I heart Salad Spinners and GeekDating 101

I must rave about my favorite Chicago lunch spot, Salad Spinners at the AON Center on Randolph. Aside from their tasty Sunsplash salad (extra chicken!), I have realized that they are very customer oriented as well. I ordered my salad online for pick up. When I got to the store, I had a little bit of a wait until they could ring me up. The cashier was on the phone taking a lunch order. I didn't mine as I was listening to my favorite podcast Geek Dating 101. When they finally got to me (only waited 2 minutes), I wanted to add soup and a drink to my meal. They gave them to me for free! When they told me my total, it was just for the salad. I asked about the soup and drink and they said not to worry about it! They rock. Also, props to their delicious Butternut Squash soup! Sweet and creamy...you just can't go wrong!

A Chicago first

A very cute guy offered me his seat on the eL last night. I never see this happen! And who says Midwestern boys aren't as polite as Southern boys!!?

Also on the weather front, it was the "weathermen who cried wolf" yesterday. Supposedly we were going to receive 4-6 inches of snow. While the white stuff did come down, it was too warm to stick.

Everybody is Irish this time of the year...

I was invited to my first ever Southside Irish parade yesterday. Now, on a side note, let me tell you that I've never seen so many parades until I moved to Chicago. Maybe it was just too damn hot in Florida to have parades, but seriously...this town is crazy about them. Back to the Southside Irish parade, I had heard it was pretty wild but I guess my expectations were way off the mark. My friends picked me up in the morning so we could have breakfast on the Southside before the parade. After breakfast, we park near 110th and Kedzie and walked about a mile to the parade route. We made it to 106th and Western and started to witness the debauchery that is the Southside irish parade. Obviously, people were out in all their green garb. If it wasn't green, it probably had some Irish alcoholic beverage name on it. Big hats that looked like pints of Guiness were my personal favorite. The scariest outfit I saw was worn by these girls: tighty whities with pieces of a green wig attached to their undies. ICK.

What was even ickier was the massive amount of girls "popping a squat" in the alley to relieve themselves of the copious amounts of alcohol consumed. I was a Girl Scout--I have totally peed in the woods before. But in someone's alley witha ton of people around? Yuck. Plus hearing your friend pee right behind you as you block them from view--yeah, no thanks.

Cops were out in full force and even though you aren't supposed to consume beer in cans or bottles in public, people were doing it anyways. Only on Bourbon street can you really get away with this. The cops on 106 and Western were confiscating cases upon cases of beer and tossing them into this big garbage truck. So sad to see good (or bad!) beer go to waste.

After the parade, we trekked it back to the car to drop off our stuff. Mind you, at least one girl in our group had to stop to relieve herself en route. We then head out to this bar/club called Bourbon Street, which I felt about 8 years too old for. By this point, I had been out and about for 8 hours and was dying to go home. But I stuck it out and danced for most of the time. We warded off icky stupid men and generally had a good time. However I was wearing cranky pants BIG TIME by the end and contemplated taking a $50 cab ride back home.

Overall, pretty fun but I'm too old for this crap. I did it once and came home comfortable with the fact that this was my 1st and very last Southside Irish Parade.

Oh--and no I did not engage in public urination! I'm a lady for God's sake LOL

Possible CTA strike

My friend Kim lives in NYC. She was there when the MTA went on strike. She said it would take upwards of 2 hours to get to work in the morning. She lives up by 91st near Harlem and she works in Midtown, around 51st st. She said she would take a cab in the AM and walk home in the PM.

I thought to myself, "Thank goodness that hasn't happened in Chicago"...

Well I spoke too soon evidentally.

The CTA bus drivers' union is meeting with the City gov. on Friday to determine if they can work out some deal. If not, the bus drivers are striking. Of course we still have the eL but it doesn't go everywhere you need it to. I take the bus to work everyday. I live about 4.5 miles from work. Luckily the eL is an option for me, but how about for those people who don't live near the eL?

Damn I miss my car :(

Cold weather fun

One of my favorite cold weather activities is to read. So far in 2006, I've read the following books. Amazingly enough, all of them have been terrific so I wholeheartedly recommend them!

(1) Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
(2) Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
(3) My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult
(4) Picture Perfect - Jodi Picoult
(5) The Lovely Bones - Alice Lebold (? on the last name--i left this book at my parents' house in FLA)

I'm currently reading "Love Monkey" by Kyle Smith. It is very entertaining! I like that it is about dating and was written by a man's point of view

I'm compiling a list of what I read in 2005 and will post that soon.

Stay warm!!

Sad

I lost the bracelet my boyfriend gave me for Christmas. I always, and I mean, always wear it. Unless I'm going through security at the airport, but then I always put it back on. Anyway, I was at dinner tonight and saw that it WASN'T THERE! I remember looking at it before I left the house. I asked the hostess if she found it; I tore apart Carol's car looking for it; I even asked my doorman if he found it. I looked all over my own apartment aswell. No luck. So I called the BF and told him. He wasn't mad, just sad. I am probably beating up myself more than he would ever do.

The bracelet was the first thing he ever gave me so it is very special to me. I haven't completely given up hope that I will find it.

Other than my bracelet drama, Carol andI did have a nice dinner at Starfish on Randolph near Halsted. Sushi was very tasty . Atmosphere was very chill. We went to The Tasting Room afterwards and got champagne and chocolate fondue. YUM! Almost made me forget about losing the bracelet. Almost.

List-o-Mania: Ways to be fabulous for cheap in Chicago

When I moved to Chicago, I didn't have a job. I had enough saved that I could spend my time finding the right job for me, so I wasn't in a rush per se. However, in order to make my savings stretch but still enjoy the city, I had to commit myself to the idea of cheap fabulousness. I know--I could just not go out. However, that would defeat the purpose of moving to a new city. I needed to get to know the city and definitely needed to make some new friends.

Now here I am....almost a year later! I'm working at a job that is pretty awesome and I'm not worried about the occasional elaborate night out. However, I thought it might be nice to share some of my tips with other gals moving to Chicago.

Tip 1: Parties at the W Lake Shore and City Center hotels: The W hosts these terrific events once or twice a month. I have been to book parties, fashion shows, make up product launchings.....ALL FOR FREE! All I had to do is RSVP and I got to go to some really fun events, complete with free food and alcoholic party drinks! At one party, I left with a goodybag full of stuff. Yeah they may have the book for sale or the clothes--but resist the urge to purchase if you are on a budget! For more info on cool events at the W, visit www.whappenings.com

Tip 2: Free museum days: My personal favorite was the Art Institute on Tuesday nights. Let your mind expand without stretching your pocket book.

Tip 3: The $5 a day visitor passes on the CTA. I suppose this isn't really a way to be fabulous, but it definitely helped me on the days where I had scheduled 4 interviews in a day. Normally, if you pay for each ride you take on the CTA, it is $1.75 a pop. However, if you know you have to be all over town, the pass is your best bet. I used to buy mine at the Thompson Center at Clark and Lake. I think you can also buy them at the Chicago Red Line stop or at one of the airports.

Tip 4: Free haircuts in Lincoln Park: Many of the trend salons in the city will offer free haircuts and colors to the brave and stylish. Check out Craig's List, under the Free section. I got my hair cut and colored at the Art and Science Salon. The students that cut my hair were in an Advanced program and did a great job. Yes, you should still tip but it definitely saves you some bucks. For those of you getting your hair colored, you may have to pay for the hair color products used--so please be aware!

Tip 5: Free concerts and book readings: The Borders on Michigan as well as on State and Randolph often hold readings and concerts for free. Last summer, I saw Stephen Page of BNL perform for free. If I wanted him to sign something, I had to buy a CD, but there was nothing preventing us from listening to him.

Tip 6: Get thee on the Guest List: Many clubs allow you to put yourself on the guest list via email. This allows you to get in without cover. Sure, you may have to buy drinks, but you aren't required to most of the time. I went to Soundbar with my friends and only had to fork out money for a drink, which was entirely my choice in the first place. Another time, we went to Wet and drank for free from 9p-10p.

Tip 7: Magazine parties: My friends and I went to an In Style party at the Victor Hotel. All we had to do was RSVP. No cover. Seriously. We dined on free apps and drank oodles of free wine and martinis. Best of all, we all got a goody bag filled with products from the next month's InStyle magazine. How do you find out about these parties? One great site is www.chicagofashionista.com ...

I hope my tips provide some help or at least some entertainment! Remember you can be fabulous without breaking the bank!

I love lists

I like to waste my time by making as many lists as possible. One list I haven't made in a while is a list of my favorite places to eat in Chicago. Prety much--I just like talking about food :)

Top 5 places to chow down in Chi town
(5) Star of Siam on Illinois and State - Excellent food at supposedly the oldest Thai restaurant in the city. Incredibly reasonable prices...tasty Rama chicken (chicken and broccoli in peanut curry)
(4) Wildfire (somewhere in River North--I always forget)- They have this trio of filets where you can pick your topping. Good lord, I would almost forgo sex if I could eat here everyday --just kidding. Also try their creamed spinach!
(3) Dine (in the Crowne Pointe Hotel on Madison) - Comfort food taken up a level. Amazing meatloaf and TRUFFLED mashed potatoes. "Coffee and Donuts" for dessert. This is a new favorite...go before everyone discovers what a find it is!
(2) Tsunami on Dearborn near Division - My roomie and I can't get enough of their sushi. Definitely not a casual sushi bar, but worth the price. Rumor has it, Jeremy Piven is a fan :)
(1) Tufano's Vernon Tap Place (somewhere near UIC's campus) - Old school Italian at its best. I imagine this is what most of Little Italy was like before Bar Louie and the condos came in. The calamari is to die for; the vodka sauce over tortellini is divine.

Yum! I did have an amazing meal last night while visiting my man back in Florida. Bonefish Grill--I know--part of the Outback chain, but don't knock it till you try it!

Being sick stinks

So in all my flying to New York and New Jersey, I managed to catch a nasty bug. En route from Newark to Chicago, I managed to use the Flight Attendenants call button for the very first time ever as a horrible feeling overcame me. The sweet ladies of United took care of my sorry ass and to that, I'm very grateful!

Yay United--Sorry you had to file for bankruptcy, but I heart you anyways.

Volunteering

I volunteer a couple of times a month at the Children's Museum. Let me tell you--It has been such a great experience thus far. Working and playing kids is like therapy for me! CCM is a fantastic organization and I encourage those of you with kids or little nieces and nephews to go for a visit!

Last day in the Sunshine State

The past few days in Florida have been fairly relaxing. I'm enjoying the sunshine and 60 degree weather. However, I'm a person who likes some semblance of routine in their life so I'm looking forward to getting back to that.

Looks like I'm missing balmy hi 30s/lo 40s weather in Chicago. Please be like this when I get back!

Also, interesting that when my extended family asks me about Chicago, all they can talk about is the weather. "Aren't you cold?" -- "I couldn't stand it" - -- blah blah. Don't they realize there is more to the city than that? lol

I would love a cat like this as I wouldn't be allergic to her. 

The good, the bad and the ugly...

About cold weather and snow..

The Good: Crisp feeling in the air; wearing fuzzy sweaters; Hot Chocolate readily avaiable
The Bad: Dry Skin; Slipping on ice; Eyes hurting from the cold and wind
The Ugly: Dirty Snow; Wet pant cuffs; Static in my hair

I will be back in the Sunshine State by this evening. Chicago will experience a heat wave while I'm gone (highs in the mid 30's!!).

Snowflakes really are unique...

For those of you who grew up around snow and ice, I'm sure the snow is nothing special. But I witnessed my first real snow fall a few weeks ago and I have to say, I'm amazed by nature. I was standing at the bus stop and watched as the snowflakes landed on my black jacket and in my hair. I was in awe of the unique patterns of the snowflakes. No, I'm not stupid. I too learned in school that each snowflake is unique. However, snow was so removed from my existence until I moved to Chicago. For me, winter used to equal 60 degree weather and the doning of my favorite yellow hoodie. Now my reality consists of making sure I don't slip on ice and owning a Down jacket.

So I decided to start this blog because I wanted to chronicle my new experiences here in Chicago. Yes, I did move here somewhat recently from the Sunshine State. People are almost always shocked when they here I made the trek up to the Midwest, but I have to say, it's been the best decision I could have ever made at this point in my life. So, welcome to my blog! My hope is to provide you with something interesting to waste your time on while at work/school, but that would be a lofty ambition, wouldn't it? :)