Dinner and a Show (For Mrs. E)

Last week I had the opportunity to accompany my piano teacher along with my best friend's parents to Chicago for a concert in Millennium Park. We started off the wonderful evening by eating at the Grand Lux Cafe. For those of you who have never had that divine experience, it is definitely something you will want to do in your life time. We were able to sit by the glass windows over looking the city of Chicago. After dinner, as we awaited our valet, Mr. B eavesdropped on some teens standing outside of the Grand Lux and discovered that apparently one of the girls was a four-time Grammy award female rapper. Mr. B refused to get her name and autograph...;)

From there we went to the opening night concert in Grant Park...

Every Wednesday all summer long they host free concerts, I had only been one other time, and was quite excited to be there the first night. With Chicago traffic, we managed to get there about five minutes before show time. The place was packed out, but we did not fear, for Mrs. E was there! She somehow managed to get us awesome seats, about seven rows back from the orchestra, it was completely and totally amazing! They opened up with the National Anthem, which gave me goosebumps, hearing the loud throng of people singing with one voice and the amazing orchestra leading us. Then it got even better...Steven Hough, the word-renowned British born pianist started off the season with Tchaikovsky’s beloved Piano Concerto No. 1. (which I got the whole history/music lesson on from Mr. B, who is our church music man-choir director!) The song last 32 minutes, and was totally entertaining. Not only was it amazing to listen to, but also to see Mr. Hough up close and all his facial expressions and body movements as he played really was quite comical! The mesmerizing music was the best thing I had ever heard in my life; it was so peaceful and relaxing. It made me wonder how any one in their right mind can listen to rap, or rock and roll and actually call it music. The pieces I heard that night, were definitely what real music is supposed to sound like. Our eventful evening did not end with the concert...but without incriminating any adults, let me just say that we all got our exercise for the week when we aimlessly walked around all 8 floors of the wrong parking garage! But besides that, I had a great time hanging out with the cool and not so grownup Mr. and Mrs. B and my great piano teacher, Mrs. E, who let me add informed us that she had played that same piece, at age fourteen...:)