I’ve on the fence when it  comes to Spanish Tapas as actual food. In Trinidad, this would be considered ‘finger food’ or  “Cutters” as known in Trinidad, but in North America, it is a posh concept since the tiny appetizers are paired with good Spanish wine. That should be my new idea, pair Saheena or Pholourie with some Cabernet Sauvignon or a  nice Pinot Grigio and instant success. I have little knowledge in the area of wine pairings, so pairing a strong bodied red wine with some “Trini cutters” would make certain people I know, actually wretch and dry heave.

Tonight, the dinner choice was Cafe Iberico (picked by the client). This is obviously one of the places to eat in Chicago as there are a number of reviews online and the food was quite good.

 I had samples of five tapas in the time that I could stay, as well as two VERY excellent mojitos that came with extra  mint. They really do know how to make a Mojito here; well muddled mint, good average white rum that didn’t overpower the mint or sugar. As for the tapas I had:

• Chorizo y Morcilla : Well done, crispy slices of Choriza sausage and blood sausage. Excellent!
• Patatas Bravas : Potatoes done in their spicy sauce. Tasted like Amir’s Garlic Potatoes from Montreal with a bit of hot sauce, so obviously three thumbs from me.
• Championes a la Plancha : Grilled Mushrooms with Olive Oil and Garlic : Meh! I could make this in my sleep.
• Raxo Adobado : Marinated pork loin with frites : Another Meh! Pork souvlaki with some over-done frites.. another pass
• Gambas al Ajillo : Shrimp in Olive Oil, wine, and garlic. Definitely a must have, well grilled shrimp with a great sauce.

From a tapas perspective, definitely a very good choice of place, unfortunately after an hour, the hockey game at the United Center was hailing me. So 13 minutes later and I was facing another Chicago tourist attraction : the Michael Jordan statue at the United Center.

As for the actual hockey game that took place there, well one could say that watching on TV was better. Seeing my Dutch friend Steven was the reason I went to the game.

The game itself lacked any drama as the ‘Hawks were listless and as such the crowd was quiet and out of the game.

Being the home of the Chicago Bulls, the banners from that ridiculous Michael Jordan dynasty still drift in the rafters.

The only moment of interest during the game came during a third period scrum, but other than that moment, I was more interested in the beer, conversation and finding new uses for my telephoto lens

Oh how I wish I could wax philosophically about the meaning of the lines in a Kandinsky or how the jagged lines in a Picasso painting represented his madness or passion. Art is just one of those things, that I just don’t get. I love photographing sepia old buildings , beautiful vistas supersaturated with blues and greens, cracking black and white gothic churches; the permanence of the shot and how I composed it. What I don’t get, is how complete nutbars get wealthy patrons to support them, while the produce “Art” that I could make in my sleep. Putting florescent string in dark room could be construed as “Art”, I thought it looked cool.

However, after reading the description of the piece, I’m surprised that my brain didn’t blow up with all the kinetic energy in the air. All I remember about Kinetic energy, was the definition from Form 3 physics – Kinetic energy is motion — of waves, molecules, objects, substances, and objects.

I am no artist, nor can I ever be one. I have no business criticizing “Art”, but shouldn’t art be accessible. Do I have go to school to appreciate it? Every Tuesday, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, has a free admission. It is definitely something to do while you’re here in Chicago – the free night. If I had paid to go in, I would have been a little annoyed, since I obviously do not understand “Art”.

I love structure and design, so entering the Museum was a bit of a treat as the circular staircase was definitely artistic.

I do love colour and the interplay of colour, but just randomly laying textures out, is that “Art”?

I even love colourful old people on canvas. I think this is artistic – I don’t know why, but I know that I could never paint this in 16 other lifetimes.

However, putting a bunch of junk in a room, suspending it, laying it flat on the floor, posting it on a wall, does not change the fact that one just put piles of crap in a room and called it “art”

I asked one of the curators to explain what the idea of the previous piece was, and she in her artistic knowledge, could not readily convey what this artist was trying to do. If an expert can’t convey to the meaning of a piece to me, then what chance do I have of understanding it? How about ass prints on chairs? Taking pictures of ass prints from chairs?

This I get though. A zebra on snow! Two things that run opposite to each other.

Art can be subjectively easy. For instance, could I use the two pictures I took at different lighting and ISO levels and call this art?

Hopefully, in time, I’ll start understanding “Art”. 

For the third night in a row, it was despicably cold and windy here. Of course, ensuring that I renew my Starwood status for 2010 meant that I have to switch hotels every night for the next month and half to rack up the night and points to keep my platinum status. Tonight’s hotel was the Four Points by Sheration and walking into the hotel at night, I didn’t feel too great about this move, as the outside air smelled of urine and the lobby of the hotel was a stark contrast to the Chicago Towers but then again, I knew why I was moving hotels, so I put the surroundings out of mind. The advantage of this location is that one can head down State St and be in the theatre district after a 20 minute walk.

After my last visit to Chicago, I made a goal of giving “Chicago Deep Dish” pizza another pass, since my last two times didn’t impress me greatly. So the next place on the list will be Pizzeria Due, same recipe, different branch but I think if I don’t take a liking to the biscuity crust and long wait then I have to accept that Chicago pizza just isn’t for me.

Along the walk across the bridge on State St, you get a great panorama shot (there are many in Chicago).

Then you head into the Chicago theatre district. For some reason, I associate black and white pictures with the theatre rather than colour, it seemed more romantic and mysterious, today the glamour seems to have leached out of the theatre experience.

Another thing about walking through the freezing cold in Chicago, no one else is stupid enough to take pictures, walk or drive around when it’s -8C and windy outside, and if this were Toronto, I would be relaxing home – however it’s not home and that’s enough to try and escape a lonely hotel room.

View Rishi’s Chicago Map in a larger map

One mantra you learn in the US is “Take your ID when you go out”. I generally try to remember this rule, but when one changes pants and rushes outside for some drinking, things have a tendency to be left behind, the wallet didn’t make the cut. In Chicago, one can assume that they card everyone, since my three coworkers knew the drill and pulled out ID as soon as they walked in, and obviously without ID, one is generally refused admission to the bars. After braving the wind and the cold mist from the river, being refused entry because of a lack of ID left a bitter taste and irritated me to say the least. Thankfully, as a tourist, I did know well enough to bring my camera knapsack. So to make lemonade from a particularly sour moment, I left the bar and started walking randomly down the street and ended up on the “Magnificent Mile”. It was practically deserted because of the bitter cold.

So after freezing and getting a lovely facial windburn, I happened to “stumble” on the John Hancock Center. Now “stumbling” here refers to the fact that I had no plans or idea that I would be here for the evening. As I walked down the steps off of Chestnut St and past the Cheesecake factory, an intense burning sensation went through the fingers on my right hand from wind exposure. Definitely not a good sign, but there was ample heat in the Hancock Center, so I warmed up quickly.

After paying my 16$ and ambling past the bored staff, there was no noticeable line-up and no question; just me, the headphones I got at the main elevator and then the handy audio guide I got when I got upstairs. The audio tour was narrated by David Schwimmer or better known as “Ross” from ”Friends”, and it definitely is a very good tour device.

The one benefit of a windy and cold night was getting the entire run of the place.

As it was such a cold windy night, I was told that there was 20 mile visibility in all directions. Of course, I wanted to see the view without the glass barrier, which you can do from the Skywalk. However getting through the revolving door on to the Skywalk did bring me back to my senses, as the wind tends to be quite strong at that altitude.

After having the run of the place, it was time to get back to street level and face the cold winds again. 25 mins later, it was time for  cab back to the hotel.

So it’s about 6.41am EST and I just finished the third leg of this week’s second mileage run. The fun started in Atlanta and the itinerary went something like this

Atlanta > Charlotte > Denver > Charlotte > Philadelphia > Toronto

So 5 segment and I dont know how many miles, I think the base mileage for this week is about 8400 miles, and this doesn’t include bonuses and possible top ups – the initial goal right now is to hit either the 35,ooo miles or the 50 segments. I am pretty sure that I can do this type of thing regularly as it is not conducive to maintaining any type of heterosexual relationship. Additionally, I’m sure it can’t be that great on the body to subject yourself to 18 hours in the air a week, unless you’re a pilot or hostess.

The great thing about a mileage run from a corporate perspective is that you actually save money for your client and project. Of course, instead of my ticket going direct from

 Toronto > Chicago > Atlanta > Toronto would have cost approximately $1490,

doing the whole week at

Toronto > Chicago > Denver > Los Angeles > Chicago > Atlanta > Charlotte > Denver > Charlotte > Philadelphia > Toronto cost $1300.

11.30am EST
I’m finally back in Toronto, going for lunch. There were a couple close calls tonight, but I made the segment on time, although from Philly to Toronto, the ticket desk had an extra ticket for me in case I missed my connection. The doors were closed for my 9.50am connection from Philly to Toronto, since my connection from Charlotte came in at 9.30am and I had to change terminals, but I got to the gate at 9.47am, so all was good!

Observations from tonight’s 5 segment run – heading past the Carolina Beer Co in Charlotte’s airport

All quiet in Denver

Back to Charlotte

And the grand result of this all

I have to say, I much prefer these mileage runs than one ridiculously long flight with one segment, as you get breaks, I had time to do tons of work and review uninterrupted. Now the final part of the run is the to see the overall miles and segments in my Aeroplan account. That part will take a couple days to post ot my account!!