It was an action-packed weekend as Melody and I attempted to revisit her alma mater, attend her friend’s wedding, and provide me with a crash tour of the Windy City, all in a matter of less than 48 hours. Our adventure began Friday night, after our flight arrived at O’Hare. From the airport, we rented a rather ugly-looking Chevy Classic which looked totally old school, but to my surprise was a 2004 edition (LOL). After checking into our hotel in Evanston, we quickly headed out for a snack at Pete Miller’s Steakhouse with a parmesan-crusted New York strip for me and a lobster bisque for her, and finished off with a chocolate shake at Kafein. On Saturday morning, Melody gave me an extended tour of the Northwestern campus, followed by lunch at her beloved J.K.Sweets, a candy & ice-cream parlor which interestingly, was better known for the cheap bi bim bap sold in the back. Here, the plot thickens as we returned to our car and found that the car keys were missing! Over a frantic phone call to Hertz roadside assistance, I told them about the car which was registered in Texas, rented in Chicago, but now parked in Evanston, and then gave them my New York state license info, Boston mailing address, and Melody’s cell phone number from LA (my cell was locked inside). Fortunately, after some help from AAA to jimmy the car door, Melody was at least able to quickly change in the car and catch the exchange of vows at her friend’s wedding. Though we didn’t know anyone at the afternoon reception, we were nevertheless content with the delicious meal. After a bit of dancing, we met up with some of Melody’s college friends at their old hangout before crashing for the night at her friend Madhavi’s upscale apartment in downtown Chicago. Sunday was every bit as hectic as the day before, beginning with a contemporary-styled brunch at Orange serving up a Michael Jackson-themed pancake platter for her and a fat mushroom-asparagus omelette for me. We spent the afternoon touring the abstract metallic sculptures at Millenium Park, walking along the Lake Michigan harbor in Grant Park, playing with the beluga whales at the Shedd, and quickly scanning the Impressionist, armor, and photography collections at the Art Institute of Chicago. Perhaps we could’ve seen and done more if we had more time, but alas our busy lives awaited us back in Boston.