After the reception at Downers Grove South High School, our guest had made arrangement to visit with family in the Los Angeles area, of Glendale CA. There is a large Armenian community there. Besides seeing family, they were taken to many of the sites in the area. Ruben and Armine could not believe the congestion of the L.A. region. After many visits with friends and family our guests returned to Chicago, ready to see the sights and sounds that the Midwest has to offer.

Sunday November 28, 1999

We woke to a bright, crisp, clear Chicagoland morning. Our plans for the day were to see as much of the city as possible. We could not imagine the crowds or the parking hassles on this last day of the Thanksgiving break. It was decided to drive to a CTA station and take a ride on the famous Chicago "L". In no time at all, we were in the entrance to Marshall Field’s and their wonderful world of Christmas. We had made plans to meet Carol Redell and her daughter Liz at the Walnut Room to view the magnificent tree. This room is a Chicago tradition for the holidays and we wanted our friends to get into the holiday mood.

From there, we went to the Daley Plaza to see vendors from Germany with their traditional ornament and other holiday decorations. It was interesting to see a Russian booth in the middle of the German craft. Our guests were amazed at the interest for handcrafts by the people in attendance.

Within walking distance of the Daley Plaza was the famous Sear Tower. With the day so bright, we knew that visibility would be wonderful. After our brisk walk, we entered the tallest building in Chicago, the third tallest in the world and within seconds ascended to the top. The views in all directions gave Ruben and Armane a good idea of the plan of the City and it’s surrounding area. At one point we were looking for landmarks in Downers Grove that were visible from atop the Sears Tower.

Reuniting with Ann Hector at the bottom of the building, we took a cab to Chicago’s "Magnificent Mile", Michigan Avenue and the historic Water Tower, the only structure to survive the Great Chicago fire of 1871. With dusk approaching, the "Mag" Mile was transformed into a street of glimmer and fantasy. As the shoppers walked briskly with the start of their holiday purchases, it was surprising that there were not more people downtown. We were able to move about freely and were told that it was not as crowded as L.A.

Our day ended as it began with a trip on the "L" back to the car and dinner with the Hectors. Bill stayed back today to make the dinner reservations for our evening of conversation about the Thanksgiving adventure to L.A. and our journey into Chicago.

Submitted by Martha Merilos