Visiting our Nation's Capital over Civic Holiday weekend and a little Shopping Too ....

I have some family in Ottawa and whenever we visit, it is to see them and I never go out and about.  This past weekend I played tourist in Ottawa and had a great time.  Of course we saw family but I finally got to the much mentioned Byward Market.  So much to see and so many great restaurants.  As I mentioned in a previous facebook post I had to hit some Home Decor shops and poor hubby already knew it was in the cards.  He is used to it and lucky for him there were kitchen things and he loves those as he is a fantastic chef.  I stopped into Zone and ....... which had really interesting products.

I also hit The Modern Shop

Of course I took a few pics of our Parliament Buildings. Unfortunately we couldn't get into a tour of the Parliament as they were always full and I do not rise at 6 am when on a vacay even if to see these great buildings.  The guides said it was the most crowded even for a holiday weekend that they had seen so I will return on a regular weekend and do the tour.

Looking at where the three rivers meet behind the Parliament Buildings
















We did however visit he residence of our Governor General for a tour.  We couldn't take photos but I found this one on line.  It is quite beautiful and it was interesting to hear about the history associated with it and to see a model of how the different phases of it grew over time into what it is today. The grounds were amazing.

The Room above is known as 'The Tent Room' and was originally built in 1876 as an indoor tennis court that could also serve as a large dining or reception hall. For important events, striped canvas was draped over the bare walls and ceiling, creating the look of a tent. Today, the room retains its tent-like decor, and is used to host formal events such as artistic performances and literary celebrations — all under the watchful eyes of the portraits of Queen Victoria and former governors general.

Chicago, The Windy City part 2

A little Chicago trivia......Chicago is known as The Windy City which we attribute this to the wind off the lake, however it was really nicknamed this due to the politicians and city boosters who were thought to be full of hot air.  Chicago wanted to host the World's Fair and kept sending their politicians to win this prize which they finally did and gained their nick name.

When visiting Chicago, as with many large and great cities, there are so many things to do and& experience one cannot ever do it all in one short weekend.  I did have the opportunity of experiencing the 'Magnificent Mile' and its fabulous retailers.  Enjoyed a nice authentic Italian lunch and did make a few purchases.

Of course I had to see the Crate & Barrel store which was several levels of fantastic products reached by ongoing escalators.

Love this table of wood and glass from C & B






















I found myself mesmerized by the beautiful architecture which I posted in an earlier blog. So fantastic, especially considering Chicago was considered to be a lost city after the great fire of 1871.  The people of Chicago decided they would rebuild and once again be a great city.
A few famous buildings below....many more in my first post

No self respecting decorator could visit this city without a stop at a home decor store, so I dropped into Room and Board and enjoyed their lovely room displays





















































Macy's on the Mag Mile is many floors and of course a lot of escalators
I seem to be hung up on taking photos of escalators??

 During my short weekend visit,  I was able to take an Architectural River Cruise which was incredible to see the many buildings along both rivers. 

    A few views from the boat....

We had to visit the famous Navy Pier, however did not take a ride on the Ferris wheel.  Maybe next time.  While in this area I saw the most fantastic collection of stained glass.  Something worth seeing.  Lunch was at the "Bubba Gump Shrimp Co." so named from the Forest Gump movie.  The shrimp was indeed great!!

Our hotel was right across from the River Walk, and the skinniest
building in Chicago, also within the downtown area known as the Loop
and has several of the "L" subway lines running through it.  Also it is
known to have the 2nd oldest Macy's store in the world,
after New York.  We enjoyed shopping in this area and all of the
beautiful architecture.

Even the subway entrance has character

A view of the elevated "L" subway