chicago

this trip was way out of the ordinary for me.
traveling on my own.
being away from my family.
making plans with such short notice.

but it was so cool.  and to have the chance to spend some time with my sister, just the two of us, made it even more exciting.

i called my sister a few weeks before the trip to tell her that i had two tickets to the oprah show.  the only problem was that it was on andrew's birthday.  so i wasn't ready to commit quite yet.  i'm sure she felt excited and then contained that excitement so that i could figure out what i wanted to do.  it took a few days.   but then i called her to say, "let's do it."

we looked over some recommendations and airfares and then made the reservations.  i couldn't believe it.  i was going on a trip to a new place, that i've always wanted to visit, with my sister and we were going to the oprah show.  we had talked about doing this so many times before over the last few years.  and it was finally happening.

now the other challenge was that both boys were going away for their school science trips.  jordan was leaving on monday for yosemite and andrew would leave on wednesday to lake arrowhead.  that meant that i needed to pack them with a page long packing list, as well as myself and leave instructions for the grandmas who were taking care of sofia as well.

it was  a lot to do.  and for a 42 hour trip? but it was oprah people.  how could i say no to oprah? sure the timing stunk.  and i really wanted to ask if i could get another day.  but it was a take it or leave it situation.  so we took it.

boarding the airplane was nerve racking and exciting at the same time.  it got even better when i saw antonia from top chef masters board the plane.  love the show and love her.

unfortunately, i found out at lax that my kindle was not working and i didn't bother bringing a book along. so i got caught up on some very important literature during the flight.

something else i don't get to do very often.  and even though i only slept a few hours the night before i didn't sleep at all on the plane.  the adrenaline was definitely flowing.

when we landed in chicago we found our shuttle service and left for the hotel.

our shuttle driver was awesome and gave us a quick city tour showing us navy pier, the miracle mile, and the park where obama gave his victory speech in 2008. he gave us pizza recommendations and what we should and should not see while we are here.  he was a great introduction to the city.  he even showed us the hotel where oprah stays when she's in town.  so we told him we were going to the show the next day and he could hardly believe it.

then he dropped us off at the wyndham blake hotel. it was a great little place, perfect for the two of us.  we freshened up and headed back out to explore.

we walked to millenium park and saw the bean.  i fell in love with it.  you could see the chicago skyline from every angle.

we went to michigan avenue and walked the miracle mile to see all the shops.  we went to a church, which is something we love to do when we visit a new city.  we thought about taking the architectural cruise on the chicago river but decided against it this time around.  i was so impressed with how clean the city was.  people were walking around, students, moms with strollers and working people and the city was so clean and felt so safe. nothing like downtown la.

for dinner we ended up at pizzeria uno for a chicago deep dish pizza.

i have to say i am not a fan of the deep dish.  in fact i am not a fan of thick crust pizza.  i am more a thin crust, new york pizza style girl.  but you have to have deep dish when you are in chicago.  and this place claimed to be the original, so we gave it a go.

pretty good. even better with a glass of wine and a spinach salad, and a toast to having an adventure and crossing something off our bucket list.  the whole time we wondered what we were going to see the next day.  who would be on.  what we would take home.  we were just so happy to be doing this and experiencing this together that it didn't matter what the topic was.

we walked around a bit more and got tea and a pastry at starbucks and then went back to the hotel.  oh we had visions of changing our clothes and going to a bar or visiting some other neighborhoods.  but the truth of the matter was that we were just too tired.  our focus was on going to the show the next day and everything else would just have to wait until next time.

i think i was asleep by 9, which is 7 pm in la.

the next morning we researched a breakfast place not too far from the hotel.  we walked to yolk and fell in love.  everything about this place was perfect.  the location, the menu and the atmosphere.  it was bright and cheery.  you felt happiness all around.  they are famous for their weekend brunch and at times it's hard to get a table.  luckily it was a week day so we didn't have any problems.

i'm a sucker for anything that's labeled "best in town" or "favorite menu item".  and if it's eggs benedict, than there is no question what i am ordering.  it was just perfect.  a great big plate of food to start off the day.

what a fun place.  a must for next time.

we had to rush back to the hotel to get ready for the show.  we were scheduled for the 1 o'clock show but had to be there at 11:30 am to secure a seat.  we changed, did our hair and checked out.  then we grabbed a taxi and said these words, "to harpo studios".  so cool.

when we arrived there was a huge line to get it.  we started walking to the end when we heard the page say "gioconda mitas, please come to the front of the line".  well it was more like "glocunda midus" but i'm used to that.  we didn't even have to stand in line?  how lucky were we.  they took us through security where they held on to our phones, cameras and any bits off paper that we might take notes on.  then they sent us to the holding room.

here we signed the confidentiality agreement that said that we would not blog about the show until after it airs.  we watched the room fill up with women and a few men, all dressed so nicely, all excited to be here, and all wondering what the show was about.  we looked at the pictures of oprah with many of her guests; nelson mandella, john travolta, jennifer lopez.  the buzz and energy continued to increase as the room filled with people.  it felt even more exciting to be there.

a guy showed up with two other men and they started talking to some of the women who were waiting.  it turned out that one of them was a producer for the show.  but he wouldn't spill the beans on what the episode was about.  he did say that rosie o'donnell was going to be filming her show on the same stage next fall.  then they started calling people to the studio.  we finally heard, "the gioconda mitas party."  ahhhhhhh, here we go.

we walked into the studio and sally lou, who i know from the behind the scenes series, walked us all the way to the front of the house.  she sat us in the front row.  i nearly fainted.  3 weeks ago i thought i would never be here and now i am sitting in the front row of the oprah show.  what?!

gaby and i just kept looking at each other in disbelief.  at this point we saw that the show was going to be about the most memorable guests.  no idea who that was going to be.  but honestly the energy in the house was so high and everyone was so excited that we didn't care who was going to be on.  we were going to see oprah and that's all that mattered.

we chatted with some of the other audience members and then all of a sudden, there she was.  she walked out with no shoes on, looking just like oprah.  waving and saying hello.  alright i'm not going to embarrass myself and admit that i may have cried a bit or jumped out my seat, but it was definitely an exciting moment for me.

when she sat down on the couch she was right in front of me.  she made a comment about telling her if  her spanx were showing before she went on national television.  so guess what, we could see her spanx.  so we told her.  that was pretty funny.

then the show started.  definitely watch it today because i think there may have been a shot of the audience and you will be able to see us.

when the first show was done they asked us to stay and be a part of the audience while she taped her introductions to the james frey interview. i watched the show on tuesday and they showed the audience, but not the side that we were on.

we left the show around 4 and went across the street to the oprah store to buy ourselves a little something.  hey if oprah isn't having a giveaway we might as well treat ourselves to something fun, a t-shirt and sweatshirt at least.

we got back to the hotel and had a quick bite to eat at blacky's.  then it was off to the airport for the ride home.

in the airport i took one last chance to get a picture with oprah.

it was such an amazing experience to be there for one of her last shows.  in fact it was her 2nd to the last show in that studio.  we were so lucky to have had this opportunity.    it is something i will never forget and am so grateful for.  and in some ways it inspired me and made me think and made me want to have even more adventures to new places.

thanks sis for coming along.  where are we going next?...