We walked block after city block to the Michigan Avenue location (with Fred mincing along in pain as his plantar fasciitis decided to flare up). I’ve visited the Mont Blanc Boutique on Michigan Avenue in the past-to gawk at and handle the Limited Edition Jonathan Swift and Alfred Hitchcock fountain pens. For under ten bucks, I came away with some interesting goodies that I’ll definitely use. I also picked up an M+R brass bullet pencil sharpener, perfect for pocket carry. They feel really cool in hand and write beautifully. These Cretacolor Monolith Woodless Graphite pencils were a “must buy.” I resisted the urge to buy the full-range of lead grades and picked up the two that I’m most likely to use for plain old writing and maybe a little sketching (still trying to get over my art fear). Though I was tempted by so much-Rhodia and Leuchtturm notebooks, gel pens galore, colored pencils, notecards, and novelties, I purchased just a few simple items. (Otherwise, they were $0.99 each.)ĭick Blick was just a stone’s throw from our hotel so I had to explore ALL OF THE ART SUPPLIES there, even though I’m nothing more than a wannabe artist. They feature the name of the city, a Chicago-style hotdog, a tour boat ride, skyscrapers and Michigan Avenue in fun graphics and eye-catching colors. So I did a little shopping.ĭecent souvenir pencils were surprisingly hard to come by, but I finally found these in the gift shop at the top of the John Hancock Tower. Why? Because these are things that you use and use up. Even though I have a whopping supply of pens, pencils, journals, ink, and paper at home, picking up a few new items while I’m in a different place feels okay. It will come as no surprise that I keep my eyes open for fun or interesting stationery-related items. With two dresser drawers stuffed with t-shirts, I really don’t need anymore, though it’s always tempting to add to that stash. When I’m on vacation, I’m always on the lookout for souvenirs, but over the years that’s come to mean different things.
I actually lost weight on this vacation from all of the walking.
We jammed a lot of stuff into three days and walked our heads off-about 10 miles per day. Water squirts out of this guy’s mouth every now and then.