Prof. Kitty visits Chicago


I had a work trip to Chicago this week and it was great! The work itself was very rewarding, and I was also glad to be back in Chicago so soon after my September trip. I didn't get a chance to take many photos, but I'd like to share a few highlights.

Day 1, evening

Lobster mushroom bisque, real Caesar salad (meaning yes to anchovies) at Stetsons (the steak and sushi place inside the Hyatt Regency hotel).

Dramatic steak knife display

Day 2

  • breakfast: eggs benedict at Yolk -- I found Yolk via Google Maps, so it was touristy, but I liked it. High-end-diner style, bright and open interior, with unmissable yolk-colored decor.
  • Lunch: takeout chicken breast kebab wrap from Reza’s -- I only kick myself for not ordering hot sauce to go with!
  • Dinner: Union Sushi & BBQ—warm mushrooms, crispy "buffalo" duck leg, spicy tuna cup, smoked white tuna with tomato confit, a LOT of sushi on black rice. So. Good.

As an aside, I'd never before seen real wasabi up-close. They grated it tableside and left a small dish for sushi-dipping.

Day 3

  • Breakfast: Panera Bread—some kinda sausage, egg & cheese sandwich
  • Lunch: takeout chicken caprese salad from Maggiano's Little Italy—huge, lots of chicken, TWO kinds of dressing, tender fresh mozzarella, kalamata olives, and a lovely surprise... the occasional fresh green bean.
  • Dinner: EPIC turkey bar, Vanilla Bean Frappuccino. This was my dinner when I was inadvertently stuck at O'Hare for 2 hours. Did you know a Vanilla Bean Frappuccino from Starbucks has NO COFFEE in it? It was delicious, but... jeez. I needed the caffeine!

Here are a few more snaps and notes of things I saw in Chicago, June 2014:

The photo doesn't do it justice, but that glowing area in the middle = shelves of liquor lit from behind. It was gorgeous, like a stained glass beacon of alcohol beaming into the night. It is called BIG Bar.



This TRUMP sign just went up and has set the media afire. Yes, it seems to be 2 stories tall.


 
Trend report: The latest in specials or wine lists is an ipad left at-table for perusing. This happened to me twice in two days, so it's science.


Trigger Warning! "Try one of our new specialty craft drinks. Today's events: Alcoholics Anonymous."


Not shown: 

Sooo many smartphones. In the airport, on the subway, on the street—everyone was staring into the tiny screen of their phone. Sometimes I felt like I was in a Bodysnatchers movie. I got out my own phone so as to blend in.

Sunset at O'Hare. This is something I didn't want to see, because I was supposed to be in the air already but my plane was delayed. It was pretty though. A caffeinated Frappuccino would have helped even more.

Chicago Riverway. It took me about 30 seconds after jogging out of the Hyatt Regency to identify a great place to run—down a set of stairs to the bike/jog path that runs along the Chicago River. I headed lakeward and got to run along the shoreline & boats for a little bit. Tranquil!

Heifers! Preschool! Running!

This weekend in Brattleboro it's time for our now-large festival called Strolling of the Heifers. The party is starting downtown this very minute, with Main Street closed to traffic for the biggest and funnest of our monthly First Friday Gallery Walks. Also our local community radio station, WVEW, is having a Dance with a DJ party tonight from 7-10! The parade tomorrow (June 7, 2014) starts at 10am, and then there's an expo and performances and events around town for the rest of the day.

In other news, our littlest one completed his first year of preschool this week, which is just very adorable. Good job, little guy! I think your teachers love you.

And on the running note--it was National Running Day this week. I made myself a virtual badge.


It happened to be the bi-weekly Fun Run that day and my whole family came with me... for the first time! Our 2nd-grader had come with me twice before, but Papa & preschooler had not. We chose the 1-mile. Some of us walked much of the way, but we all finished before the 3-mile winner came in and that's what really counts.

I'm also working on a new running goal... the Runner's World Streak. Rules are you run at least 1 mile every day between Memorial Day and July 4. I worry that I'll forget a day, but so far so good. I'm not actually logging my miles through the magazine website, but I mark each day down on a paper calendar. 12 miles so far this week, 11 more likely.

I hope you have a great weekend! Now I'm off to make quinoa tabbouleh.