KALEIDOSCOPE

When my grandmother was still alive, it was tradition that we take a shopping trip to Chicago.  Although those days are long gone, I remember them fondly.

We never drove to Chicago; instead, Grandpa would drop us off at the local Greyhound Bus Station somewhere between 7 and 8 am on a Saturday morning.  Mom would purchase the bus tickets and we would board the bus.  We usually brought something to eat on the bus (usually sweet rolls bought at a local bakery), and we watched out the windows as the bus made its way to the terminal in Chicago.

The first thing we had to do was to take in the window displays at Marshall Fields (now Macy’s) and Carson, Pierres, & Scott.  We always made our way to each window, starting with the window numbered one, to read the section of the story conveyed by the window and ooh and aah over the details of the display.  Some years it was beautiful, temperate weather, but some years it was blustery and cold.  No matter what the weather, Gram insisted on taking in the windows.

Our second stop was the seventh floor restaurant in Fields to have lunch under the tree.  They served hot chocolate which warmed me up after the window viewing.  As I got older, my favorite lunch was one of the signature salads: a half a head of lettuce with turkey and Swiss cheese topped with 1,000 Island dressing.

After lunch, I was allowed to wander through the store and begin my Christmas shopping.  I was expected to wear my watch and meet Mom and Gram in a specific department, but where I went in the store was my business.  I always made it a point of visiting the toy, book, and candy departments.

A couple of years ago, I went with my husband to Chicago just before Fields was bought out by Macy’s.  We viewed the windows, but the line for lunch under the tree was much too long to warrant waiting.  We did some shopping there, as well as at other stores in the area, but the charm and thrill of the trip wasn’t what it had been when I was a kid.  Unfortunately, some traditions are out grown.