A Day Around Town

Today I was lucky enough to have off work for Martin Luther King Day, and so I took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy some fun things in my city.

The day began with a trip to the Museum of Science and Industry to see the long-awaited Jim Henson exhibit. As someone who grew up on Sesame Street, the Muppet movies, and Muppet Babies, I was super-excited to check this out. (Not to mention I’m one of those crazy “grown-ups” who still gets excited over Cookie Monster and Kermit.)

Some of the highlights included full-sized Muppets on display (Bert & Ernie, Rowlf, Kermit, Gobo Fraggle, and others), the puppet stage where you could put on your own show (yes, I did it), and actual sketches and story boards from some of Jim Henson’s work.

Unfortunately photography was not allowed inside the exhibit, or I would have gone crazy with the camera.

After the museum and a quick lunch at Park Grille in Millennium Park, we made our way up to the Hancock Building for Skating in the Sky – a new attraction where you can ice skate 96 floors above the city. Though much smaller than I thought, and not actual ice, it’s pretty cool to skate with a bird’s-eye view of one of the world’s greatest cities.

Overall, it was a great way to spend a day off work.

Check back soon for a slideshow of some of the day’s events.

City Sidewalks, Busy Sidewalks

I’m a city girl. Even though I was temporarily displaced and spent my teenage years in the suburbs, my parents were born and raised in the city and they taught me city etiquette.  And I now live in the city and work in the Loop.

For these reasons, it is no surprise I often suffer from “sidewalk rage.”

Urban Dictionary's Definition of Sidewalk Rage

There is nothing more irritating to me than when I’m briskly making my way to or from work, only to be stopped by tourists who have stopped to block the entire sidewalk to check the map or try to decide if “that big park with the jellybean” is this way or that way. And when summertime hits, the oblivious pedestrians to come out in swarms, and it seems they’ve all forgotten how to walk.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love when tourists come to my city. I encourage people to do so. Chicago may not be New York City, and we don’t have an ocean, but I wholeheartedly believe we are one of the greatest cities in the country and everyone should come here at least once.

But with that said, I also believe people need to learn to share the sidewalks. I’ve been a tourist in other cities, and sometimes even a tourist in my own. It’s important to stop and smell the roses, or the hot dogs, once in a while. If you want to window shop or stop to take a photo, by all means, you should. If you’ve come to the city to see the Christmas windows at Macy’s, you shouldn’t be rushed.

So, how are the fast-paced city-dwellers and the leisurely travelers ever going to get along?

I’ve always joked that they need to have two lanes on the sidewalks in the city — a tourist lane, and an express lane.

Well, it looks like for London, this idea may amount to something more than just a joke or silly idea.

http://current.newsweek.com/budgettravel/2010/11/controversy_are_you_the_cause.html?wpisrc=newsletter

It’s an interesting concept, and I’m curious to see if it happens – and if it sticks. (Or will it be like the escalator rule, which many people still don’t seem to understand?)

What do you think?

Running for Chocolate

Forget physical fitness, health, and personal satisfaction. One of the real reasons I sign up to run a 5k race is often for the stuff I get. I’ll admit it.

And there is no better race in the Chicagoland area for extrinsic motivation than the Hot Chocolate 5K/15K!  Not only do participants receive either a chocolate-brown running jacket or a hoodie, but everyone is greeted at the finish line with hot chocolate and fondue – this year sponsored by Ghirardelli! So, this past Saturday, I ran alongside 30,000 runners in the 3rd annual Hot Chocolate race.

Will Run for Chocolate

I woke up at the crack of dawn on one of the coldest mornings of the season so far, just to run for chocolate. I bundled up in my new running jacket and my “Will Run for Chocolate” hat and made my way downtown on the El with a train-full of other bundled up and chocolate brown-clad runners. I dropped off my bag at gear check, and headed to the 5K starting line.

The course itself was pretty scenic, albeit crowded. A nice morning run along past Soldier Field, around the Shedd Aquarium, and along the lakefront is always pretty picturesque. But while running with thousands of other runners, it’s important to pay attention to where you’re going and not just the scenery.

(I’d also like to add a little bit of advice for everyone’s sake here: If you’re not a runner, but you’re considering joining a race, certainly go for it. It’s great that people of all ability levels can enter things like this. But please, PLEASE, if you are going to walk in a race, move to the side so runners can get by you! When walkers take up the whole path, impatient runners will often try to take short cuts, and people end up tripping or getting knocked over!)

After crossing the finish line, I picked up my bag from gear check (and kudos to the event staff and volunteers for such an organized gear check for a race of this size!) and made my way to the fondue tent. This was what I was waiting for.

Each runner was given a nacho-tray full of “dippers” — apples, bananas, marshmallows, pound cake, pretzels, and rice krispie treats — and some delicious melted chocolate to dip them in.

And finally, I was able to wash it all down with a nice, steamy cup of Ghirardelli hot chocolate with marshmallows.

I ran for chocolate!

If you’re interested in running next year’s race, registration begins on February 14th, 2011.

New Orleans: A Great Place for People Who Love Food (A Slideshow)

As I was researching for things to do while in New Orleans, I began to realize that the majority of what I wanted to do somehow involved food.

The Cajun and Creole influenced food in New Orleans is unlike anything else I’ve had. I love the spicy flavors, and the Cajun spices. I love the doughy, fried beignets. I love the down-home southern comfort food. And I love just about everything else I ate while I was there.

Check out the slideshow below of some of the deliciousness I experienced.

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Sadly, I did not have much seafood. Many of the restaurants were completely out of things like oysters, and those that did have some in stock would actually try to talk customers out of ordering it because it was not local. Thanks a lot, BP.

New Orleans: Harvest the Music Festival

Sometimes when you travel you get lucky. You just happen to be in the right place at the right time, you meet the right people, or you stumble across something wonderful.

That’s what happened to me last Wednesday when I discovered Harvest the Music.

Well, that’s not completely accurate. I didn’t discover it. I was told about it by the couple at the table next to me at Cafe du Monde.* But either way, I was so glad I was able to experience this great event.

Harvest the Music is an eight week concert series held in Lafayette Square every Wednesday  beginning in mid-September. The event is free, and all the food and drink sales go to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana.

We have street festivals and music festivals in Chicago, but none are so intimate as this while still offering great food, great local beer (no warm Bud light here!) and awesome bands, like Rebirth Brass Band, Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers, and Blues Traveler.

When I arrived at Lafayette Square, I wandered through the section of art vendors before stopping at the beer station where they were serving Abita beer. Yum. Finally, I made my way up to a spot near the stage to hear the amazing Rebirth Brass Band play.

But of course I couldn’t leave the fest without trying some real New Orleans-style festival food. So, I headed over to the food tents and had myself some “queso con crawfish tails.” It may sound odd, but was amazing.

So, if you ever find yourself in New Orleans on a Wednesday in the fall, you should definitely check out the Harvest the Music Festival for good food, good music, and a great time.

* While I was enjoying my cafe au lait and beignets on Weds afternoon, my library book was sitting out on the table. The woman next to me noticed the “Chicago Public Library” stamp on the book, and asked if I was from Chicago. We chatted a bit, and it turns out she and her husband live a mile away from me. They had been in New Orleans for a week, and it was my first day. They gave me all sorts of tips, including the Harvest the Music Festival going on in Lafayette Square.

Lesson Learned: Library books make great conversation starters when traveling alone, and you never know where they may take you.

First Impressions of the French Quarter

Well, I’m back from New Orleans, much to my dismay. Over the next couple days I plan on posting some pictures and writing/reflecting a bit on some of my experiences.

To start, I wanted to share with a journal entry I wrote about my first impressions.

My first impression of the French Quarter was that it reminded me a lot of Dublin. The narrow cobblestone streets brought me back to the time I spent wandering around near Grafton Street in Dublin. But a simple comparison like that won’t do. The French Quarter is more than that. You need to throw in the French-inspired architecture, the wrought-iron and cast-iron balconies, and even a bit of Spanish influence.

And then there’s Bourbon Street. Here’s where I imagined what would happen if someone took Fremont Street out of Vegas and plopped it right small in the midst of a French-Spanish, cast-iron clad Dublin just to see what would happen.

But even with all those comparisons, what puts the French Quarter — and all of New Orleans, really — in a class of its own, is the food and the music. As soon as you take your first bite of gumbo, or hear the first notes of a street musician’s tuba, you know you’re in a place unlike anywhere else on earth.

A Fall Afternoon in Lincoln Square: A Photo Essay

Every so often I manage to have a full Saturday to myself with no plans. Usually when that happens, I find myself making my way up to Lincoln Square and hitting some of my favorite spots.

Today was one of those days – with an added twist. It was Apple Fest.

Here’s a glimpse of my afternoon spent enjoying some of my usual favorites, and some special fall fun.

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Coming Soon: New Orleans!

Hooray! I have a trip to look forward to, and things to post about outside of my wonderful city of Chicago.

After feeling the void in my life without any travel plans since I returned from Disney in July, I booked myself a getaway to New Orleans!

I’m actually being a bit of a trip crasher and piggy-backing off my friend’s work trip there. I’ll be arriving a day and a half before her, and leaving before her conference starts, but we’ll have three days to hang out together and do some sightseeing and eating of delicious food.

Here are the reasons why I am excited about this trip:

• I’ve never been to New Orleans and can’t wait to check it out.
• I’ll get to cross another state off my list.
• This is the first time I will be traveling with my friend Susan, (even though technically we’re not traveling together, just kind of overlapping and being in the same city at the same time), and it should be  a great time.
• Susan loves to travel, eat, drink, and take photos – just like me.
• I can’t wait to have some real Cajun food.
• 3 days that I don’t need to come into the office!

It’s only two weeks away, which kind of limits my research and prep (and blogging) time, but you can look forward to at least a couple posts from me as the trip approaches.

Hooray!

Mission Accomplished: City Chase 2010

Today my friend Katy and I completed our first City Chase race. We weren’t hoping to win; we just were shooting for completing 10 challenges in 6 hours to be considered “finishers.”

Our day began at the starting point at Merchandise Mart, where we were asked to provide 8 of the following 10 items:

At the Starting Line

• a $1 bill with our team’s number on it
• the price for unlimited texting on a T-Mobile family plan
• a photo of Rod Blagojevich
• the current temperature in the city that is hosting the next City Chase event
• the price you need to spend at http://www.merrell.com to qualify for free shipping
• a photo of an item in a TetraPak package (Katy had this because her dad’s dairy company uses TetraPaks, and we got a hint about this one ahead of time.)
• a tattoo bigger than a quarter
• the honeymoon destination of the couple who was married during starting ceremonies
• the lyrics for the chorus of Justin Bieber’s song “Baby“
• a ticket stub

Once we were able to come up with 8 of the items, we then turned them in to a City Chase staff member, and received our clue sheets. The clue sheets would lead us to various Chase Point challenges throughout the city, and we had until 4pm to complete 10 of them.

We read the clues, tried to figure out the task and location of as many as possible, then mapped a tentative route for which ones we’d complete.

Below are the clues/tasks we completed:

1. Snake in Your Pants – Near the Centennial Fountain a stream shoots over the river. Some friends of ours will show you how they slither.

I knew right where this challenge was, thanks to my after-work strolls along the river and random photography sessions in the city. After finding out that the “Paparazzi” challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel was full, we ran straight here (without really considering just what the challenge was).

When we arrived, we learned that one of us would need to lay on the ground with a snake in our shirt, a tarantula on our arm, and a roach on our neck for one minute.

A Creepy Crawly Challenge

Neither of us were thrilled with the idea, but I decided to step up and take this challenge. (My thinking was, if there was another challenge later on I really, really didn’t want to do, Katy would have to take her turn.)

The snake wasn’t bad at all. The roach was the worst part, but luckily he crawled onto my shirt and I couldn’t feel him anymore. And the tarantula, well, I’m just thankful I couldn’t see it crawling on me.

I completed my 60 seconds of torture, we got our bib stamped, and we headed on our way.

2. Beats – So you think you can dance or you feel as though you have two left feet. Lessons will be held on the 2nd floor of a Congress Street hostel inside where we’ll see your rhythm and beat.

It Takes Two to Tango

I’ve actually always been curious about the hostel located in the Loop, and was excited to finally get to go inside. This was a great challenge because there was no line and it was quick. We had to learn a 6-step tango move, do a little dip, and we were done.

Challenge two down, and I knew the third was right around the corner.

3. Buckets – These Boyz make street beats with the buckets they hit. Joing them in rhythm at the Eye exhibit.

First of all, thank goodness I accidentally took the Brown line to work earlier this week, or I would have never known where the “Eye” exhibit was!

Set up here were those kids who drum on buckets throughout the city. (I found out later that they are an official group called the Bucket Boys.) Our task was to learn a drum beat (complete with head movements) and perform it accurately.

We've got the Beat!

The line was pretty long, but it was an easy challenge. We got our third punch and hopped on the Red Line to head up north to the East Lakeview Fitness Formula Club. (We needed to stop here to turn in our donations for an extra Chase Point)

4. 2-Mile Challenge – Lakeview East, For a Feast on Cliff bars that can’t be beat.

First of all: There are TWO Fitness Formula Clubs in Lakeview. The one on Halsted is NOT East Lakeview.

Once we made our way to the correct FFC, we ran through this maze of a gym to a tiny cycle room on the other side. We each had to pedal nonstop for 6 minutes to get credit for this challenge. Not bad at all, except the guys forgot to start Katy’s time.

4th challenge down.

5. Special Olympics – You set up an account and asked for pledges online. Hopefully you reached your goal in very little time. You’ll need to show the amount with a print out of your donation sheet and you must turn it in at ChasePoints 2Mile Challenge, Fishmonger, or Community Service to be complete.

At the East Lakeview FFC, we were also able to turn in a printout of our donation sheet for the funds we raised ahead of time, and earn credit for an extra challenge.

Here’s where I throw a little shout-out to all the great people who supported the Chicago Special Olympics, and helped us reach our half-way point early on in the day.

5 down, 5 to go!

6. MGD Twister – Left and right, hands and feet. A gym shoe over the ankle is where you’ll compete. You have another choice because locations there are two, the other’s the official spot for Indiana Basketball in Lakeview.

Thanks to the guy at the FFC cycle challenge who mentioned Kirkwood while we were chatting. I had completely forgotten it’s an Indiana bar, but I knew right where this was (thanks for living in the neighborhood!) and Katy was excited to play Twister. We lost our first game, but won the second, and earned our 6th stamp!

7. Bouldering – “On Belay” is a phrase you’d say as you complete this fun task today. You’ll rise to new heights and far you will see from this east facing wall on Diversey.

I knew where this challenge was as soon as I saw the clue early in the day. We made our way over to the challenge, and I was ready for some climbing (I had practice thanks to my last visit to see my sister and her husband), but the line was really long. And to top it off, if both team members didn’t complete the challenge, you don’t get your stamp. We decided it was a waste of time, and left the challenge, without a stamp.

Still 6 stamps down, and 4 to go.

7. It’s Getting Hot in Here – Child’s pose, downward dog, and the cow stretch will make you hot. You’ll experience them all across from where John Dillinger was shot.

I had a lot of previous knowledge to help me with this one. Thanks to the filming of Public Enemies for alerting me of where John Dillinger was shot. Thanks for going to grad school at DePaul and knowing my way around that area. And thanks to the yoga classes I’ve been taking that helped me with this challenge.

This task required us to study photos of 5 different yoga poses (1 partner pose and 4 individual ones) and then do each pose blindfolded. The partner pose was a little awkward, but the others we mastered right away, and we earned our 7th stamp!

8. CSSC Hard Knocks – Jay Cutler won’t be completing this drill but near Dorothy, The Wizard, and the Cowardly Lion, you will.

Just like Training Camp, only without Jay Cutler

It was around this time that we started to realize that I am just as handy as an iPhone. I knew right where Oz Park was because when I used to live in Old Town, this was my favorite park to go to relax or read. I also knew how to get here from the yoga studio because they both used to be on my running routes.

I think this was one of my favorite challenges because it was fun and a little challenging, but not too hard or too time consuming. First we had to run down a line receiving and throwing passes to some local football players. Then we had to run through tires, flip a giant tire, and run a route and catch a pass. Finally, we had to push those padded thingies that I know have a name (but I am too tired to look up online right now). That was the hardest part, but we worked together to earn our 8th point!

9. Sweet Tooth – Is yours a Kit Kat, or maybe a Charleston Chew? Let us know your favorite and we’ll tell you what to do. Their trainers warmed us up today at the start and you’ll go to the location they call Lincoln Park. There is a rule that we must say – this can’t be your final challenge of the day.

We were hoping to take the bus to this one, because we were starting to get really hot, really tired, and really sore at this point. However, the Halsted bus kinda sucks, and we ended up walking/running all the way there.

Once there, we had to pick a candy and then burn off the calories in that candy. (Thanks to the other City Chasers on their way out who told us to pick the M&Ms, which were only 70 calories.)

We both burned our 70 calories on the elliptical and earned our stamp.

This challenge was also a success, because right before this, we realized we’d lost our clue sheet. We stopped to ask another couple who was there if we could see their sheet to find the last ChasePoint we needed to complete. Not only did they give us their sheet, but they also told us that the challenge at Seward Park was the closest to where we were. They sent us on our way, with an hour to go, and a much better feeling about finishing!

10. RAM – Where Clybourn, Orleans, and Division meet, you’ll lace up your shoes and two teams will compete.

Once we got here, I felt pretty dumb that I didn’t know where this was sooner. It was right across the street from my old Dominick’s!

We had to take turns running half way around the circle, answering a trivia question, and then racing to the end to tag our partner.

I knew I was tired at this point, because my trivia question was “What’s the name of the fountain in Grant Park?” and I just kinda stood there, blankly, before I could come up with Buckingham Fountain.

But, we got our 10th and final stamp! We had done it!

Now we just needed to get back to Joe’s and check in at the finish.

We made it!

We ended up finishing all 10 challenges  in 5 hours, 35 minutes!

I’m not sure how many people were able to complete all 10 challenges, but we’re proud of ourselves. Official results will be posted soon.

P.S. In case you were interested, click here to see the full clue sheet and see if you can figure out what the other challenges were.

And here’s a map of our day’s route:

3 Days in London? No Problem.

A coworker of mine is heading to England in a few weeks for the first time, and has three days to spend in London. In order to make the most of her short time there, she’d been polling her friends on the must-do’s in the city.  She already has a ticket for Henry IV at the Globe (Good choice, Claire!) but other than that, is pretty open to ideas.

Now, she really can’t ask a question like this and expect me not to go overboard on the advice. I’ve been to London 3 times, (2002 – 6 weeks as part of my study abroad; 2004 – week of Thanksgiving, to visit my sister; and 2008 – 5 days after my Ireland trip), and I’ve fallen more in love with it each time.

So, what started as a brief email of suggestions turned into somewhat of a novel on things to do and see in London. Here’s my email to her (plus some photos):

Off the top of my head, here are some of the cool things to do in London. You can choose based on your time and interests, but London just has so much to offer!

Here they are in no particular order:

"Beefeater"

1. Tower of London – See the crown jewels (if you’re into that sort of thing), hear the bloody history of England’s royalty, and be led around by knowledgeable beefeaters at this historic fortress. (I personally just love the architecture and the beefeaters’ cool outfits!) It sounds like a tourist trap, but it’s really not. Click here for info.

*Random Fact: “Beefeaters” or “Yeomen Warders” may look like actors/tour guides, but they are actually all former officers of the British armed forces.

2. London Eye and Parliament – The London Eye is the gigantic ferris wheel that Londoners call the “bicycle wheel”, for obvious reasons. My suggestion is that if you really want to pay to go up in the Eye, do it. There are great photo ops up there. Especially if you plan it so you’re going up at sunset and making your way down when it’s dark. However, if you’re alone and/or don’t really want to waste the money, I’d recommend just walking by it, strolling along the river, and then swinging by Parliament and Big Ben to see it up close. (Although, it’s actually cooler from the Eye side of the river, since you can see the whole thing.

London Eye at Night

A blurry view of Parliament from the Eye.

3. Westminster Abbey – Yeah, it’s a big ole church, but there’s a lot of cool old dead guys buried there. It’s worth checking out if you have the time (but not going out of your way for). If you’re really into church services or choirs, a lot of people enjoy going for the Evensong. (http://www.westminster-abbey.org/music/choral-services). However, I think they charge for that, and I actually prefer AVOIDING evensong so you can stroll around the cool parts of the church without as many tourists.

(I can’t think about Westminster Abbey without also thinking of the Friends episode – about 2 min. in – where Joey calls Chandler “Westminster Crabby.” )

4. Any of the Museums – You can thank the Queen (literally) because nearly all the museums in London are free. Take a look at what’s out there and see what interests you the most (http://www.londontourist.org/museums.html). My personal favorite is the science museum, but the nice thing is that several of them are close together and since it’s free you can just pop in and out as you please.

5. St. Paul’s Cathedral – I lived in London for 2 months, visited my sister while she was there in college, and it wasn’t until my 3rd visit I actually made it here. You’ve traveled through Europe, so I’m sure you’ve seen your share of cathedrals. But, if you like them and can’t get enough, definitely check out St. Paul’s.

6. Covent Garden – a cute little area with lots of street performers and shops by day, and a nightlife at night. This was one of my favorite areas when I first got to London, and apparently they’ve added a lot of new stuff.  http://www.coventgardenlondonuk.com/ Not something to make a big outing out of, but if you’re nearby, take a stroll through.

7. Camden Town- This is an eccentric little area with all kinds of crazy shops and vendors and interesting people watching. I think you might like this area because it’s different and not really touristy. It’s slightly off the beaten path, but worth it. http://www.camdenmarkets.org/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camden_Market

Me before seeing Billy Elliot. (My first trip to the theatre by myself!)

8. Theatre! – Obviously you have a ton to choose from here. And you’re already seeing a show at the Globe (you’re going to love it!!!!) But, they also have a lot of day-of discounts, if you decide you’d like to see something else. Time Out magazine is really big over there (I knew about it in London before I ever knew Chicago had one), so you can always check Time Out for all kinds of entertainment ideas.

9. Parks and Gardens – There’s tons of them, and they’re all gorgeous and free! One of the more unique ones is Queen Mary’s Rose Garden at Regent’s Park. But Kensington Gardens and pretty much every open park space is always nice for bringing your lunch and having a cheap meal. Which reminds me, London often charges more for eat-in than take away. Just a little tip.

10. The Tube – Also known as the London Underground.  If you buy a day pass (or a 3 day pass) you can get pretty much anywhere. And they’re pretty good at labeling which stops have the main attractions. You’re good with public transportation so I don’t need to say much else about this. 🙂

11. Harry Potter – I can’t remember if you’re a fan or not, but if you are and you’re a nerd like me, you can actually go to Platform 9 3/4. It’s at King’s Cross station, but it’s not by the main platforms. You have to go up and over the bridge and into what looks like another room. But it’s there, and you can even get someone to take your pic pushing your cart into the wall.

Me at Platform 9 3/4.

12. Markets – There are a ton, and a lot of them have some really great stories/history behind them. Check out this great map and website.  Off the top of my head, Portabello Road is the one they’re at in the movie Notting Hill and Brick Lane is really full of cultural history and there’s a book by Monica Ali by the same name.

I think that’s probably enough to overwhelm you for now. If you want to chat at all about London, certainly let me know. If you haven’t noticed, I could go on for HOURS about that city. I’m so jealous. I hope you have a ton of fun!

That’s what I came up with in only about 15 minutes. I’m sure I can come up with plenty more.

What would you suggest Claire sees while she’s in London?