Journal

July 1, 2010 — 12:30am

Today (June 30) was a certified great day. I started off at the world famous Taste of Chicago. (Well, technically, I started off in bed, but you know what I mean.)

Around noon I met up with one of my wonderful local tour guides, Renisha, who had promised she would guide me through all the culinary wonderment that is Taste. And it was fantastic. I spent entirely too much money on food, but it was all good. Here what I remember eating: Mango rice pudding (had to go back for seconds!); shredded Tandoori turkey; Harold’s fried chicken (AH! So good!); the freshest ear of corn I’ve ever had, dipped in butter, sprinkled with cayenne pepper; Eli’s cheesecake, which I was underwhelmed with; a pork filled banana dumpling; watermelon that was ridiculously juicy; beignets; jambalaya; jerk chicken with red beans and rice; and I feel like there were a few other things too… but I can’t recall. Oh! And how could I forget this incredible apple soda that Pepsi was distributing — we went back for thirds on that.

All in all, I had a great time at Taste. The weather — beyond perfect — was sunny, about 74, and had a beautiful breeze cooling us down from time to time. (Me and my pale skin managed to get sunburned on my forearms, because I, of course, didn’t put any sunscreen on them — but I did get my face and chest. Go figure.) Throw in some great food and a friend who, although I just met, because of Twitter, it felt just like old times, and I was loving this summertime Chi that I’ve heard people rave about.

After eating it was time to relax so we strolled over to the lake, found a spot of grass and sat there and chatted for a while before heading down (or rather up) to the Navy Pier. The Navy Pier is the epitome of a touristy spot and the only one I’ve really ventured to this trip (I’m not counting Taste). But the people watching was epic! You know what else was epic? This Ben & Jerry’s ice cream I had! Bonaroo Buzz. Get some as soon as is humanly possible and then thank me. Deliciousness all in my mouth.

One thing I will repeatedly tell you that I love about the Chi is that all the walking I’m doing is not only burning off the majority of the food I’m eating, it’s also gearing up my metabolism to eat more!

Eventually, I parted ways with Renisha and headed back to take a nap before heading out for dinner. Nothing eventful about that. But I am glad I got my unlimited seven day CTA pass. That was the best $23 I’ve spent this trip.

I tried to obtain some company for the last meal of the day, but when nothing availed, I figured I had better make a move before it got to late. After a little Googling and some Zagat-ing, I decided to try a some called Wishbone — a cajun spot in some neighborhood I knew nothing about other than it was in my “safe zone” (not too far South or West). I rode the train for longer than expected, hopped off, got my bearings and heading in the right direction. And they were closed. WOMP! Not for the night. But for renovations. They wouldn’t be open until July third.

Scrambling to come up with a plan B, I remembered reading about a Cuban spot that sounded good. I looked it up, and found out that, by the time they closed, I wouldn’t be able to make it. Frustrated again. Forget plan B, I was on C. Let me hop back on the train and figure something out from there. And then the phone freezes. More accurately, Google Maps, the program I needed, froze, which caused me to have to reboot. (Pulling out the battery for a hard reboot takes at least seven to nine minutes — a real pain when you need the phone sooner rather than later.)

I figured I’d just get off at a random stop and wander around until either my phone booted back up or I found some food. We can skip me searching for food, figuring out how to get there and all that, right? Good. It wasn’t all that interesting.

Al’s #1 Beef. Incredible. My stomach, my mouth, and my taste buds threw a part in celebration of this meal. A super small spot, upon spotting it, I knew this was what I needed in my life. A bit overwhelmed by the menu, I settled on an Al’s beef and sausage combo with peppers, dipped (I had no clue what “dipped” meant, but I figured I might as well go all out. Come to find out they dip the sandwich in meat juice! YUM!). Now, I though I had ordered two hot dogs. I had not. I had ordered a beef steak sandwich with pepper and an Italian sausage all inside one bun. One bite and I was about as close to heaven as food can bring a person. It was greasy and unhealthy, but I didn’t care one bit!

As I checked my Twitter replies, I found out about the Wiener Circle. The Wiener Circle is one of Chicago’s most famous, hole-in-the-wall hot dog spots. (If you’re like I was and have never heard of it, just YouTube it and you’ll know why it’s famous.) Haven’t only a day left in the city and just finishing a meal, I wondered if I would make it there this trip. It was at that point that the strange thought to walk about for a bit and then head north for a late night hot dog snack hit me. And why not? What else was I going to do? The night was young and the spot stayed open until four am.

June 29 — Chicago

TBW… (That’s “to be written”)

June 28 — 11pm — Chicago

As I ride the bus back “home” and reflect on the day, I am, not only glad that I came to Chicago (very glad in fact), but also looking for an excuse to come back.

This is a real city. As much as I love Atlanta, I don’t feel like it’s a real city, at least in the downtown portion. Anyone who has been to both knows that they don’t even compare. Shopping alone is bananas in the Chi. In Atlanta, although we have great shops and malls, doesn’t come close to the size and number of incredible stores here. I don’t know if I can come up with one way to compare the cities, in fact.

And having friends like Renisha, Luvvie, Karyn, and Dee Dee to show me the real Chicago (that’s just today!) has made the trip immeasurably more fun. It wouldn’t be the same without all my friends here. No way.

(I know these entries are kinda spotty and random. It’s because if I wait until I’m in from of the computer, I’ll forget all the stuff I want to write.)

And because Luvvie, Renisha and I were talking about this, I felt I should share it with you, God forbid you haven’t seen it before!

June 28 — 3pm — Chicago

Strolling around Hyde Park, I’m in love. With this area, perhaps even the city or Chicago. But we’ve just met so it’s hard to gauge whether it’s love or lust. I know this much — Not even 48 hours into my first trip to the Chi and I already want to come back.

Hyde park, with it’s green space, gorgeous houses, and small businesses, is a super cute area — one I could definitely see myself living in. It’s making the University of Chicago, which is the number four Sociology school in the country, and only blocks away look like a great place to transfer to. If only I could figure out how to justify $55K a year.

Normally, walking around Atlanta requires I listen to some music and carry a book or two in my man bag (yes, I have a man bag). Although I brought it to Chicago, I haven’t used it once. There’s something peaceful and introspective about just listening to the sounds of your environment, taking it all in and submersing yourself in it. Especially when it’s a place you’ve never been before. So as I walk, music would be nice, but I’m learning to find the music of the city just relaxing and wonderful.

June 27 — 11:30pm — Chicago

I’m disappointed. And I don’t know why.

Today, really, was great. I had a wonderful time with Jenna (who is definitely one of the sweetest people I know) as we brunched (is that a word?)  and ran errands. Ok, we didn’t run errands as much as we shopped, but whatever.

It never fails to amaze me how comfortable you can be around someone after meeting them in person for the first time. Jenna and I had talked on the phone a few times, but this was the first time we were together. But I wouldn’t have known. It was as if we just hadn’t seen each other in a while. That makes me think about how it is we define “meet” and “getting to know” people. With the online social circles, I feel like I know people who I’ve never physically met better than some people I’ve known, physically, for years.

We walked for quite a few blocks, although not as many as I covered yesterday. And I needed a nap. But as I returned to my bed, I found it hard to really focus on relaxing and sleeping. I needed to find something to eat for dinner before I left so as not to repeat last night’s drama. I decided on a place I’d heard so many wonderful things about — Gino’s.

Gino’s was a mile and a half away from my room. And there was no way I was walking. My feet still hurt. (On the plus side, all this walking means that I’ll burn off most of the food I’ll eat.) Subway, a few blocks of walking, yada yada yada, and I arrive.

Normally I don’t sit at the bar nor do I eat alone. (There are really only a few places I eat at by myself.) But tonight I did both. I figured I wasn’t worth the time of a server so the bar seemed like a decent choice. I found a seat at the end and plopped myself on the chair. A glance at the menu and a brief conversation with the bartender let’s me know that I’ll be paying at least twenty dollars for a pizza that will take 45 to 50 minutes to prepare. Holy crap. Although I am on a budget, I figured this was a landmark that everyone said I needed to try, so I splurged.

Definitely one of the worst $30 meals I’ve had. Not so much the food (which, although I’m not at all a deep dish fan — New York style for me please — was pretty good), but the environment, the service, and perhaps my attitude.

Having been a server, I’m both more and less forgiving of bad service. If there’s a lot going on, I can understand; if there’s not, and they’re just inattentive for no obvious reason, I’m not forgiving. I do, however, still tip at least 15, often 20 percent. People have to make a living.

But perhaps more than the bad service was the fact that I didn’t want to be alone. It seemed like I was the only person by myself in that place. And that may well have been the truth; it definitely felt like it.

Sometimes it’s good to be alone. But at the end of the day, I’m convinced that life is better when shared with others. Today reflected that — I had more fun when I was with someone than I did by myself (and I’m a person who enjoys being by myself from time to time. Although sometimes my mind travels to places that scare me.)

June 27 2010 — 12pm — Chicago

It’s a dreary, rainy ( and looks like it should be cold) morning in Chicago. It’s also Sunday, although because I didn’t go to church today, it doesn’t seem like it. Being on vacation has really made all my days run together. Were it not for the calendar on my phone, I wouldn’t have a clue as to the day of the week.

Last night I decided I wanted to get out and explore what little of the city I could walk to and find some grub. After checking in at my “hotel” (which is really a hostel — a dorm style housing with bunk beds and 6-8 people in a room. Not ideal, but for $30 a night, right downtown, and free breakfast until 10am, I am perfectly happy!) and dropping off my bags, I headed toward Lake Michigan. I won’t bore you with all the little details but I walked around for nearly two hours before finding some food.

I learned two things last night:

1) The demographic of central New York and the Boston area (where I spent the last two weeks with my dad), and that of Chicago are vastly different. I think I saw more attractive people in the first three hours I spent in Chicago than in the past two weeks combined. I’ll say it another way — if I was looking for a spouse or a date or some eye candy or whatever, I’d pick Chicago over New England any day of the week, month, or year.

2) If you see something good, but perhaps not perfect (or maybe as perfect as you’d like), and pass it up, there are no guarantees that something better will come along. This is a seriously deep thought that I believe can apply to all areas of life, and one that I’ll likely flesh out into a full blog later.

I learned this lesson while searching for food last night. I ran across a little spot called Fox & Obel last night as I was walking. I was definitely hungry and ready to eat, so I glanced at the menu they had posted on the street. It didn’t look like anything all that special and this being my first night in Chicago, I wanted something special. So I kept walking. Bad idea. I ending up walking for another hour and eating Subway. Such a miserable fail in my book.

It was as I was sitting at Subway, eating my little turkey sandwich, that it occurred to me: How often, in life, do we pass up a great thing with the expectation that we’ll find a better thing further along the road, with absolutely no assurance of that being the case. Of course, there is definitely the possibility of finding something better. But there’s also the possibility that we won’t.

This lesson is something that I’m dealing with personally in the area of relationships. I’m going to stop writing about it here, because I need some time to develop it more fully into a real blog. But thing about that for a minute…

Back to today… I’m super geeked that I’m getting to meet a bunch of my Twitter friends in real life this week, starting off with some brunch today! I love that I feel so close to all these people who I’ve never met “in the flesh” before. Twitter is such an amazing tool.

(I need to drink more water and stay hydrated. It’s easy to do at home because I have bottles upon bottles sitting around, but traveling makes it much more difficult.)

Speaking of Twitter, one of my friends, mizCharteuse, gave me a digital camera to document my trip. (Yes, gave! Isn’t she awesome?) This is officially my first digital camera (outside of the one on my BlackBerry that I love to use). I will try my best to use it to document the trip, but something about the BlackBerry camera and it’s ability to be more conspicuous is appealing to me. I love to sneak shots when people aren’t looking. But we shall see what happens.

I’m off for now as I need to shower and get cleaned up before I head to lunch. Adios!

June 26 — 7pm — Chicago

(I typed this as I was waiting on the train… clearly it’s not a total thought.)

Stepping off the plane in Chicago’s O’Hare airport meant a new first for me. I was in a city I’d never been to, with no car, no parents or family, no plans (beyond a flight home and a place to stay), and few friends I had met in the flesh. (I knew most of them from Twitter.)

In thinking about the trip I grew slightly apprehensive. Yet I realized that this is the kind of experience everyone should have at least once — in a city, by themselves.

I’ve been traveling since I was 11 years old. I’ve been to over a dozen countries on three continents. Traveling isn’t new. Doing it without family, more specifically my dad, is.

(Upon emerging from the subway, this was the first glimpse of Downtown Chicago I got.)

Listening to:

Kanye West “Good Life” (Just the hook where he says, “Summertime Chi… ahhhh, this is the good life.”)

Common “Chi City”