"Thanks for the Press, Mayor Rahm" or "Check out the Blue Line Lounge"

Happy Monday!

Not so happy for me because I had a super fun night last night at the Blue Line Lounge in Bucktown. The post-National Tap Day celebration with some of Chicago's best tap dancers left me a just hung over enough to where I need a couple Advil and a big glass of water. I was pleasantly surprised by the Blue Line Lounge. I've passed by there tons of times, but I assumed it would be a whatever place. But the menu and drink list were classier than I thought, and they have extremely comfortable seating. If it weren't for the Bulls game blaring on the the TVs it would have been perfect! (I'm such an old lady.)


Photos from Blue Line Lounge & Grill. If it wasn't FREEZING on Sunday night we could have sat outside!

 Meanwhile, I'm excited for Rahm Emanuel's innaugeration today! Are you watching it live at work? I wish I could go to the City Hall open house this afternoon.

I have to be honest and say that I'm most excited for the amount of press Chicago has been getting. (That's the PR person in me.) The world should know how awesome Chicago is!

"Xtreme Trampolines" or "How to Feel Old on Your Birthday"

I've been a busy busy Chicago Quirk lately, but I have lots more activities and venues to tell you about.

Friday night was my friend's 29th birthday, and she decided to go to Xtreme Trampolines. Yes, another suburban venue, but, alas, it seems that most of my friends have migrated out to suburbia.

I had to pick up the husband from the train before we went over, and fortunately the station was right next to Lilacia Park. I was worried that the weather would have a negative effect on the precious lilacs, and unfortunatley it seems that it has. There weren't any lilacs in bloom! The Lilac Festival runs throughout the month, so hopefully the little guys will perk up. There were some other pretty flowers though:

On to Xtreme Trampoline. This place is nuts.

This trampoline Mecca was littered with sweaty high schoolers flipping in ways that would snap me in half. Observe the photo below of the kid flying through the air.


Meanwhile my friends are just laughing and trying not to fall over.

What I couldn't get on camera was this kid landing on his feet, going into a back flip and then bouncing to the other side and doing the same thing. I would get severly motion sick if I tried that. I pretty much just jumped up and down the whole time.

I could kick myself for not taking pictures of the foam pit. There's a section of this warehouse-like space that has two rows of trampolines and then a massive pit of foam cubes. It looked soooooo much fun! That is, until you're actually about to hurl yourself in. My flight or fight instinct kicked in the minute I was in the air and I sort of cat-twisted into the pit. I landed on my back and couldn't get up. After flailing around like a upturned beattle for a few minutes my friends had to pull me out.

We lasted about a half hour here. (You pay by the hour, but I don't know how they monitor that since they turn you loose the minute you pay.) The problem was that it was so filled to the brim with teenagers showing off and having their own dramatic moments that we felt out of place. I started to feel really old and uncool until one of my friends reminded me that we didn't need to hang out there; we could go buy alcohol.

All in all, this place could be a blast if they had an 18 and over night. Otherwise, I don't need to go back.

Windy City Sweets

You know the phrase "like a kid in a candy store"? Windy City Sweets is where the phrase was born. This gem has been nestled in the East Lakeview neighborhood for over 25 years, and I don't understand why more people don't know about it!

I dare you to think of a type of candy that you can't find here. I love taking out-of-towners here because they're always shocked at the sheer amount of candy packed into this cute little store. They even have candy cigarettes!!!

Wherease I love the occasional avant-garde dessert creation, sometimes it's nice to get a basic chocolate pretzel. Windy City Sweets bakes up a full array of old-fashioned gourmet confections on-site. There are dozens of truffles, chocolate-coated goodies and various candies to choose from. My personal favorite is a chocolate-cover s'more; a melty marshmallow between two graham crackers entirely dipped in milk chocolate.

If endless amounts of candy wasn't enough, the stores also has a full ice cream counter with all of your favorite flavors. Cup or cone?

Check out the website for super cute gift baskets and homemade candy treats. (I can't tell you how many times I've run in here for a hostess/birthday/holiday gift at the last minute.)

A Live Production of "Best in Show"

This weekend the International Kennel Club of Chicago will celebrate its 150th dog show at McCormick Place, and I absolutely recommend that you go. Now, before you poo poo the idea of going to a dog show, let me tell you that it's awesome. Because it's exactly like "Best in Show." In addition to the adorable doggies everywhere - YAY!!!! - it's the best people watching, second only to the Auto Show. (And even the people watching can't draw me to the Auto Show anymore.)

There are the crazy dog people that yell at you not to touch their fluff balls. (Yes, I have been yelled at. I can't help it. They're so fluffy!) Then there are the people who look like their dogs, profusely brushing and talking to them. And, of course, there's everyone else. We're talking fanny packs and more dog-themed sweaters than you could ever imagine.

I do have to confess that I originally went because I was hoping it was like a doggie petting zoo. The nicer people will let you pet their dogs, but it's sort of a tactile disappointment. But I keep going back because it's a fantastic spectacle.

Remember bookmarks.....?

Despite the convenience and overall cool factor of the various e-readers available, I don't think I'll ever buy one. I just can't give up the experience of an old-fashioned book. I love spending an hour at the bookstore going from shelf to shelf to find just the right one. Borders and Barnes & Noble are great, but my favorite bookstore is Myopic Books.

I absolutely love used books. Aside from the fact that they look better when they're loved, they're significantly cheaper. ($30 for a hardcover?! No thanks.) Myopic's books are very reasonably priced, and the selection is just as big, if not bigger, than any new bookstore. You can roam the three floors and find thousands of books you might never have thought to pick up. And everything is set in a groovy environment, ideal for maximum browsing.

Myopic also buys books on Friday nights and all day Saturday. Since throwing away books is sacrilege, this is the perfect way to unload your books. I've done it a few times, and while you're not going to make big bucks, it's nice to have some spending money to buy new books.

Funny story: I accidentally got rather plastered at a bar down the street from Myopic, and, not realizing how ridiculous I was, I decided this was a great time to go buy a book. I couldn't remember the name of the book I wanted or the author, so I proceeded to try to slur out the book topic to the poor cashier. I don't remember much of what happened afterwards, but the next day I found a bag in my apartment with about 10 books. Some people dance when they're drunk. Others have one night stands. I buy books.

Mashed Potato Eating Contest

As soon as I heard about this my mind immediately flashed to the pie eating contest scene in "Stand By Me."

Risque Cafe, a Wrigleyville joint that serves up amazing barbecue and cool jams, is hosting a mashed potato eating contest on January 8 at 8:00 p.m. To compete, sign up by 7:00 p.m. and wear some stretchy pants. Contestants will have three minutes to scarf up as much mashed potatoes as possible to win $100 and other prizes. The Mashed Potatoes will perform at 9:00 p.m.

P.S. Can someone please explain this new mashed potato fascination? I've been to two events with mashed potato bars and now this?! I mean, I know we're all broke, but come on...

P.P.S. I was going to inclue a photo of one of these contests, but anything I found just grossed me out.

Fried Rice at 5 A.M.

We tend to think of diners as a place to get an artery-clogging patty melt, but who's to say a heaping pile of greasy pot stickers doesn't fit the bill?

New Chinatown Chop Suey is one of the greatest Chinese food place in the city, and I may or may not have them on speed dial. The menu is just the right amount of fake American and authentic Chinese food at a very reasonable price. The minced beef over rice is one of my favorite things on the planet. The various fried rice options are perfectly seasoned with an excellent meat-to-veggies-to-rice ratio, and the soups are everything you want out of comfort food. And it's important to note that the portions are huge, so be prepared to take some home with you.

Located in Chinatown, at the corner of Cermack and Wentworth, this fine establishment opens at 6:00 p.m. and closes at 5:00 a.m., give or take a few minutes/hours. This brings in a pretty interesting crowd of patrons. You'll usually find some variety of crazy bum outside asking for your leftovers, but I don't think you can blame that on the restaurant so much as Chinatown at night. (That was not a dig at Chinatown. I'm a huge fan.)

Another thing to note: There's been a sign in the window for about ten years now that says the credit card machine is broken, so be prepared with cash.

It's not the most glamorous Chinese food place in the city, but it's one of my favs and deserves way more recognition.