As far as I’m concerned there is nothing pleasant about shopping. That goes for everything, with the possible exception of electronics and tools. Even for those items, I prefer to shop on-line. What a hassle it is going to B&M stores (for those of you unfamiliar with on-line shopping terminology that’s a physical ‘brick and mortar’ store). Last Monday was a day off (it sure is nice to work for a bank) and I had planned on spending some time remembering and reflecting on our former presidents. However, the day was nearly, but not completely, blown by furniture shopping. For some reason, Joy wants to buy a new chair for the living room. She mumbled something about the color of the old chair not being compatible with the new couch, or walls, or carpet, or dog, or something, and the next thing Josh and I knew we were being carted in and out of furniture stores. Seriously, we hit at least 5 stores in three hours and for some odd reason every store seemed to be filled with … sleeping gas. I kept getting more and more tired. Thank goodness furniture stores are filled with … lots of furniture to sit on. This is monumentally better than clothing stores, where the only place to sit is in the fitting room. Furniture stores also have lots of very eager salespeople who like to wait by the door and pounce on you like praying mantises. It can be entertaining, and annoying, at the same time. One tip I can give you is this, the moment you walk in the door tell the first mantis that you are already working with someone. That throws them off, at least for a few minutes. At one store I asked one of the salespeople if she knew how many ceiling tiles there were in the building. I was surprised that she didn't know.
The day wasn’t a total bust. I got to spend the day with the family and Joy agreed, or maybe even suggested, that we stop at Portillo’s. So, we decided to stop at the one in Naperville on Route 59, near the Fox Valley Shopping Mall and it's coincidentally in the ‘Land of Furniture Outlets.’ I’m trying to put this politely, so here goes, this Portillo’s does not have the greatest exterior. You’ll see in the photo that the color of the building is pink, or Pepto-Bismol color. However, to be fair, this is one of those clichéd "don’t judge a book by its cover" situations. Whoever was the interior decorator did a great job. This location so far has one of the best interiors we’ve seen. The inside is decorated in a gold-rush / ‘49ers / Old West style complete with a faux mine shaft and jail, which we sat in for lunch. If you get a chance, don’t just drive through, make a trip inside.
Jeff
Halibut Fish Sandwich (hot, crunchy, good)
Joy
Broiled Chicken (going healthy)
Josh
Combo (going unhealthy)
Fries
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