Pardon me for finding the glass half full. - Giles

327 Days to go: 311 Things to Do: Day 30 in Chicago

55. Happy Hour at The Martini Bar

After work Fitz and I head to one of my favorite happy hour spots near the office, The Martini Bar 401 S LaSalle.  My friend Meshawn discovered this place a couple months ago, it's tucked away - semi hidden - so it's never that busy or crowded despite the fact that they have some of the best happy hour deals I've ever seen. 

Tuesdays - $2 domestic pints, Wednesdays - $5 glasses of wine, Thursdays - $7 Martinis

Typically, I try to go on Wednesdays for the wine, but when Fitz suggests it tonight I don't say no.  The Martini Bar consists of two rooms with dark wood paneling, and what I can only assume is the original woodwork and old ceiling.  It's warm and inviting.  The front room is the bar, but back around the corner is another checkerboard floor room with high tables and low couches.

We have a couple glasses of wine and meet the new manager.

326 Days to go: 310 Things to Do: 30 Days in Chicago = 30 new experiences

If you want the ultimate, you have to be willing to pay the ultimate price. - Bodhi, Point Break

339 Days to go: 325 Things to Do: Day 21 in Chicago

41.  Grab a bottle of wine at Noble Grape
42.  Chicago style hot dogs at Duks
43.  Netflix DVD at home


It's not tragic to die doing something you love. - more from Bodhi.   I don't know about that.  But it's sure fun to live doing something you love.

It's Memorial Day Weekend.  Weeeeeeeeee.  We've got big plans for the weekend, so tonight we go low key.  In preparation for one of the 'Chicago To Do's' on the list we had Netflixed a copy of Point Break, and tonight seemed the perfect night to watch it.  So, after work, we hop on the blue line, get out at Chicago and head to my favorite neighborhood wine shop - Noble Grape 802 N Bishop.   

There are a lot of things to love about Noble Grape.  They do free wine tastings once or twice a week.  The staff are friendly and laid back.  The wine is good and inexpensive (flowing from their 'sophisticated, approachable wine' philosophy).  There is a membership list or loyalty club or something that results in a discount for every $100 you spend.  I'm not sure of the details, I haven't hit $100 yet, but (fingers crossed) any day now.  But the best, best, best thing about Noble Grape?  They DELIVER.  They BRING you wine.  If you live near by (which happily I do) or if you're dining at one of the neighborhood BYOBs you make a little phone call and minutes later you have wine.  It's glorious.  And tonight they are doing a free tasting of Spanish Wine, which Emily and I enthusiastically participate in before making our purchase.

And for dinner - Chicago style hot dogs.  Duk's (officially Donald Duk's Red Hots) 636 N Ashland is the perfect neighborhood hot dog stand.  It's cheap and the food is great.  Excellent late night stop - complete with an stacked jukebox (bob seger's you'll accomp'ny me is one of my all time favorites).  There's limited outdoor seating when the weather is nice and only about half a dozen stools inside when it's not.  The women who work there are somehow crotchety and hospitable at the same time.  And did I mention the food is great and wicked cheap?  Because it is.  I always order the polish sausage with everything (chicago style of course) and a chocolate shake.  Nine times out of ten the shake machine is broken - but if you can catch them when it's not WORTH IT!

The first time I was offered a polish sausage here I refused it.  I was convinced it was the most unhealthy thing I had ever seen.  But after four hours of drinking I returned and while I may have been right - this may be incredibly unhealthy - it's worth every bite.  And I'm told the cheeseburgers are also a tasty treat. 

A Chicago - style hot dog is a steamed, boiled or grilled all beef hot dog topped with mustard, onion, sweet pickle relish (like emerald relish), a dill pickle spear, peppers and celery salt.  Note:  NO ketchup.  Nope.  Ketchup allowed only for those who need them on their fries.  And the hot dogs (and polishes) are brilliant that way.   

Another fun fact?  Chicago has more hot dog stands than McDonalds, Burger Kings, and Wendy's COMBINED.  At least according to wikipedia.  And in my day to day experience seems to be true.

Oh, and Point Break?  Just as horrifically enthralling as you remember it.  We miss you, Mr Swayze.
What's the matter with you guys? This was never about the money, this was about us against the system. That system that kills the human spirit. We stand for something. We are here to show those guys that are inching their way on the freeways in their metal coffins that the human spirit is still alive.  - Bodhi, Point Break

338 Days to go: 322 Things to Do: 21 Days in Chicago = 27 new experiences

Stop this crazy whirl-a-gig of fun. I'm dizzy. - Xander

341 Days to go: 328 Things to Do: Day 19 in Chicago

38. Turkish Fest
39. Grape crushing at the Chicago Marriott Downtown

I've spent one day in Turkey. Here are the things I remember: Turkey is a democratic secular country. The primary religion is Islam. They were petitioning to become members of the European Union. The food was good, the scenery beautiful. We went to Ephesus and toured the ruins. The carpet weaving and apple tea. We saw traditional folkloric dancers. The House of the Virgin Mary.

The dancers were invigorating, one of my favorite parts. Lots of clapping and yelling and squatting. This week was the annual Turkish Fest in Daley Plaza 50 W Washington. And they were advertising performances of the Whirling Dervishes, so clearly I had to go.

Yay. The dance performance and fashion show started over 20 minutes late, which was annoying. Especially because it was wicked hot out and I was wearing cute black ballerina flats which meant my feet were cooked a bit in the sun. But in the end, was worth the wait.

The fashions conjured up images of gypsies. Which makes sense, I guess, since Turkey has one of the larger Romani populations. And the dancing was just as fun as I remembered. But the Whirling Dervishes were amazing and beautiful. Somehow, they keep their entire body still and poised while spinning, spinning, spinning.  I was a little in awe.

After the performances, I take a spin around the booths and picked up a snack (Turkish club soda and baklava - yum yum). The coolest artisan I saw was the paper marbling with Ebristan'da Ara. I have no idea what this was, I've never seen anything like it before and all the information I find on him is in Turkish. Which for me is not that helpful. But he seemed to have a pan of oil, that he then painted and used tools to create different designs and textures. And then he laid a piece of paper on it and had a beautiful work of art. Crazy. Oh, apparently it works on silk scarves as well.

That took him about five minutes. Mad skills.

After work, Mary Grace and I head up to the Chicago Marriott Downtown to attend a grape crushing event. I'm not sure how often they do this but it was $10 all you can eat, all you can drink, and you can help them make their next batch of house wines. Very cool.

The lobby is a large and airy bar with a giant cone fixture hanging from the ceiling that lights up and changes colors. The 'crushing' wasn't as cool as I was hoping but fun enough and the food was amazing (six kinds of sausage. SIX!). I did get to empty two boxes of grapes into the crusher machine. They get their grapes from Chile FYI. And they keep bees on the rooftop for their honey. Later this summer they're planning a beer and brat event. Who has two thumbs and is going to that? Oh yeah. This girl.

340 Days to go: 326 Things to Do: 19 Days in Chicago = 27 new experiences

Well, I exhibit NO surprise. - Cordelia

351 Days to go: 343 Things to Do: Day 11 in Chicago

23. Drinks at Webster's Wine Bar

I didn't get up early.

And the rest of the Blue Line Brunch girls also lacked motivation, so brunch is happening tomorrow instead.  Days like this are probably why we do Saturday brunches in the first place - so we have another weekend day if we don't manage to pull it off the first time.  I do manage to get to the grocery store (woo hoo!) AND the gym.

My weekend gym is near a fabulous wine bar that is often our post-workout reward.  Webster's Wine Bar 1480 W Webster  has over 500 Wines to choose from.  Excellent wines.  But the real reason to go is the bacon wrapped dates.  These are spectacular.  The typical visit includes a bottle of red, an order (sometimes two) of bacon wrapped dates, and an order of warm brie.  If the wine list gets too overwhelming they do have flights you can try as well.  The atmosphere is warm and comfy, if a bit crowded at times.  The walls are painted dark burgundy, votive candles on all the tables, and if you can nab one of the couches you are set for the night.

350 Days to go: 342 Things to Do: 11 Days in Chicago = 13 new experiences

Stranded at the drive in...Branded a fool...What will they say...Monday at school? - Danny Zuko, Grease

359 Days to go: 355 Things to Do: Day in Limbo

My best friend in Jr. High and High School LOVED the movie Grease. So much so, that every time, EVERY time she spent the night we would have to watch it. Well, either that or Dream a Little Dream with the Coreys. (Razor sharp, Keller, razor sharp)

So this morning I got up at 4:30 to hop on a shuttle bound for the airport. The first leg of my journey went off without a hitch but upon landing at the Detroit airport my handy dandy little blackberry (which incidentally is not black but lilac. purple. my last phone was orange) informed me that my connection to Chicago was canceled. Thunderstorms.

I head to the rebooking station where I'm informed I am 'lucky' because I'm already confirmed on the 3:30 flight to Minneapolis and from there will catch a connection to Chicago, landing at 6:30. Six and a half hours to kill at the Detroit airport. But they gave me two food vouchers for a total of $12 so it's all good. That was sarcasm. If by good...you mean...still ANNOYING.

Thankfully over the past year I have discovered that airport bars are excellent places to hang out. Some of my favorite places actually. I went and got a mimosa.

Fun tidbit on the Detroit airport - around gate A40 there is a very loud family of birds that hate the passenger tram and go crazy squawking every time it goes by. Which is every 5 minutes. Thanks to the mimosa I found it more entertaining than irritating.

Maybe I'll write a book. (these are the things that occur to me after a mimosa and a half)

Mike Tyson is on The View. huh.

Oh no. They turned on Jerry Springer. Whew. False alarm. Channel immediately changed to ESPN.

Now, who can I ask to watch my stuff so I can go to the bathroom...

Why don't Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have state reptiles?

I had no idea you can fly direct from Detroit to Shanghai. Is that true?

Oh look! The wine bar has the Pinot Noir Sophia Rose from the Francis Coppola Winery in Napa. My friends and I went there last May and loved it. Can I fit a bottle in my carry-on? (I ponder this while trying the international bargain flight of wine.)

I then had a group gchat with friends in Chicago to see if there was any possibility, despite my delay, that we would be able to see Iron Man 2 tonight as planned. We develop an elaborate scheme to make it happen for the 9pm show.

Which fails completely due to the hour I spent on the plane waiting to take off for Minneapolis (i napped most of it so had no idea we were so late). And the additional two hours i spent waiting on the plane IN Minneapolis to take off for Chicago (they board the plane despite a schedule delay in case they were able to take off earlier. then there was a mechanical problem with the main cabin door. the door gets fixed - yay! but while taking care of that O'Hare was closed so now the delay is even longer - boo!). FINALLY, I land in Chicago - twelve hours late. Sigh. I watch an episode of Real World / Road Rule Challenge: Fresh Meat 2 On Demand before I go to bed. Team Kenny, for those of you wondering. Wes is a douche.

Well, tomorrow I'll start the new adventures once again. Home Sweet Home.

358 Days to go: 355 Things to Do: 3 Days in Chicago = 8 new experiences

Days. Weeks maybe. Anyone suggesting months would not be accused of crazy talk. - Willow

364 Days to go: 358 Things to do: Day 2 in Chicago

7. Artropolis in the Merchandise Mart
8. Wine and cheese at Bin 36
9. Garrett's popcorn



As promised, first thing this morning we headed to the Merchandise Mart and went to Artropolis. Artropolis is an annual event with three large exhibitions - Art Chicago, NEXT, and the International Antiques Fair. It's $20 for a one day pass or $25 for a multiple day pass. I had never attended before although have definitely wanted to, so this was a very exciting excursion for me.

First, it was huge. The entire 12th floor is full of galleries from around the world showcasing their artists. We were there for five hours and only made it through half the room. So, in the future I would highly recommend getting the multi-day pass and making a weekend of it. There were far too many galleries and artists I loved to list them all, so once again I'll run through the highlights (and in the spirit of remaining as true to the blog's mission as possible, I'll only list my favorites from Chicago not other cities):

David Weinberg Gallery - 300 W Superior

Douglas Dawson Gallery - 400 N Morgan

Judy A Saslow Gallery - 300 W Superior

We did save some time to visit the 8th floor and NEXT, which highlights emerging artists. This had a totally different feel - the floor as a whole was much noisier and young, there were performance artists, the staff were dressed more funky than professional. It was fun, energetic, vibrant. At this point we were a little too tired to spend the time the artists deserved but here were the galleries that stood out to me in our quick pass through:

The Suburban - Oak Park

Heaven Gallery - 1550 N Milwaukee

Lloyd Dobler - 1545 W Division

I know, right? LLOYD DOBLER - as in Say Anything. Lloyd "I'm looking for a dare to be great situation" Dobler! I'll be heading over to Division Street fairly quickly, I think.

After leaving Artropolis we headed to Bin 36, 339 N Dearborn. Just a couple short blocks away and one of my favorite places. I convinced my mom and grandma to try one of Bin's wine flights - tastes of four different wines grouped by theme. I tried the 'Argentina with a Little Chile Thrown' in - I think the 2007 Malbec, Maipe from Mendoza, Argentina (This is what purple tastes like!) was my favorite. At my suggestion, Grandma ordered the 'Sexy Reds' flight - which I thought was awesome, (go Grandma!), and is my usual order. The 2006 Petire Sirah, Windmill is delicious. Bin 36 also has cheese flights - which, as a former Wisconsin resident, I fully endorse. I'm also a HUGE fan of So You Think You Can Dance, so obviously we ordered the So You Think You Know Cheddar cheese flight. This was not the first time I've ordered this either - the Barely Buzzed Cheddar, from Beehive Cheese Co in Utah is AH-mazing. Lavendar and coffee beans.

But here's my question, now my understanding is that wine is classified based mainly on the type of grape used and the region it's from. But what makes a cheddar cheese cheddar as opposed to some other kind of cheese? Anyone? Bueller?

Oh! And we got olives. Yum!

So, my mom is quite a popcorn fiend and some of her co-workers had told her to stop by Garrett Popcorn Shops while she was in town. So we did. Garrett's has several locations but we went to the one at Michigan and Ontario. I gotta say, the Chicago Mix (cheddar and carmel) is far better than it sounds. Unless you think it sounds great. Then you'd be right.


363 Days to go: 356 Things to Do: 2 Days in Chicago = 7 new Chicago experiences


And some more spring flowers - just because :)