Just random adorableness. - Buffy

343 Days to go: 331 Things to Do: Day 16 in Chicago


35. Ohio Street Beach
36. Having a Ball Ballroom Dance Championship

So, today we have to do brunch near our place because Allison is the one who has to catch a plane. And it's gorgeous out. Correction. Hot. It's hot out. Outdoor seating a must. We don't plan ahead at all (last night Mary Grace did have to kick us out after all...we were distracted celebrating my dominance in the trivia game) so the best we can come up with is returning to Old Oak Tap and its vast amount of outdoor seating.

Brunch is, honestly, a little disappointing. Excellent mimosa. Good potatoes. But the brunch menu is limited and not that great. Note to self: Old Oak Tap for dinner only. No worries.

After, Emily and I meet up with LuCinda and head to the beach. Yet another shocking confession - I've never really gone to any of Chicago's beaches. But as I planned on heading to Navy Pier around 5 for the ballroom dancing, we decide on Ohio Street Beach which is a tiny little strip just around the corner. It was perfect. I think because it's smaller it doesn't get as crowded as some of the other beaches. Another claim to fame? It faces north! (instead of east like most of chicago's beaches) Be a rebel Ohio Street, do your own thing. The only downside would be the fact that coming from brunch and going out after meant I wasn't really beach wear appropriate and didn't have all the accessories you would want. I did manage to bring a towel which was a step ahead of Emily. Luckily LuCinda had an extra. Crises averted. We were only there for an hour or two; we made it work. And decided we were all going to take a vacation day to come back and really do it up right while still avoiding the weekend crowd.

Strictly Ballroom is an excellent movie. And So You Think You Can Dance is an excellent show. I say these things, first because they are true and second because it helps you understand why, upon learning of the 5th grade ballroom dancing competition taking place at Navy Pier I become determined to attend. Despite the fact that I know no fifth graders in the Chicagoland area. So, so, so adorable. Having a Ball is a 20-week ballroom dancing course for students in Chicago Public Schools. They learn the Cha-Cha, the Waltz, the Tango, the Paso Doble and the Jive. Normally, I'm a huge fan of the Paso Doble (at least on SYTYCD) but here the Jive stole the show. Delightful.

Delightful.

oh. the other bummer about the beach? i got sand in one of my cameras and it's acting a bit funky. sad.



342 Days to go: 329 Things to Do: 16 Days in Chicago = 24 new experiences

Behold my success. - Buffy

350 Days to go: 342 Things to Do: Day 12 in Chicago

24. Brunch at Nellie's
25. Beers at Tuman's
26. Dinner at Old Oak Tap

 Today we managed to pull off brunch.  Emily was on a tight time line, so we went to Nellie's Cafe 2458 W Division which is right around the corner from her apartment.  I was the last to arrive, per usual.  I'm actually quite punctual during the afternoon and evening....

Anyway Nellie's.  Two thumbs up.  I ate way more than I should have but it was too good to leave any.  I ordered a waffle with fresh fruit and a side of sausage but the potatoes really stole the show.  These are some of the best potatoes I have ever had.  Really.  So, the food was great but (this is a big but) no mimosas!  Nellie's doesn't serve alcohol.  Brunch somehow felt incomplete.

The last couple weeks, after brunch LuCinda has suggested finding a place to sit outside and drink all day.  I have resisted this temptation (unclear as to why).  Resisted, that is, until today.  In the spirit of the blog, we decided to walk down Chicago until we found a place we could sit outside and enjoy the sunshine.  This led us to Tuman's Tavern 2159 W Chicago.  Tuman's seems like a great place - it was pretty empty at 2pm on a Sunday afternoon - but the bar was long, not too narrow, with lots of seating and wood paneling.  We sat outside (that was our mission after all).  Alex, a new comer to the brunches, was very excited about this whole challenge thing, and we spent the first hour or so brainstorming things we should do and places we should go.  An impressive list.  Alex was so inspired she tried a Bloody Mary for the first time.  Which, turns out, she doesn't like.  But at least now she knows.  ;)

A couple hours later and we're hungry again.  We migrate a bit farther east on Chicago and end up at the Old Oak Tap 2109 W Chicago.  This also was initially chosen because of it's large and impressive amount of outdoor seating, but unlike Tuman's, it is not in direct sunlight and therefore - cold.  So we sit inside.  This place seems more fall than summer - decor wise.  The music was fun - "Saftey Dance", a little Simon and Garfunkel, George Michael, and I can't remember the last time I actually heard "Puttin on the Ritz" (still awesome). Initially I was just going to grab another drink (we still have those seafood leftovers after all) but the food here seemed too good to pass up.  So, instead I got a beer flight (Ayinger Brau-Weisse, Half Acre Daisy Cutter, and Delerium Tremens) with a Chicken Brie Apple sandwich and spicy fries.

And we still made it home in time for Celebrity Apprentice (i miss cyndi lauper).

349 Days to go: 339 Things to Do: 12 Days in Chicago = 15 new experiences

Let's revel in your extreme lack of priorities. - Xander

357 Days to go: 353 Things to Do: Day 5 in Chicago

13. Brunch at LOKal
14. Pedicures at Sunny Nail
15. Massages at Chicago Touch
16. Dinner at Butterfly Sushi

So this morning the Blue Line Brunch Blog girls, and a couple friends from out of town, meet up at LOKal 1904 W North for our weekly brunch date. Each week we try to go to a new spot for brunch (helpful on my quest) but this place has been chosen because they serve BOTTOMLESS mimosas for $7. BOTTOMLESS. First, I love mimosas. Half of our crew are Bloody Mary fans, half mimosa. LOKal also has bottomless Bloody Marys, but as I am part of the mimosa half, I don't really care. To me, champagne and orange juice is combining two great things to make something even better. Like chocolate and peanut butter. Second, despite an extensive debate in the cab ride home last night about what time we're meeting for brunch, somehow we all thought we'd agreed on a different time and despite the roommate and I arriving (we think) five minutes early, we're still the last ones there. Lindsay and Stephanie are two mimosas ahead of us.

In addition to the mimosas I also order the Nutella - which is basically french toast with bananas, slathered in nutella, and covered with some kind of strawberry sauce - and a side of sausage. We're all a tad tipsy when brunch is over. In addition to being bottomless, the waitstaff don't make you wait. The mimosas arrive at our table with pleasant regularity.

Fighting the urge to go home and take a nap, Allison (the roommate) and I instead decide to find a place to get pedicures. Usually, I get pedis by the office, so finding a place in Wicker Park is a fun new first. Happily, we find Sunny Nails 1310 N Milwaukee, just a few short blocks away.

After our pedicures as we're on our way home I suggest massages. Chicago Touch is just two blocks away and offers affordable massages for Chicago's overworked and underpaid. Or something like that. Whatever - they're awesome. Feeling nice and relaxed, we finish the night with Butterfly Sushi 1421 W Chicago (our favorite neighborhood sushi place) and the movie Crazy Heart.

356 Days to go: 349 Things to Do: 5 Days in Chicago = 11 new experiences