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.
Because I love the gay bars in Boystown so much, I decided to celebrate gay culture and pride Sunday at Pride Parade! (Actually, I had to walk in the parade for work…but still).
Anyways, the parade was one of the coolest and most fun events I have ever been to. As I fought my way to the WGN-TV float, it looked like a massive rainbow had settled onto Lakeview. I looked like a square in my khaki shorts compared to the elaborate costumes, sparkles and stage makeup that every one else seemed to be sporting.
The parade weaved through Boystown and ended at the Lincoln Park Zoo…quite a long ways, but the weather could not have been better, and honestly, neither could the company
Not only is WGN a Chicago institution, its anchors are truly celebrities. I doubt any float got the reception that ours did as we blasted the Ting Tings, Michael Jackson and Beyonce…all while the news crew waved, wiggled and danced on the back of the float.
Parade-goers crowded the route and leaned over fences, tossing beads, offering high fives and lifting beers and Mikes Hard Lemonades in a toast as we cruised on by.
As I took photos for WGN, I was able to interact with the crowd and see aspects of its components that other people might not have. For instance, some of the costumes, people perched in third-floor windows, lots of nudity, and a more serious side of why all these people were gathered.
While there was only one small group of protestors, many supporters or gay rights held up signs or wore shirts with political and social messages scrawled across them. Gay marriage was an obvious one (Heteros get 3 to 4 weddings. Gays don’t even get 1). Another gay couple walked hand in hand through the parade route holding signs reading “Just Married.” They were greeted with cheers and congratulations the entire walk. Abolishing don’t ask don’t tell (Obama, let gays serve openly) was third hot-button issue addressed by more somber members of the gay community.
For the most part, though, Pride Parade was not an event pushing a social or political agenda, rather it was a celebration of a culture often misunderstood and ostracized by the mainstream.
If you ever get the opportunity to attend the PrideFest Parade…take it! Be ready for thousands upon thousands of eccentric, excited and colorful people—but more than that, be ready for a great time!
FINALLY! I made it to the beach!
Kait and I took a quick trip to the Rogers Park beach on Saturday, and the highlight was the painted wall separating the beach from a grassy park. But like I said, the trip was short, and I didn’t really get to experience the west side of Lake Michigan.
But today, I got a little surprise from work—I didn’t have to go in! So I threw on my swimsuit, packed my purple blanket, and headed to the beach.
I should have taken the L and headed north, back to Rogers Park, but once I got on the bus toward Addison, there were a few other beach-goers, so I decided to just follow them…and south we went.
I ended up on a beach surrounded by the Chicago skyline, with the Sears Tower spires reaching high above my head. Even stranger than sunbathing on a city beach, though, were the palm trees planted along the shoreline. On Lake Michigan! It was a little weird, mostly because I have a hard time pretending I’m somewhere like the Caribbean when cars and trains scream just a few hundred feet from me.
Still, the beach was nice. Busy, but that's not a surprise, and it was really clean. The water was warmer than it is on my state’s shores, but still just as blue. One thing we don't have in Michigan, though (well, if we do, I've never seen them) are some hot male lifeguards in short shorts doing pushups while they wait for someone to drown. Trust me, reason enough to go back to that beach.
After getting some of my Florida tan back, I packed up my bag and walked north on the trail bordering the lake. Chicago’s beaches have it all. And I’m not referring to the palm trees.
I found a place on a cement structure next to a beautiful pavilion to make a stop. A dozen chess games were going on under the pavilion, overlooking a bay, sailboats and passersby sauntering under the sky, which was so blue, it drifted right into the lake at the horizon line.
Walking a little further led me past volleyball tournaments, fresh-squeezed juice stands, families playing hooky from responsibilities, and more incredible vistas from the other side of Michigan’s greatest lake.
I would have liked to spend a little more time wandering today, but it’s back to reality for me. By reality, I mean a work softball game…don’t laugh! But I’m hoping this week will take me back to the shore, in particular, to take a better look at the painted wall on Rogers Park beach. I’ll keep you posted.
I spent today at Wrigley Field, trying to find 1,000 of Chicago’s hottest baseball fans. For my friends who are not familiar with interleague play here in the Windy City, I’ll elaborate. The Crosstown Classic is an annual event that pits the Cubs and the Sox against each other for 6 games. Three are played at Wrigley, while the other three are hosted at U.S. Cellular Field.
Since WGN broadcasts both Chicago teams’ games, it has been dubbed the Official Summer Baseball Station. Of course, this opened up opportunities to tailor some really cool promotions tied in with the Crosstown Classic.
Thus…the Northside/Southside Hottest Fan contest was born.
This afternoon, a few of my colleagues and I set out on a mission: Find the 500 hottest Cubs fans and the 500 hottest Sox fans. Get them to pose for a picture. Get the public to head to www.wgntv.com/contests (shameless plug) and vote for their favorites. The winners? One guy and one girl from each side will get to be in a promo for an upcoming game.
I won’t give you the play-by-play of the day…it wasn’t too interesting. Well, with the exception of a fight in front of the field and a homeless man holding up a sign reading: “Why lie? I need a beer.” Hey, I like his honesty.
What I did like, though, was being at Wrigley Field for a game. Sure, I spent last weekend in the area at bars with post-game fans. But today was different. Before the game, literally thousands of people descend on Wrigleyville, pouring out of the L stations and falling out of busses like clowns out of their cars. It’s not hard to identify team affiliations, since pride is black and white…or red and blue.
It felt like a homecoming football game. Everyone gathered for one reason, well, I guess a few. To watch a good game, hang out with good friends and have a good drink…or twelve. The booming bass from frat-flagged trucks is replaced with the hollow sound of plastic 10-gallon buckets. The beats resonate through the streets, bouncing between the stadium, the L and shops on the south side of Addison. Perhaps the most popular musician of the day was the 4-year-old boy who wasn’t much taller than the bucket he drummed on.
The pounding is accompanied by a chorus of hawkers, trying to pawn tickets and bags of peanuts or pistachios to the already buzzed up crowd.
I enjoy doing promotions, in particular ones that allow me to spend my day chatting and flirting with good-looking guys. But I think what made today such a great day, was really taking in the atmosphere of Chicago. North, South…whatever. This is a great city.
