A Life, Lived

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years. On St. Patrick’s Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

Today, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated by people of all backgrounds in the United States, Canada (Toronto held it's St. Patrick's Day parade LAST Saturday for some bizarre reason) and Australia. Although North America is home to the largest productions, St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated in other locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore and Russia.

In modern-day Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day has traditionally been a religious occasion. In fact, up until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that pubs be closed on March 17. Beginning in 1995, however, the Irish government began a national campaign to use St. Patrick’s Day as an opportunity to drive tourism and showcase Ireland to the rest of the world. Last year, close to one million people took part in Ireland ‘s St. Patrick’s Festival in Dublin, a multi-day celebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions and fireworks shows.

There is an interesting tradition in Chicago where the Chicago River is dyed green for the day.

For some odd reason Savannah, Georgia (not a city I'd equate with the irish) has one of the largest celebrations in the world. Attracting roughly 400,000 Irish and honorary Irish visitors and local celebrators each year, Savannah's St. Patrick's Day traditions are likened by some observers and participants to a Mardi Gras celebration, the spirited St. Patrick's Day festivities in Savannah go on for several days.

It must be quite the party - when we were there shortly after St. Patrick's Day a few years ago we saw this painted on a building:

Paul and I are having our annual St. Patrick's Day get together tonight. Here's our menu:

The Green Lantern (a green cocktail made with a parsley infusion)
Rueben Dip
Cheese and Crackers
Irish Cheddar and Stout Fondue

Cider and Cheddar Soup

Glazed Corned Beef
Horseradish Cream
Roasted Carrots
Golden Colcannon Pie
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Irish Soda Bread

Key Lime Cheesecake

Have a great day everyone!

Photo Hunt - Framed

 

This week's Photo Hunt theme is framed. I took this picture while I was in Chicago in July. I love the way the sinuous metal pieces frame the stage!

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Lots of the slow travel  community members also photo hunt when they aren't traveling. You can find their posts by clicking the links below. 

• Old Shoes, New Trip
• Eden's Wanderings and Wonderings
• My Place in the Sun
• Churches in Venice – Mosaics, Marble, and Miracle-Working Madonnas
• Palmabella's Passions
• What I Really Think
• shave Ice and Gelato
• Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!
• Keep your Feet in the Street
• Postcards from the Trail
• Cooking at the Whistlestop Cafe
• Candi's Corner
• Trekcapri's Blog  

 

Park Grill; Chicago

Before we went to see Billy Elliot while we were in Chicago we wanted a nice dinner. now nice restaurants and Chicago go hand in hand, however, I was a bit at a loss - when we were last in Chicago I don't recall any wonderful dinner spots in the theatre area. I am sure that there must be some but I always worry that they are like the theatre area restaurants in Toronto - somewhat sad and kept afloat by the fact that desperate theatre goers who don't know any better will flock there for mediocre food.

One site suggested eating at the Park Grill - the restaurant firmly anchored by the 'Bean' sculpture in Millennium Park. It is widely praised for its views and the food doesn't seem like an afterthought.

I read that it was the source of considerable scandal as well. The exclusive location, the lucrative contract terms, the investor list, and a close personal relationship between a managing partner of the restaurant and the Chicago Park District's project manager led to a formal ethics investigation, court litigation, and extensive press coverage, and ranked among the most prominent scandals of the administration of Chicago Richard M. Daley in 2005. The more than 80 investors include some of Daley's friends and neighbors. One of the most financially successful restaurants in Chicago, the Park Grill remains exempt from property taxes after a multi-year litigation which reached the appellate courts in Illinois.

View. Good food. Scandal.

We were THERE!

We started with an interesting wine - a pink sparkler from New Mexico. Yes, I did say New Mexico. I was shocked to discover that it was brilliant. Who knew?

I ordered an heirloom tomato salad comprised of burrata cheese, smoked sea salt, heirloom cucumbers, aged balsamic to start off the meal.

Paul decided on the traditional summer gazpacho served with pickled cucumber and jalapeno relish.

I was torn over what to order for my main course . . . there were a few things that I was interested in. The one thing I was NOT interested in was the burger. Our server told mem that I really should try it because it had recently be judged as one of the best burgers in Chicago. Sold! The peppercorn crusted Kobe burger that was served with gorgonzola, balsamic grilled onions and grain mustard on a pretzel bun it was!

Oh my. This was not diet food. What the heck I thought . . . I am on vacation! 

For his main course Paul was more well behaved. He ordered dill crusted Great Lakes walleye served with garbonzo bean succotash, and a meyer lemon vinaigrette.

We both enjoyed our meal so much that we ordered dessert. Paul a mangocreme brule . .

I decided to enjoy the last of the seasonal strawberries with a strawberry vanilla bean shortcake.

It was a great meal from start to finish! If you happen to be in Chicago and are looking for a good spot for dinner you won't go wrong here. Come for the view, ignore the scandal (it is Chicago after all), enjoy the food . . .

Billy Elliot - Chicago

It seems impossible that it has been a week tomorrow since we were in Chicago and lucky enough to catch the musical Billy Elliot. Unless you’ve been on another planet you surely must know by now that the show is based on a  2000 film that  tells the story of a young man, growing up in a  British coal mining town during the Margaret Thatcher era. In 1984 the miners went on strike and all hell breaks loose as the men realize their way of life is being threatened.

Billy’s widowed father tries his best to keep the family together. He wants Billy to grow up strong and tough and sends him off every week for boxing lessons at the local gym.  A dance class shares the same space and after hearing the music and watching this new way of self expression, Billy becomes fascinated and starts to spends his fifty pence each week taking lessons from a tough but sympathetic teacher who realizes that that the young man has a natural, untouched talent that she can help develop; this art versus brawn becomes the central conflict for the show.

Thus, begins a two hour and forty-five minute theatrical experiences that explores in song and dance how dreams can come true. Lee Halls’s book and lyrics and Elton John’s music tell the absorbing story in beautiful fashion. The  direction of Stephen Daldry, who also directed the original film, is outstanding. His work, along with Peter Darling’s choreography make this one of the exceptional shows of recent memory.

Since opening in London five years ago the show has conquered Broadway and Australia. A first national company kicked off a tour in Chicago in April, and a second gets under way in Durham, N.C., in October. Other productions are planned for South Korea, Japan and continental Europe. All told, there have been nearly 40 Billys around the world, their average run nine months. Recently it was announced that Billy Elliott will close shop in Chicago and move to Toronto in the new year.

The show is poignant, passionate, humorous and powerful. So much so, that Time Magazine recently named Billy Elliot the Musical the "BEST MUSICAL OF THE DECADE." This incredible honor adds to the show's overwhelming acclaim and recognition which includes ten 2009 Tony Awards(r), including Best Musical, as well as Best Musical awards from the NY Drama Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Drama League.

One of Billy Elliot‘s most striking aspects is the grittiness of its world.  One would be hard-pressed to find another feel-good musical that is this grim.  Unlike other famous shows that center on down-on-their-luck kids, such as Oliver! and Annie, Billy Elliot is never saccharine.  The town is grimy and dingy, and the characters’ lives harsh.

The show's ultimate message is hopeful, and in a different presentation, could have come across as almost pat.  In short, it is “Be yourself, no matter how different you may be.”  This, however, is tempered by the sadness of the peoples’ lives surrounding Billy.  The finale is simultaneously, overwhelmingly triumphant and overwhelmingly sad.

It was the ending that broke from the movie. I won't go into greta details but in the movie things were tidied up in a typical Hollywood ending . . . this is not the case with the musical. It isn't a bad thing - especially since the show would need to be 3 hours long then!

If Billy happens to make its way to your city be sure and get tickets.

Photo Hunt Triangle

This week's Photo Hunt theme is triangle. We're in Chicago right now, home of the skyscraper, so I've decided to post a picture of one of my favourite llocal buildings for this week's theme:

Sure, the Smurfit-Stone building is not one of Chicago's tallest buildings but I think it makes up for it in style! I really like the shape of the top . . .

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Lots of the slow travel  community members also photo hunt when they aren't traveling. You can find their posts by clicking the links below. 

• Old Shoes, New Trip
• Eden's Wanderings and Wonderings
• My Place in the Sun
• Churches in Venice – Mosaics, Marble, and Miracle-Working Madonnas
• Palmabella's Passions
• What I Really Think
• shave Ice and Gelato
• Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!
• Keep your Feet in the Street
• Postcards from the Trail
• Cooking at the Whistlestop Cafe
• Candi's Corner
• Trekcapri's Blog  

Old Town/Lincoln Park

When my sessions were over yesterday we hoped on the subway (a challenge in itself with the trains full of commuters heading home and ball fans heading to Wrigley Field) and headed north to Old Town and Lincoln Park. Old Town is indeed old (in Chicago terms).

The streets of Old Town are charming and tree-lined; the homes lining the streets vary from townhomes to single family homes, all of which have distinctive architecture and lovely brick construction. It is a pocket of residential calm among the high-rises of the Loop. Many of Chicago’s Victorian-era buildings are in Old Town; in fact, one of the few buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, St. Michael’s Church, is located here. Certainly, the area has historical appeal; this fact was formally recognized when the Old Town Triangle was designated a Chicago Landmark on September 28, 1977.

The inhabitants of Old Town are generally affluent; although properties are not as expensive as in the nearby Gold Coast neighborhood, they are certainly prime real estate and are mostly inhabited by professionals and families.

Although historical and largely residential, Old Town does have a lively center with several entertaining establishments. Second City’s performance group is based here, as is a branch of the famous Steppenwolf Theatre and the Zanies comedy club.

Boutiques, restaurants, clubs and coffee shops keep locals and tourists entertained and fed as they wander through the streets of this Chicago treasure. Here you'll find the House of Glunz - Chicago's longest running business (and one of the city's best wine shops) and my favourite Spice Shop (where we dropped more than $ 100).

We decided to pop by Oz Park since we were so closed. In 1976, the park was officially named in honor of Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919), the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Baum settled in Chicago in 1891 several miles west of what is now the park.

Located in Lincoln Park, parents gather with their preschoolers at Oz Park to enjoy the park which celebrates "The Wizard of Oz" theme.

“Dorothy’s Playlot” is filled with play equipment for the little ones to climb, swing, and run; in the "Emerald Garden," families can enjoy a leisurely afternoon among the beautiful flowers. Take a stroll through the park and you’ll be greeted by statues of the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and everyone’s favorite: Dorothy & Toto.

It was getting late, our dinner reservations were for 7:00, so we hauled ourselves off of the park benches, and quickly walked to Perennial. I had read about the restaurant online, in 2009 it was named as one of the 50 top new restaurants in the US by the fine folks at Travel and Leisure magazine. Situated in a prime piece of real estate facing the Green City Market in Lincoln Park, whose purveyors provide many of the restaurant's ingredients, Perennial has a rustic and seasonal simplicity. The chef works excellent ingredients into appealing, often colorful creations.

The feel in the restaurant is relaxing, while maintaining a chic and sophisticated atmosphere. The service was excellent we never felt hurried or hovered over. It's been a rare experience for us to have such attentive service.

Perennial Rose Plymouth Sloe Gin, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, grapefruit, sparkling rosé

fish tacos - market fresh crudo, mango papaya salsa, avocado, corn tortilla purée

tomato gazpacho - cucumber salad, cherry tomatoes, olive charcoal

Milk poached chicken breast, michigan cherries, almonds, wilted spinach

Becker Lane Organic pork belly, Green Acres radishes, turnips, braised greens, herb spaetzle, Left Hand Milk Stout reduction

Heirloom tomato, pressed watermelon, basil

Flavors of Snickers bar - chocolate bavarian, salted caramel mousse, peanut ice cream, 40 second chocolate cake

Tiramisu - Chocolate & coffee terrine, berry salad, mascarpone sorbet

Celebrating in Chicago

Chicago was a great city in which to turn 46!

When I returned to the hotel room after my last session of the day Paul had been busy:

I opened gifts, we drank a bottle of wine, and munched on a piece of cake. We debated going to the Contemporary Art Gallery in the 100 degree weather or having a nap.

The nap won.

We met my colleagues in the lobby and headed out for dinner at the Purple Pig. Now this had not been an easy selection as my two colleagues are not what one would describe as adventuresome eaters. One finds jarred spaghetti sauce spicy and would be happy to eat a grilled cheese sandwich with processed cheddar cheese day in-day out. The other has texture issues, won't eat any fish in any form, but other than that is willing to try new and wonderful things (so long as fish is absent and the dreaded things with offending textures do not show up on the plate). So far the Cheesecake Factory has been a big hit for them.

As you might guess, I am often accused of being a food snob by them, a label I wear with pride.

When I eat I prefer to eat things that aren't processed to within an inch of their lives. I like dishes made with fresh, local ingredients. I like menu items to have been developed by a chef in the kitchen of the establishment I'm gracing with my Visa card and not some factory kitchen across the country. When I go out I like to order things that I haven't had before  . . .

I was so concerned about not taking them out to a restaurant that they wouldn't like that I actually made reservations for my birthday tonight after they have headed home (me having signed up for the two-day post-conference, a decision that I am now regretting . . .).

I gaven them the choice and they said 'no, go with what you want'. The Purple Pig it was.

Opened in December to rapturous reviews, the Pig, the latest venture by Chefs Scott Harris of Mia Francescaand Jimmy Bannos, Jr., and Jimmy Bannos, Sr., of Heaven on Seven, is located in the heart of the Magnificent Mile today. House-cured charcuterie and small and large Mediterranean-inspired plates make up the core of the menu served in the casual 70-seat space.

We were lucky enough to get one of the last tables inside. They have a patio but who wants to sit outside in 100 + degrees (well, other than our dear friend Palma, that is! *smile*) The menu was extensive and deciding what to order was a challenge. Our server explained that the dishes are meant to be shared so we ordered an assortment of treats and dug in!

Marinated olives, pork fried almonds with garlic and rosemary.

Salt roasted beets, whipped feta, pistachio vinaigrette

Roasted corn salad, tomatoes, arugula pesto

Porchetta panini, salsa verde

3-cheese platter (aged gouda, Camembert, truffle bucheron), mostarda

Fried prosciutto balls

Chorizo stuffed olives

Whipped feta with cucumbers

Chicken thigh kebabs with fried smashed potatoes & tzatziki 

Milk braised pork shoulder with mashed potatoes

WOW - what a wonderful feast. Believe it or not there wasn't one thing that I wouldn't order again. The bill for all of the food plus a bottle of wine was only $ 140!

If you're in Chicago be sure to check out the Purple Pig!

Next up was the Signature Lounge atop the Hancock Tower. We zoomed up the elevator to the 96th floor - what an ear popping ride - where we were treated to wonderful views of the city.

We drank martinis . . .

 . . . and watched the lights of the city come on.

Chicago - Learning, Walking, World's Fair

Another full day of learning yesterday. I'm not sure my brain can take much more of this. Further, I'm not sure signing up for two day of post-conference sessions was a wise idea!

When my sessions were over we decided to head north to explore some of the City's smaller neighbourhoods. This is one of the nice things about returning to a city you've visited before AND of staying for a chunk of time - you can get out and explore a bit.

I had heard that one gets a nice view of the skyline from the beaches near Wrigley Stadium. So we walked, and walked, and walked. Then we stopped and bought stuff. Then we walked, and walked, and walked. By now we were arguing over who would carry the damn bags! Note to self - next time  . . . buy the wine AFTER the walking NOT before!

Nonetheless, the view of the skyline was stunning - even with the July 'haze'.

When we finally got back to the hotel we had 35 minutes to get ready before we were to meet our colleagues and walk over to the Tuesday night party put on by the conference organizers.

We quickly quaffed a beer and handfuls of Bugles (why, oh why, can we no longer get Bugles in Canada?), showered, and got changed.

The party was at Navy Pier, a tourist spot that we avoided like the plague when we were in Chicago last time.

The party was billed as a World's Fair. Desire2Learn had rented the entire Grand Ball Room and the end of the Pier was all blocked off for our use. The Ballroom was beautifully decorated - clearly D2L had purchased the DELUXE package.

The food was 'a Taste of Chicago' and we got to enjoy some of Chicago's 'famous' foods - deep dish pizza, Chop Salad, cheesecake, hot dogs, hot Italian Beef sandwiches, pasta . . . too much! We didn't know about the food set up outside so we filled up on pizza. Big mistake!

Two guys were making balloon hats. I asked this guy to make a giant condom for my colleague but the 'closest' he could get was this swan.

Later his colleague, who had received many requests for an amazing swan, had to examine it carefully so he could make one as well.

There were all sorts of games like you would expect to see at a fair . . .

The company had booked a jazz band . . .

A magician wandered about entertaining everyone . . .

When we left we were able to take the last spin of the night on the giant ferris wheel on the pier . . . we were treated to some beautiful views of the skyline at night.

 

Chicago; Conference, Millennium Park, Dinner

Yesterday was a full day - the first day of the conference went from 8 AM to 5 PM. By the time I finished my last session and went upstairs it was 6:00. Paul wanted to head down to Grant Park to walk around a bit. We had an hour and a half until we were to meet our colleagues for dinner.

We hopped on the subway and then the Loop to the Library stop and then wandered around Grant Park and then our favourite: Millennium Park.

We started off with Buckingham Fountain, located in Grant Park, it is one of Chicago's most popular attractions and one of the largest fountains in the world. It was opened in May of 1927. The four sea horses you see on its sides represent the four states that touch Lake Michigan: Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. It is a symbolic start for Route 66.

Walking through Grant Park from the fountain we moved north to Millennium Park. We enjoyed the park when we were last in Chicago and were interested to see if Chicagoans were still as engaged with the park as they appeared to have been back in 2006.

The BP Bridge, a sinuous pedestrian bridge designed by Frank Gehry, links Millennium Park with the eastern portion of Grant Park and provides incomparable views of the city’s skyline, Grant Park and Lake Michigan. The only Gehry-designed bridge in the world, the 925-foot long BP Bridge is clad in stainless steel panels and has a gentle slope and hardwood deck. 

As we walked over the bridge we could hear jazz playing from the Pavilion. As we got closer we could see many happy music fans sitting on the grass listening to the band play some great jazz. What a civilized way to listen to music - relaxed, sipping wine, nibbling on snacks.

The pavilion stands 120-feet high, with a billowing Ghery designed "headdress" of stainless steel ribbons that frame the proscenium opening, connecting to an overhead trellis of crisscrossing steel pipes that define the lawn seating area.

It would have been nice to stay and listen but we had much to do before we met up for dinner.

We wanted to visit the Crown Fountain and the 'Bean' before we left the park.

Designed by Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa, the Crown Fountain features two 50-foot high glass block towers at each end of a shallow reflecting pool. The towers are activated with changing video images and lights, and water cascades from the top of each. Anchoring the southwest corner of Millennium Park at Michigan Avenue and Monroe Streets, the Crown Fountain is a major addition to the city’s world-renowned public art collection. Inspired by the people of Chicago whose faces appear on the glass towers’ changing video images, this site-specific work creates both a unique meeting point and a dynamic space for silent reflection. Utilizing water, light, and glass, Plensa has created a bold statement that is sure to stimulate passers-by and invite them to enter and experience Millennium Park.

This sculpture/fountain was certainly popular yesterday in the heat!

Our final stop was at the sculpture commonly known as 'the Bean'. This 110-ton elliptical sculpture designed by the celebrated British artist Anish Kapoor, one of the most prolific and respected sculptors in the world. "Cloud Gate," the monumental sculpture located on SBC Plaza was named by the artist on June 29 when the final panel of the elliptical sculpture was installed.

The sculpture is forged of a seamless series of highly-polished stainless steel "plates" that create an elliptically-arched, highly reflective work with Chicago’s skyline and Millennium Park itself as a dramatic backdrop. Visitors will be able to fully experience the majestic nature of the work by literally walking through and around, as it was designed for public interaction. Inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture is among the largest in the world, measuring 66-feet long by 33-feet high.

In one of my sessions today I leaned how to make a quick animoto video - let's see how that works . . .

Create your own video slideshowat animoto.com.

Dinner was at a BBQ joint - Weber. You expect that the folks at Weber might know how to grill a rib or two . . .and they did! I had a HUGE hunk of prime rib that was crusted with herbs and garlic and slowly smoked over hickory. OH WOW! This was a perfect finish to a full and intriguing day!

Hello Again Chicago

It's been four years since I've been in Chicago - we were least here for a whirlwind 4-day weekend - so when the opportunity of attending a conference arose I jumped at it! Paul has tagged along so while I am in my sessions (learning about best practices in online learning) he will no doubt be out shopping for my birthday gifts.

The cats were delivered to mom's house on Saturday. It was strange not having the pitter patter of feline paws about the house. On Sunday we packed up the car and headed to the airport. We don't often travel through the Toronto airport on a Sunday - what a revelation! Usually I am like a salmon swimming upstream with the crowds. Yesterday there were none.

The flight was quick - we arrived early. The luggage pick up easy. I managed to beat a hoard of Pamper Chef salespeople to the shuttle (score) and we were whisked to the hotel. My colleagues shared a cab - it was $ 48. Our shuttle was $ 37. The downside of the shuttle was that you had to wait for the driver and then you may have to wait a bit in the city while the driver makes the rounds dropping folks off.

We're staying at the Marriott downtown on the Magnificent Mile. It's obviously an older hotel that he been refurbished. I'm not sure that I like it. The room is the smallest hotel room I've had outside of Europe. The location is great and the price (the conference rate was $ 149) can't be beat. Nonetheless, I wish I were staying at the new Trump hotel and residences.

 

Like all Marriotts there was no fridge in the room. I called down and then delivered one to us. Now we could get some snacks and drinks. Happily there was a Trader Joe's less than a block away. SCORE!

We were set for the week.

After a short nap we were off on a boat tour of the Chicago River arranged by the conference organizers. We had done a similar tour four years ago - it the scorching heat of the afternoon on Paul's birthday. I recall that someone drank one HUGE beer and promptly 'fell asleep'. Paul said that this tour was better but I'm not sure he is qualified to judge.

The river is a perfect spot to view some of Chicago's famous buildings.

There had been some changes since we were here last - some new buildings started, some buildings under construction had gone bust, some that were under construction had been completed. It was strange to hear the Sears Tower referred to as the Willis Tower. The Willis Tower had a new feature as well - on the observation deck they have built a glass projection where you can literally walk out into the 'air' on the 103rd floor.

No kids, I shall NOT be doing that. 

Once we docked the rain that had been threatening to come down throughout the cruise started up. Happily Paul and I had brought our umbrellas - and we walked to Lou Malnati's for dinner. Lou Malnati's is a prototypical Chicago style pizza. A thin crust of pizza dough is laid in a seasoned deep-dish pizza pan and raised up on the sides. The ingredients are placed on a Chicago style deep-dish pizza in the opposite order of a thin crust pizza. The first ingredient is thick slices of mozzarella cheese that are placed directly on the dough. Then additional ingredients like mushrooms, onions and sausage are spread on top of the cheese. The pizza is then topped with a tomato sauce made with whole chunks of tomatoes. One of the more popular features of a "Lou-Mal" pie is the "sausage patty," which is, as the name describes, a single patty of Italian sausage below the layer of tomato chunks or sauce, as opposed to the more traditional crumbled sausage.

Lou's is busy! Give you name and order right away. If you don't you may end up waiting 40 minutes for your table and then 40 minutes for your food (deep-dish pizza does not cook in 5 minutes!). We had been here in 2006 so we knew the drill. The tables move quickly, by the time we had ordered, found a spot at the bar to get a beer, our table was ready.

The pizza was every bit as good as I remembered. Sure Chicago has some of the finest dining in the world - which would be wasted on my colleagues who were still blathering about there lunch at the Cheesecake Factory but one really shouldn't miss this wonderful taste of Chicago.