I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned my love of the Windy City … I mean how could anyone not love the city with some of the following:

• Deep Dish Pizza
• Chicago Style Dogs – don’t you dare eat one with Ketchup
• Great Blues music
• Great Bars
• Tons of sports to watch … Bulls, Bears, and some form of Sox
• Heaps of movies being filmed or were filmed in Chi-Town

That being said … one can face certain paralysis, when figuring out what to do in Chicago. One approach would be to print out a bunch of lists from the Internet that aren’t interactive or you use the  app on your iPhone and use one of the interactive lists to make your own treasure hunt, get a badge for your efforts and have tons of “Geolocation” fun.

Fourquare Tip

There are three city badges: the hot dog-centric “Celery Salt,” ; the musical “Chicago Blues”; the cinematic “On Location.” In all, you can aim to get 6 or 7 badges in Chicago rather easily… in the end, I only ended up missing the “Triple Play” badge because for some reason,  will not recognize that I’ve checked into 4 MLB stadiums.

1. First on the docket, was unlocking the Chicago Blues badge. This is pretty easy as many of the places on the list are within 10 streets of each other.

We ended up checking into 6 places on the list before I got my badge.

1. B.L.U.E.S., 2519 N. Halsted St.
2. Kingston Mines, 2548 N. Halsted St.
3. Blues Brothers Mural, NE Corner of 47th St.& Prairie Ave.
4. Chicago Blues District, 708 E. 47th St.
5. Rosa’s Lounge 3420 W Armitage Ave
6. Chess Records (Historic Site) 49th St and Cottage Grove

I will give one word of warning – while it is great for a badge … the Historic Blues district in Chicago isn’t the safest place around. I’m not a detective or anything like that, but when you’re driving around and see you crack deals on the street, tons of homeless people, abandoned buildings and you feel like you’re in  Buffalo, Detroit, Baltimore or East side St. Louis – then I wouldn’t hang around the area for long. Get your badge touring all the blues bars around.

2.  After listening to the music, it was time to find some Chicago Style Hot Dogs. I’ve tried over the years to avoid hot dogs for all the crap they put into them – however for Chicago – I’ll make an exception. Unlocking this badge takes some work, since the hot dog places on the list are all over the city.

We ended up checking into another 6 places on the list before I got my badge.

1. Gold Coast Dogs (Multiple Locations)
2. Jim’s Original (Maxwell Street Polish), 1250 S. Union Ave.
3. The Weiner’s Circle, 2622 N. Clark St.
4. United Center, 1901 W. Madison St.
5. Wrigley Field, 1060 W. Addison St.
6. US Cellular Field, 333 W. 35th St.

It is cool that the City of Chicago’s Office of Tourism thought about this partnership – since it does push people to wander around the city and creates a sense of competition. Additionally, you get to see people complete cover your dogs in Celery salt, peppers and tomatoes.

The best Hot Dog place we went to, had to be “The Wiener’s Circle”. What an awesome name!! This is a small hole in the wall place — but they definitely serve a good dog.

3 . The third and final Explore Chicago badge for the weekend was the “On Location” badge. If you ever seen a movie that was filmed in Chicago … this is an attempt to publicize those venues. The badge can be earned by checking into any 5 locations through the 7 different lists.

Just based on two movies which I really like : Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (CLASSIC!!!) and The Dark Knight, we checked into 13 places … I had more fun finding these places than just checking in.

My Ferris Bueller list was complete …

1. The Skydeck at Willis Tower, 233 S. Wacker Dr.
2. The Art Institute of Chicago – 111 S. Michigan Ave.
3. Wrigley Field, 1060 W. Addison St.
4. Chicago Board of Trade, 141 W. Jackson Blvd.
5. Calder’s Flamingo sculpture – 50 W. Adams St. at S. Dearborn St.

My Dark Knight list wasn’t complete – but it was good enough

1. Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St.
2. Lower Wacker Dr. at Lower Michigan Ave.
3. Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave.
4. The Skydeck at Willis Tower, 233 S. Wacker Dr.
5. Trump International Hotel and Tower, 401 N. Wabash Ave.
6. 330 N. Wabash (formerly the IBM Building), 330 N. Wabash Ave.

During the other time in Chicago – I also ended up with 5 other badges … now these are not specific to Chicago, but are a compendium of checking into a number of other places in the US.

Truly Exploring Chicago

I typically have many trips to Chicago for fun or for training, since many consulting clients have offices there. On typical trips, the routine is the same

• Fly in
• Work all day till 9pm
• Grab dinner at a restaurant near the hotel
• Retire to our rooms to work some more

The badges will give any tech savvy consultant an incentive to explore the city. In getting Blues badge – we visited parts of town that I would never have visited for any other reason. We spent money in more restaurants and bars than we normally would while we were out exploring.

Personally, I think all large North American cities would benefit from this type of list and integration with  – It’s was a win for the city of Chicago and their tourism arm, Explore Chicago, since we got out the hotel room and spent money all over town. And it was a win for us, since we unlocked 11 pieces of digital candy and had a lot of fun in the process.

It turns out that the Explore Chicago badges were fairly easy to unlock. Their printable location lists were easy to follow, so we picked some spots near our hotel and were able to unlock them without trouble. The Time Out badge, however, was impossible to unlock, despite visiting at least five locations they’d recommended.  So I have a challenge for the next time I’m in Chicago … I have a hit list of three other badges.

• Windy City Badge
• Eater 38 Badge
• Time Out Chicago – BarHunter badge

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 3 Days, 8 Badges, badges, Chicago, chicago foursquare badges, chicago foursquare weekend, foursquare, how to get all chicago foursquare badge, My foursquare badge adventure in Chicago

In Trinidad, I never grew up with meatloaf. Why would we – this is a purely European derivative “dish”. In Trinidad – who ate ground beef growing up?? Definitely not anyone I knew – it was expensive and you couldn’t make it into a curry – the only place you would have any sort of ground beef, was in a meat pie or pastelle. For me, meatloaf is like the western version of fried rice – any sort of nonsense can be tossed into it – however it is rare to find quality.

The one thing I have confirmed – I love great meatloaf and frankly I haven’t found a better meatloaf than what they serve at Lou Mitchells.

Lou Mitchell’s is one of those great cultural icons and an amazing breakfast spot. It’s like the Chicago version of the Old Breakfast Shed in Port of Spain (not the new shitty shed).

It’s all old school here

• Long lines
• No credit cards
• The same waitress you had 30 years ago
• All good signs

As for the food – I would recommend this to any Trinidadian/West Indian person for the following reasons

• Meals are massive – this is a complete belly full place
• Prices are extremely reasonable
• A huge breakfast menu – Omelettes come in their own omelette pan/skillet with a HUGE side order of potatoes – their is no scrimping on anything on the menu
• All their meals are fresh and the juice is absolutely “fresh squeezed” – no Tropicana dogshit!
• The coffee is awesome and endless/bottomless – whatever you want to call never ending
• All service comes with attitude and picong … example below
• Rishi : <Look at map and 4square on phone> How do I get to Wrigley Field
• Waitress : How would I know … I’m a Sox fan
• Rishi : But you live in Chicago
• Waitress : Ask someone else  … !!<runs off to get another waitress, who is a Cubs fan obviously>

As for the meatloaf …

There were three slices of meatloaf under the mushroom gravy and fries … I could barely finish half of the damn thing. Did I also mention that you should walk with your own Lipitor?

This was all I could eat before asking for the doggie bag

The decor is your classic American Diner …

Tips:

• My advice would be to go for there for late Brunch – the lines early in the morning will be super long and you won’t enjoy that experience, especially in the depths of winter.
• Get there at 1:30 or 2pm. They close at 3pm.
• Get the Meatloaf or some form of omelette – if it is your first time. If you’re Canadian – stop complaining about the portion size … we will never see a portion like this in Canada … ok … maybe only in St John’s, Newfoundland.
• The negative reviews on this place – are all wrong! Don’t read those – just get there a little later. Douchebag food reviewers complaining about “I ate there 30 years ago and it’s not the same now” … 30 years ago, there was no internet … do I complain about that?

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2011. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: A Chicago Institution, best breakfast in chicago, best meatloaf in chicago, Chicago, Great place to cure a hangover, lou mitchells review, Ultimate Chicagoland Authentic Breakfast

I have no problem saying it …

“I’m not a fan of deep dish pizza … never was … never will be”.

It’s not that people don’t like it … there are wars between New Yorkers and Chi-Towners about the pizza in their town and which is the best. I’m lactose intolerant-”ish” … hence I will never get the stuffed crust goodness with extra fat on top of 6000 calories that a slice of deep dish heaven purports to be. That being said, once you’re in Chicago, you have to get a slice at Gino’s, Uno’s, Grimaldi’s or some other “Deep Dish” provocateur.

On this installment of the ongoing “Chicago Deep Dish Adventure”, we decided to slum it down and head over to “The Art of Pizza“.

The dining area is reminiscent of a High School cafeteria. This is definitely not your high end pizzeria like Uno’s – in fact I would say that the décor is sketchy .. like tacky painted murals of an Italian city along with tables and chairs and bare walls. If you opt to dine in, be prepared for a bare bones dining experience.

But like I always say, It’s all about the food … the pizzas here have earned press coverage, Zagat plaques, and a place on numerous best of Chicago pizza lists. They also have salads, sandwiches, pasta, BBQ ribs and daily specials.

You can order whole pies or slices. They have many varieties of pizza to choose a slice from, including thin crust, pan pizza and their famous stuffed crust. The dining room is large, with TVs and shakers filled with parmesan, oregano and red pepper flakes.

Go for the Art’s meaty delight…utterly decadent.  And, stick to what they specialize in…the “stuffed” pizza, as they called their deep dish.  Appetizers are meh, but they can be when the pie is this good.  As you can tell by my pizza .. . it was basically a collection of random meats on a thick huge crust.

Who couldn’t love all that meaty goodness without the extra calories of the cheese .. granted it took me more than a day to eat all the pizza. In fact they were awesome when it came to my ordering cheeseless pizza. It’s really good, not dry like most other establishments, and saves me from a lactose overload.

If you’re looking for the “Art special” slice … here you go – Pan and stuffed pizza by the slice is pretty rare in this town, so Art of Pizza is a gem for just that reason–they have both.  The pizza is pretty darn good, and they always have a wide selection of slices.

So the next time you’re in Chicago and you’re looking for a reasonably down to earth piece of deep dish heaven … head over to “The Art of Pizza” … you won’t be disappointed.

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 100 things to do in Chicago, Chicago, chicago at night, Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, Christmas Party Season, Consultanese, consultant, corporate whore, deeds, I MAKE SICK DECKS, Intern, lack of work life balance, Monday Morning, new year resolutions, Open Season Other Consulting, pictures at night in chicago, Pizza in Chicago, review, Rules life of a consultant, the art of pizza in Chicago, TN-1, TN-1 visa mistakes, travel hacking, Valentines Day, what to see at night, work life balance

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

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: blackhawks chicago, cafe iberico, cafe iberico review, Chicago, michael jordan flying, michael jordan statue, things to see in chicago, what to do in chicago

Walking down the Magnificient Mile in Chicago at night is definitely an awesome opportunity for some good night shooting! Now I have no clue as what is up with the moose in Chicago.

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chicago, chicago at night, pictures at night in chicago, what to see at night

So we decide after getting back to the hotel, we decide to get talk to the Concierge and he recommends Kingston Mines and hands some coupons for $3 off the cover price. From the W, it is about a 12$ cab ride. So we get there and the place looks like a college dump from the outside. Not knowing the prices, we find out that the cover price is $15 to get in, but with our coupons, it’s $12 to get in….Diane and I look at each other with some rather suspect looks because this place honestly looks like shit. We decide that we’re already here, and if the place sucks, we could always leave and head over to somewhere else.

Well once you walk in, this place looks like a complete dive. There were two separate rooms, each room has its own stage. The waitress who comes over, looks like she was in accident or someone broke a bottle over her head. There were bandages on her head, defensive wounds on her hand and she doesn’t look a day over 23. As for food, well the bar doesn’t serve food but rather there is a separate set of guys who run a kitchen in the back. I had the Jambalaya sampler at 13$ (overpriced and not enough), the chicken fingers and fries for Diane $7 (decent) and 5$ for some ridiculous good Sweet Potato fries….moral of the story – get the sweet potato fries with the honey sauce.

When we came in around 10:00 or 10:15, the place was kinda empty in the main room but there was space right by the stage and I’ll say that I am quite glad we grabbed the seats by the stage – it got packed by 11.30 – although Diane was a bit doubtful initially. The security is very good about making sure no one is standing in the aisles, which is hard considering the number of people. I appreciated this though, because I hate not being able to move in bars and clubs like this.

The main room is long, with a bar on one side and tables in the main area. There’s a small opening in front of the stage where people can/were dancing (assuming that’s what it’s for – the two old ladies who we met, were really into it were really very entertaining). The other room is much smaller, with a few tables on the main floor and more up a small ramp, which was great for viewing the stage. There’s also a bar in the back of this room, as well as a few random arcade games. The tables in this room are more like tall benches, just wide enough to hold some drinks, which is fine as long as you’re not eating. The band was playing in the main room, but the acoustics were good enough that you can still hear them clearly in the other room, but can still hold a conversation with the people around you. They had a closed-circut TV on the wall so you can see the band in the other room too, which is cool. The beer was a bit overpriced, in my opinion, with MGD/Bud/Lights at $3.75, Blue Moon at 4, and Michelob Ultra Light at 5.  Combine the cover charge with the drink prices, it could be pretty expensive, but it’s a nice atmosphere. It’s not super classy, so you don’t need to get all dolled up, but it wasn’t trashy either, which I really liked. It’s very neighborhood-y.

As for the music, this spot’s mantra (“Hear the music, drink booze, and talk loud”) is strictly enforced. My thoughts overall, it’s so freakin’ good, down to earth yet classy I would seriously consider making a trip to Chicago just to grab some great eats, then go to Kingston Mines and listen to some honkin’ blues until the wee hours, sleep in late, catch a museum or two, and then a flight back to Toronto. Kingston Mines is that good, and even though I typically take years in between visits, the quality never disappoints. Now any time someone I know is headed to Chicago, I say two words…yeah that’s right.

Some of the reviews online will talk about the tourist aspect of it….and my reply is that its bullshit! It was a terrific time there and Diane absolutely loved it, along with the grammas and the throwback guy who dressed like he was from the 50′s.

© rishiray for Rishi Sankar: Ah Trini Travelogue / Ah Trini Traveller, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Best Blues, Best Blues in Chicago, Chicago, Kingston Mines, Sweet Potato fries in Chicago