August 2nd, 2012
There are times in your life when you meet someone or you go some place, and you feel an undefinable energy, a connection, between you and that person or that place. This is what I feel about Chicago, I have been a lot of places in my life but I still feel a connection to this city. It makes it hard to leave every time. Apparently, this feeling was contagious as Andrea and I debated on whether we could stay an extra day or not. After calling Air Miles, and hearing that would cost hundreds of dollars just to extend our stay by a day, it wasn't worth it. We ran through every scenario in our heads and it wasn't worth it for an extra day.
We tried to make the most of the day. First, stopping for quick breakfast at Xoco, celebrity chef Rick Bayless' Mexican restaurant in the heart of Chicago. I think I would liked their lunch or dinner menu better as I was not blown away by their breakfast menu at all. I had the wood-oven chilaquiles, a sort of scramble with tortilla chips and pepper sauce that was decent but nothing that I would go back for. Andrea's Torta was good but not particularly memorable either. Their fresh baked muffins were delicious though, so if you have to grab something in the morning from here- it is the best thing we tried in the place.
After breakfast, we raced by bus to the Museum of Science and Industry. We initially were going to skip this museum because Andrea wasn't super interested in it. Take notes, Ontario Science Centre, this is how a science museum is done. The Henry Crown Space Center alone was very cool- including artifacts from the Apollo and other early space missions, and of course the obligatory space shuttle simulator. The interactive Science Storms exhibit is great for kids and adults alike where avalanches, lightning, tornadoes, and other weather phenomena are recreated in the exhibit. Also, where else are you going to find both a captured German U Boat Submarine and a intricately detailed fairy castle dollhouse in the same place?
We found ourselves running out of time as usual, like other museums, plan to stay here for hours if you want to see everything. We tried to pick and choose what we saw and still found ourselves missing out on a few things we wanted to see. As science museums go, this is definitely one of the best- no matter what age you are.
When we got back to the hotel, we still had a few hours to kill before heading back on the blue line to the airport, so we decided to go to the legendary Gino's East for some Chicago stuffed deep dish pizza. Which is the other variety of deep dish- unlike Lou Malnati's which is more of the Pizzeria Uno basic deep dish style. Located in River North, it is an ultimate tourist landmark for Chicago deep dish lovers. Unfortunately for us, they decided to send half their staff home before an "unexpected rush" at 2pm in the afternoon. It is probably an hour before we even got our family style salad- which was great but it was an hour late. We had to keep on trying to flag down wait staff, as our waiter had disappeared- presumably on lunch break, to get us some food. We had been forgotten.
It took us getting the hostess's attention, who was missing in action for awhile herself, to even get our salad. She apparently had to make it herself. We realize they were busy but there was no attempt even to refill our pepsi up to that point to keep us remotely happy. When the pizza itself finally came, at least 30 minutes after it was supposed to (in addition to the normal deep dish bake times), they were profusely apologetic and promised we would at least get our salad free. The pizza itself (spinach and mushroom deep dish) was very good but the damage was done. Then we got the bill, and the salad was still being charged to us, so we had to wait awhile to get that fixed too. There was such a long wait for tables that a bus full of college students gave us a big cheer as we left the restaurant- probably the most positive thing to come out of the whole visit.
We grabbed our things from the hotel, and headed on the L train to O'Hare. When we got there, Andrea and I were talking about having a Chicago themed party when we got back and I had limited Chicago hot dog supplies back home. The Radioactive green relish and the sport peppers are impossible to find in Canada.
So, I had the bright idea of finding said condiments in the airport like I was always did at the Gold Coast Dogs/Pizza Uno stand. I was a man on a mission. Unfortunately, every Chicago hot dog stand I went to in the airport no longer sold the supplies. We could have probably bought them in Chicago itself but that would have required checking our bags for a crazy fee. Determined, I went from terminal to terminal, realizing this was a bit crazy (i.e. extremely nuts), but still pressed on. Time was running short, so I ended up taking a shuttle back to our terminal but in my delirium was in terminal 2 instead of terminal 3. I had to run back to the gate with little time to spare before we got on the board the plane.
I did make it back in time, despite every possibility that I would not, and we boarded the plane back home.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Ivy League and Pop Art
August 1st, 2012
We started our day heading to the South side of Chicago. The furthest south I'd been previously was US Cellular Field at Sox/45th. Broke new ground by heading to the Osaka Garden on the Wooded Island at Jackson Park. For all the bad wrap that the South Side gets, this is a beautiful oasis in one of Chicago's biggest parks. This Japanese style garden was apparently built for the World's Fair in the 1890s, and still stands as a great place for contemplation or a picnic for that matter. My hope is the next time I am in Chicago that I can explore more of Jackson Park itself.
Just to the west of the park is the Midway Plaisance, another relic of the World's fair that cuts through the University of Chicago. The campus is one of the more majestic campuses in North America, matching the beauty of Harvard both in it's architecture and parkland. The only hitch was that they were in the midst of construction work near the main quadrangle in the centre of campus.
While at the university, we went to the Rockefeller Chapel, named for it's patron, John D Rockefeller, towers over the campus. The chapel is not too gaudy but acts more as an art gallery- including sculptures, paintings, and stainglass.
We moved on to the Robie House, one of architect Frank Lloyd Wright's most iconic buildings (in the "prairie style"). Unfortunately for us, my guide book was out of date and it is no longer open on Tuesdays. We walked around the building, trying to get as much of a look at it, as you could without actually going inside. So we pressed ahead, walking around campus until we headed to Medici for some great tasting sandwiches at the cafe. Next door is the main restaurant where you can find more substantial eats like the half pound hot dog, spinach lasagna, burgers, or one of their many pizzas.
After lunch, we headed back downtown. It took forever for the bus to come, and we were tempted several times to hop on the Metra and pay the extra money. In retrospect, we probably should have done it. Traffic was horrible once got closer to the Museum Campus- thanks to closed streets in preparation for Lollapalooza. We did however get back in time to the Art Institute of Chicago.
We met my friend Maya there as she was interested in seeing the Lichtenstein exhibit. The Art Institute is a massive beautiful building filled with art from the time of the Khmer Empire to modern day. It is definitely meant for multiple visits. The Lichtenstein exhibit itself was fairly large, and it took awhile to comb through all that pop art. If you don't know much about Lichtenstein, a lot of his more recognizable work was based on old comic books and ads. He was also known to make works of art parodying other popular art.
With limited time in the Art Institute, we tried to get in all the Van Goghs, sculptures, and American Contemporary Art we could before it closed. I made sure we saw American Gothic and my personal favorite, the Edward Hopper classic- Nighthawks before we left.
One Last Night in Chicago
With an invite from Maya to check out a friend's band at Shuba's later that night, we decided to grab some food from somewhere close by. We headed over to Rockit Bar and Grill in River North for some of their much famed burgers. We grabbed some rockit pockets (cheese, steak, and onions wrapped together), and some brews to start (I got a bottle of the tasty Bells Oberon that I tried in Detroit last year). I had the tasty "The Vegetarian Burger" which is a red bean burger with cheese and peppers- although I was tempted to get the Kobe beef based Rockit Burger or the Cinammon Raisin Grilled Cheese. The truffle fries did not really impress me but too each their own.
After dinner, we headed up to Schuba's but as usual just barely missed our train north, and were delayed getting up there. By the time, we got there, Maya's friend's band, Dozens were wrapping up their last song. In the many times, I had been to Chicago, I had never been to Schuba's but it has an almost Rivoli (for you Torontonians out there) feel to it, where the stage/concert area is separated from the main bar and restaurant. Maya bought us a round of drinks and we talked before the next band came on- which was Brooklyn's Fort Lean, which Andrea took to almost immediately. They were alt rock with somewhat of retro vibe to them. His voice seem to be infectious, and we were all caught in a trance until the set was over. Refilled our drinks, talked some more but by the time the headliner, Bear Hands was on, it was time to go to bed.
We said our goodbyes to Maya, a fun night out in tow, and drifted back to our hotel for one last day in Chicago.
Next blog...."Of Science and Slow Service"
We started our day heading to the South side of Chicago. The furthest south I'd been previously was US Cellular Field at Sox/45th. Broke new ground by heading to the Osaka Garden on the Wooded Island at Jackson Park. For all the bad wrap that the South Side gets, this is a beautiful oasis in one of Chicago's biggest parks. This Japanese style garden was apparently built for the World's Fair in the 1890s, and still stands as a great place for contemplation or a picnic for that matter. My hope is the next time I am in Chicago that I can explore more of Jackson Park itself.
Just to the west of the park is the Midway Plaisance, another relic of the World's fair that cuts through the University of Chicago. The campus is one of the more majestic campuses in North America, matching the beauty of Harvard both in it's architecture and parkland. The only hitch was that they were in the midst of construction work near the main quadrangle in the centre of campus.
While at the university, we went to the Rockefeller Chapel, named for it's patron, John D Rockefeller, towers over the campus. The chapel is not too gaudy but acts more as an art gallery- including sculptures, paintings, and stainglass.
We moved on to the Robie House, one of architect Frank Lloyd Wright's most iconic buildings (in the "prairie style"). Unfortunately for us, my guide book was out of date and it is no longer open on Tuesdays. We walked around the building, trying to get as much of a look at it, as you could without actually going inside. So we pressed ahead, walking around campus until we headed to Medici for some great tasting sandwiches at the cafe. Next door is the main restaurant where you can find more substantial eats like the half pound hot dog, spinach lasagna, burgers, or one of their many pizzas.
After lunch, we headed back downtown. It took forever for the bus to come, and we were tempted several times to hop on the Metra and pay the extra money. In retrospect, we probably should have done it. Traffic was horrible once got closer to the Museum Campus- thanks to closed streets in preparation for Lollapalooza. We did however get back in time to the Art Institute of Chicago.
We met my friend Maya there as she was interested in seeing the Lichtenstein exhibit. The Art Institute is a massive beautiful building filled with art from the time of the Khmer Empire to modern day. It is definitely meant for multiple visits. The Lichtenstein exhibit itself was fairly large, and it took awhile to comb through all that pop art. If you don't know much about Lichtenstein, a lot of his more recognizable work was based on old comic books and ads. He was also known to make works of art parodying other popular art.
With limited time in the Art Institute, we tried to get in all the Van Goghs, sculptures, and American Contemporary Art we could before it closed. I made sure we saw American Gothic and my personal favorite, the Edward Hopper classic- Nighthawks before we left.
One Last Night in Chicago
With an invite from Maya to check out a friend's band at Shuba's later that night, we decided to grab some food from somewhere close by. We headed over to Rockit Bar and Grill in River North for some of their much famed burgers. We grabbed some rockit pockets (cheese, steak, and onions wrapped together), and some brews to start (I got a bottle of the tasty Bells Oberon that I tried in Detroit last year). I had the tasty "The Vegetarian Burger" which is a red bean burger with cheese and peppers- although I was tempted to get the Kobe beef based Rockit Burger or the Cinammon Raisin Grilled Cheese. The truffle fries did not really impress me but too each their own.
After dinner, we headed up to Schuba's but as usual just barely missed our train north, and were delayed getting up there. By the time, we got there, Maya's friend's band, Dozens were wrapping up their last song. In the many times, I had been to Chicago, I had never been to Schuba's but it has an almost Rivoli (for you Torontonians out there) feel to it, where the stage/concert area is separated from the main bar and restaurant. Maya bought us a round of drinks and we talked before the next band came on- which was Brooklyn's Fort Lean, which Andrea took to almost immediately. They were alt rock with somewhat of retro vibe to them. His voice seem to be infectious, and we were all caught in a trance until the set was over. Refilled our drinks, talked some more but by the time the headliner, Bear Hands was on, it was time to go to bed.
We said our goodbyes to Maya, a fun night out in tow, and drifted back to our hotel for one last day in Chicago.
Next blog...."Of Science and Slow Service"
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