It’s lunchtime on Chicago’s Friday afternoon. I’m at Al’s Beef with those in business suits, laptop computers and hardhats. In any other big city environment, one might feel out of place and drenched in attitude. However, it’s hard to have much attitude when you are standing two feet from your meal, bottom out and elbows resting on the counter. Like deep dish pizza, Italian beef sandwiches are a Chicago tradition. I join the over 70 years of Italian beef making history at Al’s Beef. Al Ferreri, his sister and brother-in-law started an Italian beef stand back in 1938. During the Depression, Continue Reading
Chicago’s Playground: Jumping into the Canvas at Millennium Park
Little ants clamor about a singular bean. They scurry toward their meal, only pausing a brief moment to take in such a feast before going in for the kill. As they get closer, the ants devour the bean. These ants are mostly tourists looking to capture what is probably Chicago’s most popular sculpture. They leave behind traces any crime scene investigator would appreciate. Thousands of fingerprints decorate a 110 ton silver drop in the heart of the city. I am one of those ants, standing in front of the famous Chicago "Bean", less commonly known by its official name of Cloud Gate. Cloud Gate Continue Reading
Wrigley Field Wishes You Were Here
I’m sitting in front of a group of twenty-somethings at Wrigley Field. Margarita after margarita, beer after beer, they don’t seem to care what is happening on the field before them. They stand and cheer when they notice the masses are standing and cheering for the home team, the Chicago Cubs. Being oblivious to the game is commonplace at Wrigley Field. The fans pack in to watch the game or merely to just be in the middle of Chicago history, each and every home game. Built in 1914, Wrigley Field is the second oldest ballpark in the Major Leagues. In every regard, it is similar to ancient ruins Continue Reading