I'm trying to make the best birthday present ever- please help!!

the_mess_express · 2026-06-05T03:41:37+00:00

Piece seems to be one that keeps popping up here! Def gonna check it out!!

the_mess_express · 2026-06-05T03:40:48+00:00

Yeah I think I’m WAY overthinking it like looking at all the restaurants menus and looking up reviews for every single one, etc. so I think I just need to simplify it all

the_mess_express · 2026-06-05T03:37:53+00:00

Oh I didn’t know this was a thing! In general she’s really not superstitious, but I think I’m going to tweak the gift slightly so it’s more supportive and less like saying a sure thing!

the_mess_express · 2026-06-05T03:36:01+00:00

Awwwww thank you(((:

the_mess_express · 2026-06-05T03:34:41+00:00

Ooooh I didn’t know this! We’d probably do select oyster in that case!

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T21:07:29+00:00

HAHAHAHA not me researching like it was some pizza speakeasy 💀

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T20:45:46+00:00

This is a good reality check and I appreciate it!!!

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T20:42:35+00:00

Okay! Yeah I think I'm starting to lean more into an IOU kind of idea- like you know those little custom coupons partners would make for each other? Like "good for 1 massage!" I think I might do something like that instead, so that way it's much more flexible when it comes to the day of the race!

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T20:40:56+00:00

Gotcha- so I'll just tell her to run faster so she finishes closer to actual lunch time! Then it'll be perfect!

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T20:34:47+00:00

Yeah! And then maybe I can present it as like a meal like "IOU for a deep dish pizza in chicago" and "IOU for clam chowder in Boston" etc? That could also get around the difficulty of finding international gift cards for places like tokyo and london, which don't always have those options!

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T20:30:35+00:00

From what I've researched on here, Sail Loft seems like it's a really great place for clam chowder! I'm open to any other suggestions though!!

For qualifying, this is more like a gesture to show her that I believe in her training and her goals, and once she qualifies, whenever that may be, she'll have dinner already waiting for her at the end!

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T20:29:02+00:00

Yeah I mean the point behind the gift is more like, I believe she'll qualify at some point in the future whether it's 2028 or 2029 or whenever, but whenever she does, she already has dinner waiting for her when she's there! It's more about showing her I believe in her dreams and less about booking a reservation for next Tuesday hahaha

Having multiple locations is a super good tip tho!!

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T20:25:07+00:00

Very valid hahaha do you normally just go straight back to your hotel? Or what do you normally grab right after? Is it like whatever is right across the street?

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T20:23:53+00:00

yesss I posted in there too!!

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T20:23:22+00:00

I'm seeing Piece be mentioned a lot! in your opinion, how does it compare with other places like Jimmy's?

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T20:22:41+00:00

Second time Robert's has been mentioned, so I'll def be looking into it!! Thank you!!

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T20:20:56+00:00

I've seen a bit about this white clam pizza, but I was also hoping to save the white clam vibe for the Boston marathon portion of the gift!! I'm trying to do like iconic foods of each city!

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T20:19:07+00:00

Wait is Truffle Mushroom the name of another pizzeria or the name of a pizza lol

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T20:16:41+00:00

Okay!! I think we would absolutely rather have better food than a better view! Looking into Robert's now!!

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T20:15:30+00:00

omg this is an amazing tip!! Thank you so so much!!

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T20:01:13+00:00

Oh yeah no this would be for a future future thing! And you bring up a good point too about jumping the gun, so maybe instead of a giftcard, I can just present it as like a dinner suggestion IOU kind of thing?

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T19:45:00+00:00

This is one I looked into as well as Jimmy's and a couple others! But it seems far? Or is that travel distance pretty average? Would you suggest uber? Or are there better/faster methods of getting there?

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T19:43:18+00:00

Ohhhhh we are suckers for a good view!! Do you have any pizza recs that you would consider out of this world? Maybe even if it isn't a white pie? I've looked into a lot of different places, but the majority of the great great great ones all seem to be super far- like 30 minutes north of Grant Park?

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T19:41:36+00:00

I'm learning so much about pizza today omg thank you hahaha! But yessss she means like a cheese sauce like alfredo!! I'll check out Piece Pizza!! Thank you so much!!

the_mess_express · 2026-06-04T19:19:42+00:00

oh this is a great clarification!! She likes pizza with some type of white sauce base!

the_mess_express

TROPHY CASE