Chicago Favorites

Now that I’m about to start my fourth year living in the great city of Chicago, I’ve gotten to really explore it. Of course there are places I still haven’t been and neighborhoods I really haven’t gotten to know all that well. But for now I give you my favorite places in Chicago:

• For tacos: Big Star
• doughnuts: Doughnut Vault
• burger: The Counter
• bakery: Austrian Bakery or Lutz’s
• frozen yogurt: Forever Yogurt
• sandwich: Hannah’s Bretzel (sorry, potbelly)
• Hot Chocolate: Bourgeois Pig Cafe
• Late Night food: Allende
•  Hot Dog: Chicago’s Dog House
•  Deep Dish Pizza: Pizano’s
•  Beach: Oak St. Beach
•  Comedy Place: The Lincoln Lodge
•  Ice Cream: iCream
•  Place to get a fancy drink: The Violet Hour
•  Brunch: The Signature Room
•  Quick breakfast that’s relatively cheap: Yolk
•  “How I Met Your Mother Bar”: Lincoln Station
•  To get a hair cut: Ladies & Gents Spa
• To buy a gift: Art Effect
•  CTA line: Brown line

 

Posted via email from Becoming an Adult in the City

Lollapalooza

This past weekend I attended Lollapalooza 2012. This was the first time I had gone all 3 days. Three years ago (2009) I went just on a Sunday. I had a lot of fun then, but this time I wanted the full experience. My legs are still tired.

Friday I did some "discovering." I saw Dr. Dog and The Head and the Heart--both of whom I had never heard before, but I enjoyed them. It was really hot and sunny that day, but that's part of going to Lolla. I also checked out The Shins who were playing on the stage right before The Black Keys. The sun went down between the Shins and the Black Keys and the city became even more beautiful. I had heard The Black Keys put on a good show and they did not disappoint. I think it was my favorite show of the whole weekend.

Saturday I saw Aloe Blacc which was probably my second favorite act of the weekend. He has an amazing voice. Shortly after, "Stormapalooza" came and we had to evacuate. I hung out in the DePaul building for a while and then relocated to the new City Target (it's really nice, by the way. If you haven't been there I suggest checking it out!). At 6 pm they allowed us to re-enter. The Alabama Shakes show was cancelled, but I did get to catch The Tallest Man on Earth and Franz Ferdinand. The final show I saw was Red Hot Chili Peppers. They sang "By the Way" which is my favorite song (besides "Under the Bridge") which made me happy.

Sunday I started a little bit later. I didn't go to any shows until the evening to see Florence and the Machine. It was amazing. I was a casual fan until that show. Now I'm obsessed. She is like a musical wizard. Just her presence made the crowd go wild. Her voice gave me chills. I checked out Perry's for a little bit. It has definitely grown since I was there last. Moved to its own stage, it used to be a little sound booth. I then went to see Miike Snow and rest my legs/feet by sitting on the hill. Seeing all the people in attendance can be an overwhelming experience. Then I headed to my final show-Childish Gambino. I'm a big fan, and so are a lot of others, apparently because it was PACKED. This stage didn't have any screens to broadcast the performance so we packed in pretty tightly.

So that was Lolla. I'm not sure if I'll go next year or not, depends on the lineup I suppose. I think everyone should experience at least once though.

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Pilsen adventure

On Friday I went to the neighborhood of Pilsen with 2 of my friends. The main reason for going was because they had never ridden the Pink line and that's the line that takes you there. I served as navigator since I had gone there once during Discover Chicago week my freshman year. I think my favorite part of Pilsen is the street art. I unfortunately didn't get a picture of any that I saw (I was too busy looking at it and checking in on FourSquare), but the colorful El stop for 18th Street (where we got off) was probably my favorite. I wish all of the el stops were that colorful and pretty! It just brightens your day.

(view  heading out of the loop on the pink line--from a new train by the way)
The first place we went to was the Jumping Bean cafe. It had great prices and I got this amazing coconut covered doughnut! I only had a little as I didn't want to spoil my lunch and it was really filling!
We looked a few thrift stores and went to a grocery store so my roommate Laura could get this Mexican spice blend she couldn't find at regular grocery stores. After walking around a little bit we decided it was time for lunch.
I took us to Nuevo Leon because that's where we ate when I first visited and I really liked it. It wasn't even noon when we got there and the place was packed, which is a testament to its name. It's a great value for the amount of great food you get. None of us could finish our food, but luckily we were able to bring it home for a second meal.

(I'm not entirely sure what this is called but everyone gets one when they sit down and it's really good.)
Our last stop was a candy store called Dulceria Lupitas. It's not your traditional candy store of course. It has all kinds of Mexican candies as well as a wide selection of pinatas if you're ever in the market for one.
After telling another friend about our adventure I was recommended Nightwood for brunch, so looks like I have another reason to go back :-)

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My Chicago Bucket List

This I want to accomplish while living in Chicago

• Go to Kuma's Corner for a burger
• Go to the Planetarium
• Ride the Yellow Line (the one cta line I haven't ridden)
• Attend a performance at the Joffery Ballet
• Go to some swanky place in River North
• Volunteer for the Chicago Marathon
• Go see a film at the Chicago Film Festival in October
• Go to the St. Patrick's Day parade (that may happen this weekend)
• TBOX
• See a performance at Steppenwolf
• Go to a Bulls game
• Go to a White Sox game
• Go to a Blackhawks game
• See a show at the Metro

I'm sure I'll think of some more later, but this is a pretty decent list so far :-) Maybe I'll get to some of these over Spring Break

Posted via email from Becoming an Adult in the City

Food Snob

I think Chicago's turned me into a food snob. This may be a good thing, but can come off as a bad thing.

Food snob might not be the best term, but I'm not sure how else to phrase it. I expect better quality foods after living in a place that has expanded my tasebuds. I now like starfruit, coconut, and basil. I cook with spices and try new recipes.

The food snob doesn't really come out unless I'm dining out. In high school I had a love for Denny's. I would usually get french toast saturated in frozen strawberries and sugary strawberry syrup. After experiencing Toast's (in the LP) french toast with fresh berries I don't think I could bring myself to eat anything else. I didn't like pancakes as a child because they were so... processed. Made in bulk and heated in one of those cafeteria trays. Now I've had the best chocolate chip pancakes from Earwax (no longer around in Wicker Park) that have been made with love and quality ingredients.

I used to live on a Subway sandwhich diet (not the official Jared diet, but I probably ate there at least once a week) but now I've discovered other places and rarely eat Subway. Hannah's Bretzel is a little expensive, but sooo amazing (especially with the pretzel bread). Potbelly's is pretty good too :-)

Chicago has some pretty good food. I'm lucky to experience it and maybe it's for the best that I have high food standards.

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HC Quest: Austrian Bakery

Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by all of the opportunities in Chicago.
And I love it, even though I'm on my third year of living here.
When it snowed the weekend of January 20th I was the subject for my friend's photography assignment. We hiked to the lake and then visited one of my favorite places in LP: Austrian Bakery. I love everything there! Their strudels, their red velvet white chocolate chip cookies, and the shortbread cookies with the raspberry in between dipped in chocolate on the side. But I also love their hot chocolate!
It's like drinking a hug. It's warm, creamy, chocolatey, and delicious. Feeling blue? Get a mug of this and a red velvet cookie (or 2 or 3) and your sorrows will melt away. You'll forget how cold it is outside and never want to get hot chocolate anywhere else. Sorry, Caribou, but Austrian Bakery knocked you out of #1.
I forgot to take a picture of my HC, but here's my favorite picture from our "photoshoot"

1. Austrian Bakery
2. Caribou Coffee
3. The Pig
4. the Bean
5. Citygrounds
6. Einstein

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Hot Chocolate Quest: Caribou Coffee

If you followed my red eye blog, you knew that I was doing "the hot chocolate quest" for the linoln park area. I've decoded to carry it on here since RedEye Hoods is no longer up. =( It's sad, but I met some great people out of it and can add blogger to my resume.

Today's establishment: Caribou Coffee. Not only could you choose from dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate, but you could blend them! So I chose dark and white.

This, my friends, is hot chocolate. The real deal. Made from actual melted chocolate and steamed milk (according to the manager who made mine) this is very good. It's chocolate and it's hot. Exactly what Hot Chocolate SHOULD be.

It doesn't need any more explanation that that. So, here are the updated rankings

1. Caribou Coffee
2. "The Pig"
3. The Bean Caffe (DPU)
4. Citygrounds 
5. Einstein

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2011 Highlights

Ah, another over. I'm pretty happy with it. I feel like I stuck to my New Year's resolution and took charge of my life. I didn't just sit and watch it. I made things happen for myself, and I might have had a little bit of luck on my side :-)

• Surviving the Chicago Snowpocalypse
• Realizing I chose the right major
• I went to the men's and women's Big East tournaments which included a spontaneous Mary Poppin's show
• I watched our women's team go to the Sweet 16 which included real Philly Cheesesteak and visiting the liberty bell. Oh, and getting on ESPN for 3 seconds
• Planning a large scale comedy show at DePaul and bringing DJ Hood Internet for FEST's after-party
• Learning to grill
• Interning at StyleChicago.com
• Going to San Francisco
• Turning 21
• Coming on board as a RedEye blogger
• Getting my job as a web developer for Student Involvement
• I got rid of a fair amount of clutter :-)
• Being healthy and happy =)

 

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It's summer!

Wednesday I started my "Big Girl Internship in the City" at Style Chicago. I went well and today I completed my first image banner ad! Wooohoo!! Everyone is awesome and so far I really enjoy it.

View from Chinatown El Stop

This week my friend Sisi took me to Chinatown! I had never been and it has been on my list of things to do in Chicago. We looked around the stores and I found the Koala cookies I ate as a kid!

Familiar with these? They're delicious & come in strawberry (which is better) too!

We stopped at a bakery before where I got an almond cookie for later (it was huge and under $1!). I also found a cool ring for $4! It's been pretty nice weather these past few days and everyone's in a good mood =) We then ate at a restaurant where I got a delicious mango chicken (enough for a second meal!). I haven't seen it on other menus, but it's basically chicken and mangos with a few other veggies. I might try & look for a recipe for it.

In the square with my Chinese Zodiac Horse

It's the Just For Laughs Festival in Chicago as well this week and I couldn't be any happier. I wish they had festival passes, but that's why I have a job I suppose. Tomorrow I'm seeing Louis CK & "3 very special guests." I don't know who they are, but I'm sure they're fabulous and it will be a great show. This year has totally turned me into a comedy junkie but I love it. When you think about it, it is a little silly to pay [sometimes big $ for bigger comics] to see someone make you laugh. I guess for some people it's probably cheaper than therapy though.

All in all, my summer has been fabulous. A little busy, but I'm so excited to be spending my first summer full time in the city.

Posted via email from Carrie Emge-Becoming an Adult in the City

Having Fun isn't Hard When You've got a Library Card!

Anyone get that Arthur reference?? I have a lot of fond memories from that show :)

After living in Chicago for a year and a half now I finally took my own advice (something I've frequently mentioned on tours) and got a Chicago Library Card! I feel more of a Chicago citizen now since I had to show proof of address to get my card. I went to Harold G. Washington Library Wednesday in between giving a tour in the loop and my accounting lab. I had never been inside and wow, what a beautiful building.

I also took some time to study in there too. A change of pace/view from DePaul's library where I feel like I'll fall asleep when I go in there. One day I should check out the Lincoln Park Branch. Now that I have my card, I can check stuff out! Here's my card:

Posted via email from Carrie Emge-Becoming an Adult in the City

Revisiting my childhood

Today I revisited a place from my childhood.

"But you didn't grow up in Chicago."

True, but many summers my mom & I would hit up Michigan to visit my g-pa, and then swing by Chicago on the way home. Many times we would venture to Lutz cafe to meet up with her friends from college. When I was little I didn't like the food on the menu so I would often get McDonald's before hand and then get a dessert while my mom got dinner.

Wanting to get out of the house for a while and do some exploring I google-mapped Lutz and hopped on the brown line. After getting off @ Western and walking a few blocks, I found it! It was an odd feeling being back, especially without my mom, but it's still the same. The cakes were beautifully decorated, the display was bursting with treats, and I had a hard time deciding what to get. Lutz is known for its perfection. They don't cut corners and everything is sooo good and looks elegant.

All the tables were full, so I bought some pastries to go. I ate one as soon as I got on the el. Still delicious. 

http://www.lutzcafe.com/default.aspx

 

Posted via email from Carrie Emge

Just another day in the city

Check out this website I found at images.pictureu.com

This was taken on Thursday, but I had to wait a while to view it online. They were promoting stride gum & were like "want your pic taken with ostrich man?" & I said "why not?"

Posted via email from Carrie Emge