Paying Homage

It's just a matter of days now.... It's a bit odd - we've known about this move for a while now. We've certainly been preparing for it for months. And now we are doing all the things necessary - selling items, making arrangements, saying goodbyes. I don't think it will really set in until we are on an airplane or sitting in an empty apartment in NYC. Almost eight years were spent in The Windy City and yet in many ways, it doesn't seem that long at all.

I've had many friends leave Chicago - former co-workers getting laid off from dot-coms, individuals getting married and moving to the suburbs to have kids, people going back home to the states they grew up in, friends going back to grad school. We've stayed through all these changes, however. And now comes time for a change of our own.

It's been a great city, a great place to live. It's very "livable" and not just because the rent is relatively cheap compared to NYC or SF. The traffic's bad but not THAT bad. It's easy to find your way around because of the way the city's laid out. People, for the most part, are down-to-earth and friendly. I could go on and on about the other "favorite things" I will miss (and how come they're mostly food-related?) - the deep dish pizza at My Pie, the awesome goodness of the mild curry chicken and crispy crab ravioli at Ecce Cafe, and of course, the tapas at Cafe Babareeba (don't thumb your noses at me, Cafe Iberico lovers).

I'll miss the proximity of Lincoln Park (the park, not the 'hood) and the Lakefront. Those walks by the Lake, or through the Lincoln Park Zoo and by the Conservatory provided refuge from the noises and stresses of the city. I'll miss the idiocy of the WGN Morning News team, the times I would pick up The Onion or The Reader to see what bands were coming to play, and the PBS show Check Please! to get good local restaurant recommendations.

I'll miss the way the city gets dressed up for the holidays, the way Mayor Daley (for the most part) seems to keep the city clean, and the various neighborhood festivals that make summers in Chicago so much fun. I'll miss the shopping on State Street and on Michigan Avenue, the newness of Millenium Park and of things to come, the Chicago skyline via Lake Shore Drive, and the quick commute to work/school via the CTA.

And of course, I'll miss simply walking around the 'hood and (was it Sesame Street that had this song?) - the "people in your neighborhood": the guy cutting my hair for years, the doormen and maintenance guys in our building, the waitstaff at the various restaurants we go to on Broadway.

And I'll miss the people that have been a part of my life in some form or another, whether they be co-workers, former co-workers, classmates, friends, etc. It's been a good run, Chicago, and you've given us lots of good memories and connections. Hopefully we've given a little something back too. If I wasn't going to miss these things, then it meant I didn't like it here and that's not the case at all.

I am looking forward to the next step and I have no doubt the new 'hood will have its own set of memories and connections to offer. But I am glad to have been part of Chicago and for that I thank you.

My Favorite Things #7

For a while, we used to do breakfast at the diner across the street - Stella's. And here's a bit of trivia, before it was remodeled and renamed Stella's, I'm pretty sure it was just called Lakeview Diner. How generic.

In any event, the eggs were runny, the coffee tasted like ass, and the bacon was undercooked. Sometime along the way, we came to our senses and started doing breakfasts at The Bagel.

I always got the same thing - two eggs, sunny side up, bacon, hash browns and wheat toast. It never disappointed, I must say. The bacon was crisp and flavorful. The hash browns tasty. And they brought out the food in record time. It's as if they could read our minds. Even the eccentric waiter who always asks "Coffee? Coffee?" seems endearing now that we are leaving the hood.

Once in a while, if I came home late from work or class and was starving, I would stop by and would get a cheeseburger to go. They did that right too. The only thing they did wrong - that bowl of pickles they bring out around lunch time for each table. Who eats those things? And if no one does, do they recycle them?

Oh well. All I know is that I will miss those breakfasts at The Bagel.

End of an Era

We sold our 1999 Nissan Sentra today. This is actually NOT a picture of our Sentra, but it is a picture of a Sentra.

It's been a good car. It was a great ride. Many a trip to North Mankato, South Bend, or the local Dominicks was had. Hmm, what exotic locales we traveled to. No wonder it only had 55,000 miles.

But alas, we shall have no use for it in NYC. Farewell, 1999 Nissan Sentra. You have served us well. May your next owners be as cool as we were.

Good Food, Bad Neighbors

Went to Green Zebra recently to celebrate my wife's birthday. All in all, it was a good experience - sort of a "choose your own" tasting menu.

Here are just some of the items we had:
-Marinated Fresh Mozzarella Salad, arugula puree, parmesan cracker
-Warm Blue Cheese Cake, plum wine-concord grape reduction, hazelnut tuile
-Crispy Sweet Potato Dumplings, fresh water chestnuts and dandelion miso broth
-Shoal Creek Farm Chicken Breast, roasted new potatoes, crisp skin and wild honey

Unfortunately, the tables/booths are pretty close to each other and couldn't help but overhear the group next to us whom I have to suspect are political science/economics professors. Talk about a snoozefest - they seem to enjoy talking about how smart they are, spouting off random facts, discussing the research they've done, coming up with hypothetical experiments, ripping on other colleagues for their "data sets", etc. Just seemed like a haughty bunch who enjoyed talking about themselves.

Binge Blogging

Is there an official definition for this yet?

It happens to all of us.

You're away from the computer for a while and (gasp) actually living life! Remember that? Going to work, running errands, interacting with others, maybe even having fun?

But as you go through life, you keep thinking in the back of your head, "Man, I gotta blog about this". So you jot down a note on a piece of paper, maybe a napkin, or maybe that fancy new Moleskin journal you bought at Borders or Barnes and Noble.

Then one day you're back at the computer and start binge blogging - one post, two posts, three posts, catorce posts (no U2 fans?). You get the gist.

Latest i-Tunes Purchases

Latest downloads from i-Tunes:

The Replacements I'll Be You
John Legend Ordinary People
Ella Fitzgerald Manhattan
Matt Pond PA Brooklyn Stars
The Honorary Title Bridge and Tunnel

My Favorite Things #6

I can't take credit for this picture - I found it on the Web - but without a doubt, I will miss the Chicago skyline. Whether it was taking a boat cruise through the Chicago River and into Lake Michigan or driving down LakeShore Drive at night after a road trip, the skyline always created excitement, possibility and comfort - you knew you were home...

They got Poppycock?

Overheard on the Upper West Side (before heading to our dinner at Ouest)....

We're at a Duane Reade because I needed to purchase some Kleenex to battle a cold and there's an older couple in line ahead of us. Apparently they were purchasing some snacks to smuggle into the movie theater across the street.

The male yells out: "They got Poppycock?"
Female yells back from one of the aisles: "They only have the big bucket!"

He passes on it and purchases something else. The female now joins him in line and notices a product at the checkout counter: "Ooh. They have Madagascar Chia Pet here!"

Man, only in New York....

Ouest

No clever title for this blog posting.

Needless to say, that Thursday spent apartment-hunting in Manhattan was not fun.

Our luck changed on Friday in the Slope.

Saturday provided a much more relaxed day for us having secured a new place to live, so we treated ourselves to a nice dinner at Ouest, on the Upper West Side.

I had the Pan Roasted Squab with a Johnny Cake, Smoked Onions, Chanterelles & Budding Chives. It was very good.

My wife had the Roasted Salmon with Sweet Corn Flan, Chaneterelles, Prosciutto,Zucchini, Corn-Chive Butter & Shrimp Oil.

All in all, a tasty dinner in a nice neighborhood restaurant.

Do You Like Old World Charm?

Apparently "old world charm" is broker-speak for "crappy and not renovated".

Yes, a little over a week ago, we took the plunge and went apartment hunting in New York City. We flew in on a Thursday afternoon and had a quick (yet tasty) lunch at Niles, which is attached to the Affinia Hotel in midtown Manhattan.

We then made our way up to the Upper East Side to meet our broker where we looked at about a half a dozen places, none of which we liked. A couple of them were "works in progress" so it was difficult to get a sense of what it would look like when it was done. I mean, lady, I ain't gonna shell out thousands of bucks without seeing the finished product. We couldn't even see a couple of the other ones she had planned on since she could not get into them. At one point, she even asked us to give the key a try! Are you kidding me? Two other places had red flags - garbage bags in the hallway for one, while another had a notice from the ASPCA about the tenant's multiple pets. And we did get to see a lovely (note sarcasm) one bedroom where the couple literally had their stuff stored in every nook and cranny (including clothes in bins on top of the kitchen cupboard).

The most decent place we saw was in Murray Hill - it was decent but still didn't have all the things we wanted and its fire escape full of other people's crap didn't exactly instill comfort. Plus, they were asking us for $100 per person for a credit check and pulling that bullshit "you need to make 40x the monthly salary" routine. We were close to applying for it but thank God we didn't.

The events of the day were discouraging to say the least but prompted me to wonder how this whole apartment broker in NYC setup is even legal. It's complete bullshit. Some incompetent person shows you places (if they can get into them) without really knowing anything about the landlord, current tenant, or the place itself. Then they have the nerve to charge you an arm and a leg for a credit check and finally, if and only if your application is approved, you receive the privilege of spending a shitload of money on living in a tiny little apartment in Manhattan. Of course, there's that little 15% you owe the broker on top of everything.

What a racket!!!!

Not That There's Anything Wrong With That...

Can't say I have any interest in seeing Brokeback Mountain but did get a kick out of comedy writer Larry David (of Seinfeld fame) and his take on the film.

New Home in the Slope

It's done. We found a place in Park Slope!

More to come on our recent trip to NYC....

Lazy Sunday Beyotch

Finally! Something funny came out of Saturday Night Live. This show used to be must-see TV. Growing up, who can forget all the great actors/actresses and classic bits that were created? But alas, for many years (it's been so long that they've sucked, I can't even remember the last time they did anything funny) they have been PAINFULLY unfunny. Quite remarkable to go through such a drought and absence of laughter when you consider the talent and money pumped into the show.

Anyhow, they finally did something funny. It's making the rounds on the internet and my bro sent me the link. Yup, a couple white guys rapping about some very non-gangsta stuff. You can watch it here and read the New York Times article as well. And for even more, visit this site to read a transcript of the lyrics.

New Year's Eve Specials = Trainwreck

First of all, was there anything more depressing than seeing Dick Clark in an incoherent post-stroke state last night? I feel sorry for the once "forever young" TV icon, but man, don't bum me out right before the start of the new year!

Also, regardless of the channel - ABC, NBC, MTV, etc. - what's with all of the horrible "musicians" performing on these New Year's Eve specials? Guess nobody good wants to work on a holiday. Mariah, please put some clothes on.

Finally, is there a bigger no-talent than Carson Daly? This guy lucks into fame via MTV and now fancies himself the next Dick Clark! Nobody died and made you his successor. You've got nothing interesting or funny to say. How did this guy get a job in show business? But wait, there's more...word is that Ryan Seacrest may be groomed to take over Dick Clark's spot for future NYE telecasts. Now that makes two no-talents hosting these specials....

One More Chicago Pic from the El

Took this pic earlier today as we rode the Brown Line back north to Lakeview....

View of the Hancock Tower from a train window....

Not Long Now....

It's been a good run, Chicago....

We're just about four weeks away from leaving the Windy City.

Had a good holiday break the last ten days....

Today, we went downtown and did a little window shopping at Marshall Fields, before it becomes Macy's later this year; and visited the Art Institute of Chicago, which I hadn't been to in several years.

It's a world-class museum to be sure - the favorites remain the same: Gustave Caillebotte's Paris Street Rainy Day, Georges Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Edward Hopper's Nighthawks, and the miniature rooms.

I did find a new fave to add to the list - Stuart Davis' Ready to Wear.

We rode the "El" back home and I took a few pics including this one of the "Chicago" stop on the Brown Line.