotted this large You Are Beautiful sign. Crazy to remember that I first saw these stickers almost 15 years ago.


To the southwest of the YAB sign, Bob mentioned an old job site he had worked on, ages ago. One of the challenges involved someone purchasing the wrong heating/AC unit – and there being no way it could be installed.

Bob came to assess the situation, and devised an approach that placed the unit on some stilts/scaffolding – and got things working.

This was a long while ago. And though it’s hard to see – it still appeared to be going strong.


Walking back down Wentworth.


We stopped in a tea shop, and browsed around for awhile. Liz mentioned how she and her mom spotted this package of dried squid, and thought it was pretty unusual. On a lark, I decided to buy it because… I hadn’t had any dried squid since I was a kid.

Julie and Liz were both sports, and tried a little. Although I think Liz really struggled with the taste and texture.


A slightly better view of the job site, where Bob had worked. Anywhere we go in the city, there’s bound to be a building or site where Bob’s been at work!


Next, we drove over to Northerly Island – and Liz found us this seemingly secret little parking lot, that’s way better than paying for parking near the museums.

Outside the visitors’ center, there were these two globes: one advocating volunteerism to combat climate change (above).


And another advocating for innovation, for the betterment of the environment.


In addition to placards, there was also a bit of a warning.


Inside the visitors’ center. While we were inside, Bob was marveling at the place – looking around. He had been here years ago, as a kid, back when this was still Meigs Field, and a functioning airport.

I didn’t notice this until I started reviewing these photos – but you can see the faded shadow of the text that used to be here, announcing Meigs Field, before it was replaced. Craziness.

I remember hearing about the controversy at the time, but had never really been over in this area until today. The airport was operational up until 2003, when Mayor Daley demolished the runway under the cover of darkness.


Inside, Liz and Julie pointd out the motion detectors, located above each soda machine. The machines were dark, but when someone approached… they both immediately lit up.


Walking out the East entrance, looking towards an outdoor area.


Taking a stroll along the pathway.


Looking West, to the tent that houses the Cavalia show. Which, to my surprise, is totally unrelated to Cirque du Soleil.


A small pond area.


Looking back on the Chicago skyline.


A lot of the area was fenced off, and deemed to be “in progress.” Much of the walkways were open, but some paths were blocked off.


Some people, unlike me and Bob, are natural rule-breakers. And decided to hop over the barricades and keep on walking.


Bob and I circled back, and met up with Liz and Julie on the other side of the pathway.


There were a lot of geese in this field, hanging out.


They were incredibly comfortable with people being close.


One of several sculptures nearby. I liked how they blended with the trees.


Northerly Island was a lovely bit of nature, right in the middle of the city.

Related:
Dim Sum at Ming Hin
Dim Sum Reunion

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. I saw Cavalia/Odysseo when they rolled through Seattle and loved them, if you dig Cirque style shows I wholeheartedly recommend going.

    Mellzah Reply


    • Liz is incredibly allergic to horses, so I’m not sure how viable this is. But appreciate the endorsement! Will keep an eye out for the company, and look to attend a non-equine show.

      avoision Reply


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