Bulls vs. Pistons + Mercadito’s Tacos

Good Morning! It’s a snowy one here in Rochester Hills, Michigan.

Yep… we woke up to a thin layer of snow on the ground this morning.

Not okay.

But before I get sidetracked on that, I have a trip to Chicago to share!

We arrived in the city in the mid-afternoon on Monday, and I had a couple of hours until game time. Scott went with our friend, Barry, to the arena and I hung behind to work on my race recap and get ready for the game.

While in Chicago, I re-acquainted myself with Uber, the car service. We ordered car rides and pick-ups from the app on our phones throughout the duration of our stay, and it was so much easier than trying to figure out where to park and how to drive in the city. We have Uber in Detroit, but it’s not nearly as accessible to us as it is to cities that thrive on taxi services like Chicago or New York.

I arrived at the United Center an hour before the game started. I planned to meet Scott by our seats and was happy to see a friend of theirs come and get me to bring me under the tunnels until my friend arrived.

It’s always fun to see how different teams and arenas work on game days! It was the usual hustle and bustle of getting everything ready and situated before tip-off.

(That’s what we got after this, of course.)

Scott and I headed up to our section with plenty of time to catch the intros. The Bulls have always had a memorable introduction that started back in the days of Michael Jordan, and they just redid the opening video this season.

I have never even worked for the team and I got chills. I absolutely loved it!

The game was themed out in camouflage and filled with soldiers the crowd applauded to acknowledge Veteran’s Day. Everything from the dance routines to mascot costumes had something extra patriotic and special about them.

Since the Bulls were playing the Pistons, it was extra fun that our friend, Katlyn (who I used to dance with in Detroit), joined us in the stands. She tried out for the Luvabulls this season and I am very excited for her to dance in this city!

It was her game off, so we were happy to have her sit with us.

Wearing his Entertainment Director hat, Scott took notes in his phone and got ideas of in-game bits and aspects to take home. Every NBA team does things a little bit differently, so it is nice to take a trip to another arena for game day every now and then.

One thing that never changes (or gets old) is the team mascot. Benny the Bull has been buds with HOOPER for years, so it didn’t surprise me when we got a special visit complete with confetti and silly string!

(Benny selfie)

He’s crazy and wildly entertaining, y’all. Pulling similar stunts our crazy horse would, he had the crowd on their feet and slightly nervous at what would happen next the whole visit.

I’m pretty sure he used an entire can of silly string on Katlyn, too. Charming.

(Benny was here.)

The game was exciting, and as a Pistons and a Bulls fan, my team was sure to win. The Bulls ended up pulling the W, but Detroit put up a fight and still gave a good challenge. It was the perfect game to come over for!

After the game, we found our friend Barry and all wanted something to do and eat. It was a Monday, and there weren’t too many late-night options, so we were glad to squeeze into the last seating for dinner at Mercadito’s.

It was a cool and eclectic looking place that reminded Scott and I a lot of MEX in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

With a solid appetite, we ordered a trio of guacamoles to start.

And… a round of their specialty margaritas!

The guacamole lasted about two minutes, so we ordered another trio of different guacamoles and they were all very fresh and delicious.

I left it to the boys to order the entrees. We all have similar taste, so we ordered a smorgasbord of different tacos and I enjoyed sampling them all. I almost tasted the tilapia. I’m not a big fan of fish, but they all raved about this one.

(Of course that’s the one that came out later I didn’t take a picture of.)

Stuffed, we closed the restaurant down and made our way around local spots looking for something to do. It was a great start to our trip!

I hate to make it short and skip the ability to proof-read, but I need to get out the door and take the fur kids to the vets for their annual exams.

See ya back in a bit with the rest of our Chicago trip highlights!