One of the most interesting stories in the Chicago Tribune today was in my opinion, the extensive wait that customers had in line in order to get their hands on a new beer that was released as of Friday. Many beer collectors- from doctors to parents, waiting for the box to get ripped open as of 10am so that they could get their hands on one of the beers.
One thing I tend to do when I open up the newspaper, is look for something positive among all of the negative, sad stories within the paper. I am usually able to find something that makes me smile, after many terrible tragedies have broken my heart with my early morning coffee. While reading the Chicago Tribune today, I was quite excited to find a positive story and better yet, one that involved animals! This story did not start out positive at first, but it quickly became a happy day for this little owl.
So today we learned that a very old tradition may be coming back to the city of Chicago. The papers released information that they city has issued a permit, allow the South Side Irish parade to return. Read more about Return of the Irish Parade
Recently Chicago was hit with the death of Mrs. Maggie Daley, who was a very accomplished lady. Mrs. Daley had died late Thursday due to her breast cancer in which, she was diagnosed with in the year 2002 at the age of 68. When she first learned she had breast cancer, Maggie Daley said she was shocked. "But you pick up and you move on. ... I'm not alone here. There are a lot of people who have experienced this," she said in the weeks after the diagnosis. Better known as the first lady of Chicago was said to be glorious in so many ways, she was caring, loving and strong.
Read more about A Great Loss to a Great City
One of Chicago's pivotal tourist draws has to be its towering architecture. The city stands as a gem of early 20th century industrial design. Even folks who call the Windy City home have still got to be impressed by the size and scope of the buildings around them when they walk through the loop. Strolling up State Street feels like wandering through a huge valley of steel and concrete. It's dwarfing, humbling, and inspiring all at once, this city built by humans for giants. And that's exactly why Chicago's structures make pretty much the worst billboards in the world.
Chicago is known to have some of the best food that you can find anywhere. Chicago is a virtual melting pot of different races and ethnicities. If you are adventurous, you can eat the food of a different culture for dinner for over a month without having the same type of food twice. There are many gourmet eateries that are all over the city but there are a few places that you may never hear about unless you are from Chicago and even then, sometimes that is not good enough. One of my favorite places is Leon's Bar B Q. Leon's is located in several places on the south side of Chicago. Many people don't know about this hidden gem because o the neighborhoods that they are located in.
My first experience with Leon's was after a night of partying with a few close friends. My favorite location was at 59th and Racine in the Englewood neighborhood but they have since closed. That location was open until 4am and was always just what I needed after a night out. They serve rib tips, hot links and all different parts of the chicken covered with a blanket of fries and drenched in a pool of your choice of mild or spicy barbeque sauce.
I have since moved from the area but Leon's is the one place that I have a craving for. The people there are awesome and once you get over the areas that they are located in the experience is quite pleasurable. I make sure that I visit them everytime I go back.
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Shopping for real estate in Chicago? You've got the chance to pick up a little history. One of Frank Lloyd Wright's townhouses just hit the market--and for a mere 60 grand. The famous American architect designed five of these residential buildings, known as the Waller Apartments, which were built in 1895. One burned to the ground in the Chicago fire, and the other four haven't held up too well, it seems. They've been declared official Chicago landmarks as of 1994, but that didn't stop this unit at 2848 West Walnut from going into foreclosure last year. It's a sure fixer-upper, but still retains a lot of the original wood detailing according to the photos from the listing. And hey, it'd be neat to casually drop in a conversation that you live in an original Frank Lloyd Wright house. Like it's no big deal. Had to patch it up a bit, you know, but it was worth it. For your love of architecture. Though as far as Frank Lloyd Wright goes, this example's a little bland. I'd probably walk right past it without noticing that it's not just another yellowstone. And at $60,000, it's likely situated in Sketchville, Illinois. Maybe not the best place to start on a full-scale renovation unless you're a huge FLW buff and living in one of his creations is a lifelong dream, in which case, this might be the cheapest way you'll ever find to realize it.
I've often wondered what the city of Chicago would look like as the model for an open-world video game environment, because I love cities and video games and sometimes just walking around a metropolis in real life isn't enough. One filmmaker has at least partially answered my curiosities. Phillip Bloom has uploaded a time-lapse video of a three and a half hour boating adventure in and around the city. He and his crew started out moored in Lake Michigan, but quickly traveled around Navy Pier and headed in to the city via the river. The views from the Chicago River especially look awesome and futuristic; the multiple layers of buildings and urban walkways where the river snakes into the city are unlike anything else in this country. The journey ends with sundown and fireworks, like all journeys ought to. I felt like I was playing the boat levels on Half Life 2 throughout the entire three minutes of the video but maybe that's just me. The awesome industrial soundtrack added a great deal to my association. And if you ever forgot just how bright the city gets at night, this video does a great job of documenting the transition from daylight to electric lights. It's gorgeously shot all around and a pleasure for those who love the Windy City. Give it a glance below.
Chicago by boat: A timelapse journey from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.
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It’s what Chicago does best and that is eating a lot of food. I attened the taste of Chicago for the first time in a few tears and you know what; not much has changed. I believe this to be a good thing. With all the budget cuts flying around the city it was nice to see the city still intact. There were rumor they were going to charge for admission, but I happy to report this is not the case. All you have to do is buy tickets and bring a healthy appetite. And for twelve tickets for eight bucks it’s still a reasonable price. Especialy if you ever tried to eat in this city for eight bucks. But I want to offer a few helpful tips to make the fest as pleasurable as it can be.
First thing I can say is go early. Start around noon or one it will make all the difference in the world. For starters the place is still clean. This includes water fountains, toilets, and the vendors. Plus you avoid the gigantic crush of later afternoon people. This usually includes teenagers showing off for girls, and surbubannites who stop and stand in the middle of people walking. It’s the little things that will grate on you as the day plays out. Another benefit of going early is the vendors are still in a good mood and have lots of samples. Samples means you get to save your ticket for that giant turkey leg; a personal favorite of mine. A few more helpful hints to make the fest a littl better for you and whoever yourwith. Skips the bands. This fest is about eating. Not to mention one of the side effects of the buddget cuts is the fest can’t pay for big musical acts they usually have. It’s all right watching the bands just means getting food spilled on you, bad views, and even worse acoustics. And it takes away from prescious food eating time.
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A word to the wise for those of you starting a business in Chicago; keep in mind how small a town this really. Yes, over millions of people live in this city from all kinds of different countries and states. But when you get to down to it this city might as well be small town in Nebraska. Every time I realize this it almost smacks me in the face. It happened again this weekend. The company I’ve been trying to grow for the last three years had our big annual bash. We had local bands and comedians and dj. Yes, it was a killer party but that’s not what this is about. That even when celebrating a year of hard work you have to be on your toes and watch what you’re saying. Someone there knew somebody else we have worked with and they work with someone else at the party. It sometimes seems like magic to me to watch four people who have never met each other find out they are very closely connected without ever knowing it. And this is why no matter how difficult you found working with someone to be; never bash them in a business situation. The person you are talking to might have the completely opposing view of that person and all you managed to do is making yourself look like a fool. I guess life really does come down to that old axiom if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything.
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