Weekend in Chicago!

Chicago has been on our places to visit from last 3 years but unfortunately we have never been able to plan a trip to Chicago. This time in March, my hubby had to visit Groupon headquarters for work for 2 days and I decided to grab that opportunity to tag along and explore the beautiful city of sky scrappers :)

Chicago has lot of great things to-do but ours was a short trip, so we decided to explore some of the top ones :)

Before we get into the details, here are some fun facts about Chicago:

• Chicago is also called the Windy City.
• The ‘Historic Route 66’ begins in Chicago.
• The first Ferris Wheel made its debut in Chicago. Today, Navy Pier is home to a 15-story ferris wheel.
• The Willis Tower (formerly known as Sears Tower) is the tallest building in the western hemisphere.
• The Willis tower elevators are amongst the fastest in the world operating as fast as 1600 feet per minute.
• Four states are visible from the top of the Willis Tower (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin)
• Chicago’s downtown is called "The Loop"

After our quick research, we found buying Chicago Explorer Pass worth buying to see some of the attractions in Chicago. It gives you an option to choose 3, 4 or 5 attractions from a list of 25. For more details, visit their website here. We got it from Costco at 76$ per person. Turns out to be a great deal!

Hotel and Car rental: Unless you plan to do a road trip away from the city, you wont need a car. For hotels, I would definitely encourage you to stay close or in the loop (downtown). If you are in the downtown, you don’t really need any car rental. We mostly used Uber for our commute. It is pretty easy and convenient way to get around in the city. You could also use subway trains. 

At the subway station!

Day 1:  (Saturday)

• We started our day at the Fourth Presbyterian Church. A beautiful church across the famous John Hancock Center.

Same Church at night looks exceptionally beautiful!

• Hop-on Hop-off Big Bus Chicago tour: (Included in Chicago Explorer pass) This is the best way to explore the city as it is a guided tour and the guide walks you through the history and architecture along the route. We started from stop # 13 (The John Hancock Observatory and 360 Chicago)

Desi Boys ;)

Chicago darshan!

• Millennium Park. An absolute must visit while in Chicago. This park is an award-winning center for art, music, architecture, and landscape design. This is the place where you will see the world famous huge mercury drop called ‘The Bean’. It is also called the Cloud Gate. An Indian-born British artist named Anish Kapoor sculpts this bean. In its mirror-like surface, you will not only see your own reflection but also the downtown skyline. Give at least an hour to go around the park and see the sculptures in the park.  

The World famous Bean

urf Cloud Gate

• Navy Pier: You can’t visit Chicago without making a stop at Navy Pier for the incredible views of the skyline and hours of fun time. We also went in the Ferris wheel (Centennial Wheel - $15) from where you can see the stunning views of the entire city.

• 360 Chicago (Included in Chicago Explorer Pass): This is the observation deck of the famous John Hancock building. 360 Chicago provides unparalleled views of Chicago’s skylines and shorelines. We went to the 94th floor on a high-speed elevator to see the stunning panoramic night views of the entire city.  The observation deck is also a home of the thrilling and exhilarating TILT experience - an enclosed moving platform that literally tilts you out and over the edge at 30 degrees of the John Hancock building. (Not included in the explorer pass but it is just $8 per person) And believe me, it was an adrenaline rush experience!

         

Day 2: (Sunday)

• Sky Deck Chicago (Included in the explorer pass): Sky Deck Chicago is the observatory Deck of the world famous Willis tower (formerly known as Sears Tower). Be prepared to have a wait time of atleast 1 hour here. We arrived early in the morning but had to wait for an hour before we can get to the top of this building. The magnificent views of the city from the top (103rd floor) will make the wait all worth it. If you are brave enough, you can also step out on “The Ledge”, the all glass balcony that extends four feet from the building’s edge out into space.

From the Ledge!

• Chicago Architecture River Cruise: (Included in the explorer pass). Another one from the must-do’s in Chicago. Luckily, the weather was beautiful on the day of our visit. Cruise was led by professional guide who shared the dramatic story of Chicago's rise from the ashes of the Great Fire of 1871 to become the home of the skyscraper and the cradle of modern American architecture.

From the river cruise!

In love with the beautifully architected Sky scrappers of Chicago!

Must try restaurants in Chicago:

1  Giordano’s deep dish pizza

2   Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria

3   Grand Lux Café

4   Big Bowl

5   Eataly – Chicago

6   Goddess and the Baker

7   Xoco Mexican dinner

8   Garrett popcorn ;)

At Chicago's famous Giordano's :)

Some of the best food and desserts we tried in Chicago..

Running Journey 2016 with Team Asha!

In 2016, my hubs and I wanted to do something good and noble. After some thoughts, we started to bake cakes for friends, family and in return, would ask them to donate money towards any cause that they would want to support. To read more about that click - http://beingdhriti.blogspot.com/2016/04/baking-for-charity.html Both of us were in full form when we started this. With full-time job, it was pretty hectic but as Manoj’s mom was here, we got her in our baking regime and hence it became manageable :)

Later that month, I signed up all three of us to Asha Spring run (5k) which was happening on April 10, 2016. I was super excited because we had our mom running with us. How cool is that? She is a woman of courage and dedication and she happily agreed to join us for the run, which made me ecstatic.

The Asha Spring run was very well organized, had high energy vibes and consisted of lot of health-aware people. The best part of the run was it was our’s mom first 5k and she was feeling full of energy even after the run. It was due to the energy from the people around us. Also this is the first time Manoj’s mom was visiting us after our marriage. We had a great family bonding time as a result of this event J Second best thing was the amazing food – Yummy hot khichdi with bagel and cream-cheese is all you need after your run and Team Asha had got us covered!!!

At Spring run - with friends and family!

I was very inspired with the coaches speech about how important it is to be aware of your own health, take care of it, do it the right way and at the same time do good for the society specially by educating the under-privileged kids in India. Team Asha is a volunteer-driven charity organization that provides marathon, biking and triathlon training program and help people to realize their fitness goals. They work to bring socio-economic change in India through education of the under privileged children. I could immediately align it with my goal of doing ‘something’ for the society and playing a little part to make our country a better place to live in.

Team Asha - Train. Run. Educate

After the run, they announced Team Asha is holding a brief information session about various programs they provide trainings for. I immediately registered for it. After a few days, I attended this session and got adrenaline rushed and wanted to immediately go out for a run. (Yes this is true!)  Generally, I get this rush after hearing Narendra Modi’s speech and want to get out of the chair/sofa and just do something but I have no idea what? In this case I knew what I wanted to do J Listening to all the coaches and the volunteers share their personal experiences about themselves starting from ground zero I felt as if it was all do-able. Although somewhere in my heart I was questioning myself if I would be able to do it (a full marathon). I was debating if I should sign up for half or full marathon. By the end of this session, I had made up my mind that I want to get up and just do it. Without trying I wont even know if it was possible.  After consulting coach Naresh, the plan laid out for me was to do a half marathon in season 1 and target a full marathon by the end of season 2. This day is when my journey began!

The running program started with a lot of things like splitting all the Asha runners in separate smaller groups based on their preference of best-suited location and time for the runs, assigning them to different google groups and mentors, setting up fund-raising stories for ourselves, shoe-clinic, fund-raising clinic, setting up week’s running schedule, track and hill training schedule, shopping for the right shoes, fuel belts, foam-roller, tracker and endless number of other things. The execution of this was so smooth that I didn’t realize the transition from not doing any of these to doing all of these. I realize I did so much in the year 2016 when I retrospect 2016 today!

All gearing up!

Weekly tracking log

Day after day, week after week there was so much to learn from all the coaches and mentors in Asha Program. Quoting coach Rajeev -  “Fitness should be one’s habit and not a hobby” and I could see myself getting into that rhythm slowly and gradually. Recently I attended Shark Daymond John’s information session about Growing and Starting Successful Businesses, where he talked about how a human’s body and mind gets programmed to think and act in the direction what their companions are talking about. I could immediately co-relate it with my experience with Team Asha and how it programmed me to think and act differently.

Journey with Team Asha had been amazing that I still cannot forget the kind of care and support our coaches, mentors and co-ords showered upon us.  Be it guiding us with the running techniques like run-walk method to right running postures to answer any questions regarding women, periods and running. The reminder email coming out on weekdays at 4:30 PM from our mentors to have a light snack would actually bring tears to my eyes :’( So much care? I used to miss mom and dad during that time. Team Asha had covered all aspects of training.

With my Baylands PM group!

With Team Asha PC: Venkat

One of the roles each Asha runner plays is that of a fund-raiser. Every one who signs up for Asha program has to raise 900$ in around six months for education of the under-privileged kids in India. When the Asha program started we received guidance on ways how to raise funds. My ride for fund-raising (FR) had been pretty easy. I combined it with my “Bake for charity” idea and was able to raise $1681 in the three months. I would like to thank all the donors from the bottom of my heart to stand by me towards educating the under-privileged kids in India.

Thanks to all of you :-)

Unfortunately (yes, there is an unfortunate part in this journey as well) on 4^th of July, on my way back to California from a family trip to Canada, I twisted my ankle, lost control and fell on my leg. Upon getting an x-ray, doctors found out that it was a fracture with a minor ligament tear. Doctors suggested me to focus on a 12 week recovery program. From a running program, I was on a recovery program; L I started missing my runs and so I immediately emailed the coaches about what had happened.  My coaches responded with all the tips and tricks to help my ankle heal properly. All of them concentrated on the fact not to hurry and give the ankle its time to heal completely.

During this inactive time of my running journey, I was still an integrated part of Team Asha as the mentors and my running buddies would keep checking on me and progress of my sprained ankle. I helped tracking bibs of runners for the SF marathon. I felt a different kind of high that day. I wanted to quickly come out of that sofa and stop watching and fearing “Winter is coming” and get back to running as soon as I can. I started physical therapy routine and continued till I gained the full range of motion. By the time I fully recovered, our plan for India was right around the corner.

After injury Baylands PM meet up 

Ice and Stim after Physical therapy

Fast forwarding it to today, I feel now is the time when I want to get back into my shoes and start running and make my dream of running a full marathon happen this year. I would like to thank each and everyone from Team Asha and would like you to know that each one of you have made a considerable difference in my life. 

Cabo San Lucas, December 2016

Last month in december, California was starting to get chilly and both of us were so tired of our hectic work schedule during thanksgiving as we both work for the eCommerce giants! So we decided to slice out a custom long weekend and go to a nice warm beach destination. Beach vacations are our favorite :) We really wanted to go to Miami, Keywest but due to the Zika virus threat and super expensive ticket prices and lack of vacation days left we decided to go somewhere close. And Cabo San Lucas Mexico emerged to be our best choice.

San Jose Del Cabo Mexico is just a 3 hr flight from San Jose California.

Planning:

* Bought tickets on Alaska airlines, non stop flight. Got a steal deal with companion fare discount on our Alaska Credit Card.

* Booked Solmar Resort from Groupon Getaways. The resort is near lands end, walking distance to marina and very close to most of the attractions in Cabo San Lucas.

* No car rental since we wanted to avoid the hastle of driving and getting insurance internationally. Most of the attractions were close to our resort. 

* Taxi is cheap in mexico and always available to your hotel doorstep.

* Booked a shuttle to/from airport to resort from http://www.bestday.com.mx

Things to note:

* Visa - No visa is needed if you have a valid US visa already stamped on your passport (for Indians)

* Forex Cash - At least 200-300 Mex Pesos 

* Forex Card - Credit card with 0 fees on foreign transactions.

* Carry USD in cash about 200-300 USD. As most of the places happily accept USD.

* Ensure you carry some change in your wallet, you would need that for TIPS! where ever you go. We noticed mexico has a lot of tipping culture. 

* Lot of time-share guys will try to lure you to attend one of their presentations and offer you discount or free activities. Beware of them as its a waste of time and spoils your vacation time. Although they will offer you all kinds of lucrative offers!

Highlights of the trip:

Day 1:

* Fly from one San Jose to another ;) SJC ===> SJD

* Checked in to Solmar resort.

* Walked to the marina, took a glass bottom boat (pretty hyped!) to Medano beach.

* Had early sunset dinner at "The Office". Really a great location with amazing views and delicious food! 

* Strolled around the Medano beach, checked out a few vendors selling amazing handicrafts. Got a nice Tortuga (Turtle) souvenir for a dollar.

* The portion size in mexico is pretty large. We were so stuffed with the food, but our sweet tooth was still craving for desserts. So we found a really nice place called Senor Sweets and had some choc lava cake with strawberry icecream. Umm, It was delicioso!

* On the way back to our hotel, we had some amazing flavored tequila tasting in one of the local shops.

On the glass bottom boat

Dinner at "The Office"

Day 2:

* Breakfast at Villa Del Palmar on the Medano beach.

* Walked on the Medano beach, where I got my hair braided by one of the local vendors on the beach.

* Spotted a few open air beach massage cabanas and added that to our list for the next day :) 

* Had lunch at Tabasco Restaurant on the beach. Amazing chicken tacos and shrimp cocktail. Slurp!

* Post lunch, we had our ATV ride planned at the Wild Canyons theme park. 

* The ATV ride was one of the wild attractions for 2016 for both of us. It started with full of fun initially and then moved on to an adventure ride!

* By the time we returned, it was already evening. We went to the resort's jacuzzi and had drinks and dinner at the Tejban hotel in the resort which was also hosting a Mexican festival on that night.

The Wild Canyons adventure on the ATV!

Day 3:

* Breakfast at Solomon's landing at the marina. Had their veggie omelette and cafe mocha!

* Did some mandatory hat shopping at the marina. We found really nice hats for both of us for just 20 bucks!

* We did the Snorkeling cruise in the afternoon that included authentic mexican lunch, unlimited drinks and dance at the cruise with Cabo Escape. 

* After the cruise, we went back to the Medano beach to get the Massage on the beach experience at one of the cabanas. Will go back again for this !!!

* I wanted to have some non-mexican dinner that night and we stopped by at Wicked Pizza after looking at their yelp reviews. That was the biggest mistake we made :( When in mexico, eat only mexican! 

* Unsatisfied from the Pizza place, we strolled around the city and came across some amazing-looking mexican food joints on the way to our hotel. We stopped for desserts at Las Guacamayas, Authentic mexican restaurant and very reasonable prices. I wish we came here for dinner.

Day 4:

* Breakfast at Mamma's Cafe. Must say it was mouth watering breakfast! Mexican chilaquiles & French Toast. Must visit place while in Cabo! 

* After breakkie, we took the much hyped Glass bottom boat to the most awaited trip to the Lover's beach. While on Gbb, we saw the Arch (which is locally know as El Arco and is extremely scenic and is a gathering spot for sea lions), the window to the pacific ocean (this is where the sea of cortez meets the pacific ocean) and an amazing snorkeling spot while on the Gbb. I wish we had known that earlier. But, next time! We got down at the lover's beach, strolled around and the other side of the lover's beach was the divorce beach. We did spend some time on both sides of the beaches.

At the lover's beach

PS: Please feel free to read my yelp reviews of all the places we have been to in Cabo  - https://www.yelp.com/list/cabo-san-lucas-mexico-cabo-san-lucas-2