U2 in the Windy City

It was a concert I have wanted to hit for years…U2. Whether they come to me or I go to them, someday I was going to see them. My friend Kristi also had the same idea. Back in May of this year, U2 tickets went on sale and we picked Chicago as the spot to see them. And what an incredible concert it was!

Ahh, the famous “Bean” at Millennium Park with the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Avenue) in the background. Can you find me?

I arrived in Chicago on Saturday and took the train downtown to meet up with my friends. Taking the train was a great way to experience the famous “El” (called that as in many spots in the City the train tracks are elevated above the roads). We checked into our hotel (The Intercontinental no less, thanks to an amazing hook up from Kristi’s aunt). Spent an hour touring the NBC studios where Kristi’s aunt works, including getting our photo taken with the anchor on the set of the local news after we watched it taped live.

Just a little flavor of Chicago on a beautiful weekend… Incredible architecture and waterfront.

Then we hit the town in search of dinner and some drinks. Had a great dinner at the ESPN SportsZone to watch some football. The Huskies won their first game in over a season…yet another reason to celebrate! Go Dawgs!! Went to an Irish pub for a drink and then we hit a dessert & wine bar called ENO located downstairs of our hotel.

Tailgating before the big show! Thanks to Kristi and Christie for the Midwest brews! Soldier Field, where the Chicago Bears play, is in the background. Da Bears!

The next morning I woke up and went for a run along the famous Magnificent Mile aka Michigan Avenue and then proceeded on a loop along Lake Michigan. The weather was amazing and the locals were all out running, riding and swimming. We all met up again for lunch and had a few hours to chill before the big show. We then drove to the concert venue at Soldier Field for an hour of tailgate before the show.

Snow Patrol opening for U2, another fav of mine. They were awesome too!

At 7:00pm we went inside and stood in awe of the stage! U2’s 360 tour was no joke. The pictures don’t even do it justice. Snow Patrol opened the show, which was excellent as they are also a great band and a favorite of mine. Then the lights dimmed and the show started. Holy cow, it was absolutely incredible.

Our crew sooooo amped about 30 minutes before U2 took the stage.

New songs, old ones and even others we didn’t even know of—at least that’s how Bono introduced it. The stadium must have been packed with 90,000+ people, including those on the floor. The show went by so fast as we were having so much fun…and they played for 2 hours and 20 minutes!

Pictures just don’t do this justice. U2’s 360 stage in one of many forms it took all night. The screen made you feel like you were right there! So cool!

Songs they played included: Sunday Blood Sunday, Until the End of the World, One, No Line on the Horizon, Vertigo, Elevation, With or Without You, Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, etc., etc. So many more! And my favorite was the Amazing Grace interlude and progression into Where the Streets Have No Name.

Later guys, thanks for the incredible show! ‘Til the next one…where will we go?

It was hard to get to sleep that night but I eventually did and we all woke up the next morning for some breakfast (I’ll spare you the story on the service…there are times where leaving no tip is absolutely necessary!). Then we took the water taxi to the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) for some incredible overhanging views of Chicago from 110 stories up! Got a lift back to the airport and now I’m on the plane back to SoCal. What an incredible trip—definitely one for the books!

Standing 1,500 feet above the streets of Chicago protected by nothing but plastic! The new skydeck is awesome! Takes the Ferris Bueler scene to a whole new level!

A Stumptown Weekend

Some time in early August I was craving another trip up to Portland to take in the late summer weather, fine brews and incredible coastline. With my good friends Jon and Missy having never been to Portland, two days later we all had tickets for an early September weekend trip. Jon and Missy had never been so I was a bit of a tour guide but we did plenty of activities new to me.

The three of us atop Multnomah Falls with the Columbia River in the background.

We arrived on Friday late morning, rented a car and took a drive along the Columbia River to Multnomah Falls. We hiked to the top of the falls for some incredible views of the River and then continued east to Bonneville Dam. Being a civil engineer, I can never pass on a stop at a dam. We checked out the fish ladder and huge salmon swimming upstream and then hopped back in the car and headed east once again. Next stop, Hood River.

Jon and I: Two hopheads in front of the Full Sail Brewery.

Hood River is an incredible town with an energetic buzz and incredible views. Had lunch and some pints at the Full Sail Brewery, walked around and had some coffee before heading out to the Pheasant Creek Winery. The winery was small but very inviting. Chilled outside with views of Mt. Hood…doesn’t get much better than that.

Mt. Hood is incredible and is quite a handy navigational landmark.

We next drove around Mt. Hood and enjoyed the 360 views of an incredible peak. Then we drove into Portland and checked into our hotel. After chilling for an hour or so we headed downtown for a late dinner, brewery style. We experimented with using nothing but public transportation while in town, complete with the MAX, bus line and Portland Streetcar. We eventually made our way to the Laurelwood Ale House.

When shopping for garlic at the farmer’s market, be careful what a recipe means when it says “add two cloves of garlic.” Holy cow. No vampires live here.

Next day we went spent the day exploring downtown, starting with the farmers market for some breakfast and drip brewed to order organic coffee. Best I ever had. We explored the art of Pearl District and found our way to the Rogue Brewery where we met up with our friend Mike. Had some pints and then walked down the street to the Bridgeport Brewery, Portland's oldest. After saying adios to Mike, we went back to the hotel for a rest and then went out for dinner at a Pearl District Thai restaurant.

Our crew, Mike and his son, Noah, chillin’ at the Rogue Brewery…one of two trips we made to this spot.

Next morning was time to visit the coast. We drove along the 26 towards Cannon Beach and hit Camp 18 for breakfast. We then continued west to the coastline and what an incredible view. It was storm front weather so our walk along the beach to Haystack Rock was quite windy, but it added to the adventure. We then continued our walk back into town and hit the Sleepy Monk Organic Coffee Shop on the way. We then hopped back in the car, headed toward Astoria, took a quick trip over the massive bridge to Washington State where we explored Fort Columbia. We then headed back into Portland and had a quick pint at Rogue, our favorite.

Gettin’ artsy on Cannon Beach.

After a quick rest, we walked into the neighborhood of Hawthorne looking for some good seafood. Along the way we made a pact to walk inside each brewery we walked by. Starting with the Lucky Labrador and then the Bridgeport Ale House, we found ourselves in dire need of food even though we didn’t find seafood. So we hit the local Thai food spot and had a great dinner there, complete with Mohitos. Made our way back to the hotel and got up early for the flight home. What an amazing, jam packed weekend! I’ll do it again anytime!

Our crew on Cannon Beach with Haystack Rock in the background.