This weekend was one of the best I have had in Chicago so far! First, it was my birthday, which you all know is my favorite day of the whole year. The celebrating started Thursday when my very first friend, Allie, and I got manicures and pedicures at CiCi’s on Lincoln.
CiCi’s is BYOB, so with a bottle of champagne in tow, we headed to the salon. The service was quick and friendly, and the calf and foot massage was worth the price. Allie opted for just a pedi, which is $27, I went with the combo for a mere $10 more. They don’t give you the fun little foam flip-flops there, but after getting all OPI’ed and a little buzzed up, it didn’t really matter.
After pampering ourselves, we headed to Frasca’s for dinner. I’ve been there before for their $10 bottomless mimosas at brunch, but hadn’t been for dinner. Allie and I split the Wrightwood salad and a margherita pizza, paired with their marinated asparagus and sangria.The food was great, and since the service was a little slow, the asparagus was comped by a manager.
We topped of the night with a few Oberons and a chocolate cupcake…it was the perfect start to a great weekend!
On Saturday, my parents came into town with the Crafts, and together we went to the river for the Chicago Architecture Foundation tour. The tour was 90 minutes long, with a great docent guiding us through the city skyline and describing in detail the histories of buildings, their designers and their styles. Obviously, I loved learning about Tribune Tower, but I think the art deco-styled buildings were my favorite. I also thought it was interesting when she described the different schools of thought subscribed to by architects. I guess I never realized how much thought and insight goes into the building, its surroundings and how it will impact the world around it.
We wandered around an art fair downtown after the tour, then hit the Miracle Mile for a little shopping. But the real highlight of the day was dinner at Mia Francesca. The little restaurant just off the Brown Line Belmont stop. The place was packed, but it looked and smelled like a little Tuscan restaurant when the whole town turns out for a party.
The meal started with wine for the table and loaves of bread smothered in oil, cheese and spices. The wait for our party of nine wasn’t bad when it came to getting dinner…and between the group, we sampled most of the menu. Typically, I prefer roma tomatoes for my caprese salad, but the massive tomatoes we were served were really sweet and mild. As far as I know, the Caesar salad also was good. The entrees, though, were incredible all the way around. I had rigatoni alla butera, and it goes down as the best pasta dish I have ever had. Slices of sausage, rigatoni, peas and a creamy tomato sauce were perfect for a warm summer night, and gave me exactly the meal I wanted on my birthday. I didn’t taste everyone’s entrees, but since Paul was seated right next to me, I swiped a bite of his gnocchi…which was absolutely amazing. It was stuffed with mushrooms and mascarpone cheese, then drizzled in a cream sauce. Both the sauce and the dumplings were the perfect texture and consistency.
Needless to say, I cannot wait to go back to Mia Francesca soon.
Sunday morning’s breakfast was far from Italian. Our group headed to Wishbone on Lincoln and School, a Southern comfort and Creole-influenced restaurant. The menu had breakfast staples, as well as new twists on those old classics. I chose the jambalaya omelet, paired with potatoes and cornbread. I was torn between that and the sweet red pepper benedict, which I definitely will choose the next time I visit Wishbone. The omelet was really good and offered a flavor combination I had never experienced before. The fresh-squeezed orange juice and strong coffee were nice compliments, and I enjoyed every sip and bite. I should also mention the super-creamy cheese grits that Mom ordered, and from which I swiped a few bites.
All in all, the weekend was a really great one filled with amazing bites of Chicago, phenomenal food and fabulous friends. I could not have asked for a better way to ring in my 23rd year.Here’s hoping it just keeps getting better.
I love public transportation.
And no, that was not a sarcastic comment. For a people watcher like me, the CTA, or any other public transit system for that matter, is the perfect place to get my fix and see a plethora of interesting and odd people.
On my first day in the city, I took the Red Line from Kait’s apartment up toward my neighborhood. As I waited underground for my train, a woman made her way to the middle of the platform. She was a big woman, and the clothes she wore billowed around her frame. She set down her bags and then, without even looking around, took a deep breath and started to sing. Totally unselfconsciously, with no cup for tips, she sang one gospel tune after another, swaying back and forth. She didn’t get on the train when I did, so I don’t know how long she stood there, but for a few minutes, it made the tagged underground space feel a little warmer.
Since the train doesn’t go out to WGN’s station, I typically take the bus to work in the morning. While the morning commuter crowd is usually pretty boring, the afternoon ride home, or a late night trip, always offers a few characters.
There was the man dressed head-to-toe in Cubs memorabilia…hat, jersey, watch, undershirt, socks…and tatted up arms. One of his tattoos revealed him as a Vietnam vet, the others just seemed like a hodgepodge of doodles he thought were cool at the time. But I didn’t ask, so I guess I’ll never really know the stories behind them.
I counseled a girl through a breakup on one train ride, and watched an intense game of dice during another. There’s almost always a panhandler, or a mother parading her kids around looking for change. Some times, when I get really lucky, there will be a whole car of empty seats and a weirdo will choose to sit next to me.
Friday, I get ready to head to my cottage for the holiday weekend. I get my train ticket, and am excited to find out that Erin is on my train, which means I’ll have someone I actually know to chat with on the ride home. Well, when we got on the train, all the double seats were already full with a t least one passenger. Everyone has to double up on these trips, so I’m hoping we might be able to sweet talk someone into switching so that we can sit together. No dice. So instead we sit across the aisle from one another. Well, we got lucky in terms of characters to sit near.
In the window seat next to Erin is an older lady in a very colorful jacket. She falls asleep about 10 minutes into the ride, and begins to quietly snore and her head jerks around with the moving train. Her nap doesn’t last too long, though, and when she wakes up, reaches into her bag and pulls out some kind of craft project. Erin and I glance out of the corners of eyes, trying to figure out what she is going to do with the thread and scissors. Then she takes out a purse, which I’m assuming she made, that is constructed of plastic grocery bags! Grocery bags! I don’t know how she did it, but it looked crocheted. After toiling with her for a while, she seemed satisfied at the end product, and put it away before pulling out her iPod and settling in for the rest of the trip.
Sitting across the aisle from each other wasn’t too terrible, unless you were the woman sitting next to me that is.
She had the seat next to her piled with her things, and when I asked her politely if I could sit next to her, slowly moved each piece one-by-one off the seat. I stood there waiting for her to complete the task, then sat down. Erin and I began chatting, at a reasonable volume for being on a train full of people. It didn’t take long after we pulled away from the station, though, for the lady next to me to start sighing and making comments under her breath about me talking to Erin. I didn’t pay much attention…until the conductor comes around to collect tickets. The girl behind her, who is sitting by herself, reaches over the seat and says “Mom, wake up, they need your ticket.” She responds with “I am awake. Can’t get no sleep on here with all this noise.”
WHAT?! She is traveling with her daughter, who has a set next to her open! Now I don’t feel the least bit bad for keeping her awake. Well, she spends the rest of the trip bumping into me with her elbows, hips and knees, all while sighing loudly and glaring at me. Literally glaring.
Finally, she manages to drone out my voice, rather Erin and I engaged in separate, quiet activities, and she fell asleep. Now we’re both content…until her gas kicks in. I wish I was joking about what I endured for the last 45-minute leg of my journey, but all I can say is it was pretty ripe. I guess she got me back. Damn karma.
