Walk Like An Egyptian

I just returned from Chicago where Steve and I saw the King Tut exhibit at the Field Museum. This trip had been planned for several months and we were really looking forward to the experience. Our friends, Duane and Prudy, went with us. Originally we were going to leave on Friday and stay through Tuesday, but things got changed and we left on Saturday instead. This was going to cut into our shopping, but we were excited about seeing the King Tut exhibit. It was, in a nutshell, disappointing. I’d heard it wasn’t great, but figured I’d make up my own mind once I saw it. The artifacts shown were mostly bits and pieces from the tomb. The most impressive piece, a gold sarcophagus, was that of Tut’s great-grandmother, or so they thought. Thank goodness for the audio tour which was worth the extra money. With it, we heard excerpts from the discovery and additional information about some of the pieces. All in all, it was a nice show, but not worth the $35 per ticket.

Still, the city of Chicago never disappoints. We shopped, we ate, we shopped some more, we had cocktail hour every night. Steve got us rooms at the [Palmer House Hotel](http://www.thepalmerhousehotel.com/index.html) on Monroe which was the perfect location. We were right between State and Michigan streets and very close to Nordstrom Rack, Filene’s Basement and the best Macy’s in town (formerly Marshall Field’s). Unfortunately, there’s never enough time for shopping, but I did score a Coach purse I’d been eyeing all season for 25% off. Not a super bargain, but I love it and will definitely get my money’s worth out of it. Another great score was a new fragrance. Now I really have a collection! The good people at Bloomingdale’s (Bloomies) introduced me to Vera Wang Sheer Veil. A bit sweeter than I thought I’d like, but it warms nicely on my skin. Steve declared it “yummy.” I also found the most delicious shoes on the planet. The Macy’s (Marshall Field’s) has an entire floor of women’s shoes! It’s like Candyland for me. I spotted a deep garnet patent pump with a peep toe and small platform. Delicious! Perfect fit, under $80 and surprisingly comfortable. It’s a match made in heaven.

But the shopping wasn’t all that was good. The food was spectacular. We had pasta at [Coco Pazzo](http://www.cocopazzochicago.com/), brunch at [Ralph Lauren’s restaurant](http://rlrestaurant.polo.com/default.asp) and cocktails every night in the stunningly beautiful lobby bar of the Palmer House Hotel. It was a blast!