I went on a mini vacation myself. Well, sort of.  One of my best friends from College (whom I will always refer to in the cyber world as “hbear”) lives in Lincoln Square. If you’re from Chicago, you know that Lincoln Square is a quaint little neighborhood located in Northwest Chicago. Whenever I get tired of the downtown-ness of um, downtown or the hipster, yuppie vibe of Wicker Park, I retreat to Hbear’s humble abode where I am surrounded by cute young families, wonderful homely coffee shops and a lovely park where you can play tennis, toss a Frisbee, watch little league baseball and even throw horse shoes in a tiny lot, created just for that purpose.

But the best part of Lincoln Square, possibly my greatest motivation to hang out in this neighborhood, is this little hole in the wall restaurant called Jury’s.Their burgers and sandwiches are one the best I have ever had in this city. Actually, they might be better than any burger I have ever had in my life. And trust me, I have consumed more burgers than people think is physically possible in my 23 skinny years of existence.

To top their delicious food (don’t even get me started on their grilled vegetables or their vegetarian burger) what makes this place so amazing is their incredibly friendly and accommodating service. Most of the staff are older middle aged-on the verge of retirement adults who have worked for this restaurant probably as long as it’s been open. They know the food, their customers and each other so well that dining at Jury’s truly feels like you’re having dinner inside a family friend’s home.

(by the way, Jury’s showers their customers with coupons every time you visit. Not only do they have specials every day of the week, but every time you receive your check, you are given a red envelope with a “surprise” enclosed. Sometimes it’s 10 dollars off your next check, free dessert of even free dinner. It’s like Christmas everyday! I don’t think I’ve ever paid full price for a meal at this place. Ever.)

Anyways, Jury’s aside, my time spent with Hbear in Lincoln Square was very refreshing. The weather was perfect so hung out at the neighborhood park, catching up on girl talk while playing semi ultimate Frisbee.. with uh, two people. The next day we woke up and walked across the street to one of the many little coffee shops that surround her apartment. Here I was introduced to an amazing chocolate muffin that I swear was bigger than my face. Afterwords, after a trip to North Chicago, IL (where Hbear will be attending grad school woot woot!) we sat out the remainder of the day on her porch, under the lazy sleepy sun where we  read…. Twilight.

Yeah, that’s right. I read it. I READ IT. Not very good though. I may be dumber than I was a week ago.

So there, a short recap of my mini vacation.

As for Jane’s, I’m not sure what her adventures have entailed so far. She must be having fun because she hasn’t really called or anything since she flew out on Tuesday. Hopefully she’s taking a bunch of pictures because this blog is in desperate need of a pictorial update!