Before the start of the summer, I wrote a column about the retirement of my boss, Carl. During Carl’s last week of work, my co-workers and I made tentative plans with him to go up to Oak Park and visit his neck of the woods.

Last weekend, we were able to take it out of the group chat and make the visit a reality. Donning matching orange T-shirts that read “Oak Parkapalooza 2025,” we started the day visiting The Daly Bagel, a bagel and coffee shop from where Carl often brought bagels to the office.

Finding a spot in a nearby park, our group of eight enjoyed our meals while we got Carl up to speed on the things he’s missed in Kankakee over the last three months. This took a good 45 minutes before we continued on with all of what Oak Park has to offer.

Outside of the park was the trail of homes either designed or inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. Carl had taken the actual tour days before and was able to give us the footnotes as we walked around outside the 10 houses and stopped by the gift shop of the Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio.

Afterward, we went for a drink at a cafe named for one of Oak Park’s most famous residents. Hemmingway’s Bistro, named for writer Ernest Hemingway (but with an extra “M” to set the location apart from the person), gave us a chance to toast to the reunion of the group.

From there, we stopped by the mural of another famous Oak Park native, Betty White. It was a beautiful day, and we took advantage of the weather by walking around downtown and popping in and out of shops.

We crossed over into Forest Park to check out the annual Garage Galleries, where residents open their garages to local artists, giving them a space to showcase their work.

To close out the day, we had dinner at Tacos ’76. Stomachs and hearts full, we said our goodbyes and made our way back south.

It can be rare to form a friendship with co-workers, and even more rare to willingly spend a whole Saturday with them, and I feel so grateful to have been dealt such a hand.

And if you haven’t had a chance to visit Oak Park, I’d highly recommend it.