This was the weekend where it rained in Biblical quantities. The rain started Wednesday, and did not stop until after Sunday. Vast chunks of the Chicago Metro area were flooded. Yet we had a race to run…
Sara, Bette and Dave arrived in the rain at the W Hotel on N Lake Shore Dr on Saturday afternoon, and parked (for $30/day – yow!) The W is a funky high-end new-wave hotel chain from the Westin group in the old Holiday Inn building with the rotating restaurant on top. We chose this because it was a departure point for the shuttles.
Sara and Sarah’s friend Kristen joined us. Kristen decided to stay with us that night so she didn’t have to go home, sleep, get up early and try to find a cab to get back to the W for the shuttle at 6am. Made sense to us, and we loved having her along.
Off for a little carbo-loading at Mia Francesca. We started with fried calamari, a large portion and good for 7.50. Bette and I split a Insalata Alla Francesca, mixed greens, good. I had spinach Ravioli, in a tomato cheese cream sauce. Bette had a pasta dish with the same sauce. We ended up splitting the pistacho gelato and banana cream pie for dessert.
As Zagat said, good but loud!
Came back to the W and enjoyed the people watching in the funky downstairs lounge area. Marathon events always bring out a unique mix of yuppie and jock, and we enjoy being around the energy before the race. We had some expensive drinks, and checked out the upstairs bar, stylish, but too freezing to sit (the girls were still damp and lightly dressed). The rotating section was stopped, and set up for a meeting room. Yawn. You could put a cool club in there. Off to bed.
W Chicago Lakeshore 644 North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago
Mia Francesca, 3311 N Clark St, Chicago