Chicago Again

Another week of recordings in Chicago. After MUCH deliberation, John and I decided to try Lou Malnati's recipe. The first location we went to was chuck full of people, so we drove around until we found one without wait time. It worked for John since they were showing the college basketball games.

The place was deceptively big. We ate on the second floor, surrounded by TVs. It was a bit awkward - our first trip together since John officially joined the team and I gotta say it was a struggle to find what to talk about. And for John it was a struggle to decide on what to eat. I ended up asking for a salad with a lovely vinaigrette

It was nice and filling in a good way with your regular salad offenders (cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, romaine). It did take forever to arrive, it felt. But then again, we were starving.
For the main course I chose an individual pepperoni deep dish pizza. I'd never had one before and I can't say that I will be having many in the future... it wasn't bad, it just wasn't... pizza.

Too many years of eating New York Style have probably biased me too much in order to enjoy it properly. Don't get me wrong, I ate up all of that sucker, but it wasn't cheesy enough for me, and the sauce isn't so good to warrant such a "deep" container. The crust was almost like pie - barely a shade away from sweet.

More Thai in Chicago

Went to Penny's Restaurant, which ended up being Thai. This time we took the "EL" to get there, and it was fun. No trains compare to a NYC Subway.

I had some tofu pineapple fried rice.

Meh. Afterward we walked around the neighborhood, the name of which I can no longer remember. It was interesting though - a combination of awesome tiny stores and big chains. Some of the views:

Some Days Are Longer Than Others

This work day was a weird one - it started late in the day and thus, ended late in the day. We were working in the South Side of Chicago, an area that I'm not quite familiar with but a place whose reputation precedes it. I was excited because I thought I was finally going to get to see a High School Football game - but it turns out that that night they were playing at the other school. We had a full work day otherwise, with plenty of solo interviews to keep us working and busy over 8 hours.

In any case, we finished working, and scheduled the cab to pick us up. We packed our equipment and waited in the chilly air for the car to come. And waited. And waited. When it became obvious that the cab was not coming, we searched and called every cab company we found online - to no avail. They all said "we'll be there in 5 minutes," and 5 minutes later they would call back to say they didn't have any cars available. The school's security and cleaning staff looked at us and thankfully felt bad enough so that they gave us the phone number to a "local" car. Think gypsy cabs to the extreme: it was essentially a young woman in her car. She had someone else in the car with her - to ensure that the driver would be safe and we weren't going to try to steal from them. Funnily enough the School's cleaning lady whispered to me on the way out "Don't trust the women either, pay attention."

I don't have the words to explain how I felt. The frustration the moment I realized why the cabs were not coming. The frustration at the fact that I didn't feel comfortable enough to walk to a nearby bus station. The fear, and anger. The attempt at bravado. Thankfully we made it to our hotel okay, considering that we were carrying with us thousands of dollars in equipment. We decided that if ever there was a day that deserved a feast this was it, and so we made our way to The Chicago Diner, a Vegan place. First: a much needed alcoholic beverage.

Followed by Vegan Meatloaf - which came in a delicious sauce, Vegan mashed potatoes and a side of veggies. 

It hit the spot - it was also the best Veggie Meatloaf I've ever had. And it was just enough to get us to feel better about the fact that some days, really are just wrong.

Hello Again, Chicago

Left with Naomi to Chicago for a quick trip. We arrived at around 8 in the evening and so scrambled to find a place around a hotel for dinner. We settled on Thai Urban Kitchen, because you can't ever have enough Thai, and because they are an easy Vegan choice (since Naomi is now Vegan.)

I went simple with a Basil Dish - had some Asian napa, bell pepper, onion & toasted chili paste with a side of jasmine rice.

We ate quickly since we were both tired and looking forward to the warm and comfy beds waiting for us. I was not wowed by the plate, and as always when I don't get pad thai, I wish I had chosen pad thai - but I'm glad that I went for something different.

The Windy City

Had a quicky trip to Chicago thanks to work. Didn't really had time to sightsee much since I wasn't feeling a 100% and to boot work kept me really busy. But of the two nights I spent there, the last night I was able to enjoy a little bit of the city.

I began by making a very quick stop to the Museum of Contemporary Art. I didn't have time to see the entire Museum and to be honest I wasn't really bowled over by any of the exhibits. But it was nice to walk about and see that people were freely allowed to take pictures as long as they didn't use flash photography. Mark Bradford's work was there, and that's the one I related to the most, but I can't say I'm a real lover of his style.

Afterwards I decided to walk to the movies but was sidetracked and kept walking to Navy Pier, which our participant had recommended. I liked that Chicago is as much a walking City as NYC is. Navy Pier is without a doubt, "tourist-trap-py" but I enjoyed my walk down the Pier. It's essentially a bunch of shops and restaurants and stands along the pier to the Lake. From there, you can see some of the Chicago Skyline and even some of Michigan's (I don't know which town.)

There was a Ferris Wheel that had yet to open and so I didn't have the chance to ride, I got to see a quick magician act, an acapella group performing, a Chicago style hot dog, and to close, a bit of ice cream. (Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough!)

Here be pictures (and video!)