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What:  #15  Be  in  the  live  audience  for  NPR’s  “Wait  Wait ... Don’t  Tell  Me!"

Where: Downtown Chicago
When: May 17th
Why: I love trivia - the plethora of useless knowledge and factoids - but I tend to like to learn a little something from my trivia beyond just hearing Alex Trebek give his pompous retorts on Jeopardy. Thus, I have in the past year or so really started enjoying the Saturday morning broadcast on NPR radio of the program "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!" If you are unfamiliar, it is a current events news quiz show and much funnier than that makes it sound. In addition to just being a fan of the show's content, I also was interested to see how a radio show was put together. I've been to a number of TV show tapings over the years, and on the set of a movie, but never to see a radio show. It was great to place faces and mannerisms with voices that were already familiar to me, and to see the logistics of how it is all done - callers, the panel, retakes, etc.

The taping takes place in the Chase Auditorium (inside the Chase Bank Tower downtown, a few blocks from Millennium Park) and the place was full! Clearly, I'm not the only dork who enjoys this sort of thing, especially considering the fact that my friend Sonia and her boyfriend Mighel signed on to do this one with me. :) Overall, it took almost 2 hours to finish the taping, so I was anxious to hear the show this morning to see what was cut to get it into its one-hour time slot. It was interesting that they rearranged the order on some segments from how it went that night, and definitely a lot of the banter and tangential conversations were cut, but it felt seamless when I listened to it. Overall, a fun way to spend a night out in downtown Chicago!

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What: #25 Dine at a restaurant I’ve never been to in A2

Where: Logan
When: May 8th
Why: There are many restaurants in Ann Arbor that I love and tend to frequent over and over. This is partly because I'm not an adventurous eater, and also because I just don't tend to feel like paying a lot for food as opposed to other activities. I do realize as I spend more time in the world that there is something to be said for a well-prepared culinary experience, and so I've tried to broaden my horizons ever so slightly in the realm of food. Thankfully, Ann Arbor has a wonderful array of fantastic restaurants from which to choose (it's true!), so it wasn't difficult to find one to try. We went to Logan and it was crowded on a Tuesday, which has to be a good sign. The appetizer was slightly different than I expected (a tempura with a very different sauce), but it was really good. I had heard high praise for the biscuits, which came out fresh and warm and smelling delicious! Then, my pasta dish was full of flavors not typically blended together, and I really enjoyed the unexpected pop of lemon zest and pistachio crunch in the light sauce. (I feel like I'm writing for some foodie blog...forgive me...this is not my strong suit!).

A perfect ball of mousse...
unexpected, right? 

Finally, I splurged on a chocolate mousse that was, again, unexpected, but rich and everything you want from a fancy dessert. It was great to go out for a nice dinner in the middle of the week, have time to soak up the atmosphere of a new place with a great friend, and I'll be looking for more opportunities to try other hidden gems among the many amazing Ann Arbor restaurants!

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What: #30 Go to the Kentucky Oaks race

Where: Churchill Downs
When: May 4th

Why: For the past couple of years, I've been lucky enough to take part in the tradition of going to see the Kentucky Derby. As many may not know, the Derby race itself is one of about a dozen races that occur that day, and the second day of the real horse racing festivities. The event on Friday is called the Kentucky Oaks and is filled with the same energy and excitement, but with a lot more pink, a lot less insanity, and a much greater focus on the incredible horses that race here.

I got into the color theme with my dress and matching shoes, enjoyed just one traditional Lily drink, and had a front row view in the paddock area for most of the morning races. The afternoon brought some serious weather drama that proved a bit much for my fancy shoes and my meager poncho, but overall, it was a great way to start off another memorable Derby weekend, and I hope to permanently add this event to my annual trip to Louisville!