Chicago Impressions

Priceless, these:

When we asked our cab driver what that large body of water was he replied, "Michigan Lake."

The first fellow I inquired about where to get the best ribs in Chicago invited us to his uncle's house.

Day one: breakfast at a family owned joint where the 2 egg breakfast had 3 eggs, all the waitresses were stacked, young & friendly, and the hash-browns had tasty caramelized onions added for an extra .75c

The fabulous gardening all over the city, in little iron-fenced plots.

Michigan Avenue's meridian gardened with overflowing containers of glorious flowers.

Sleeping in a park across from the Museum of Contemporary Art.
    Waking up to the park filled with lunchtime office workers and hundreds of summer camp children!

Eating lunch at MoCA's cafe, Puck's, surrounded by thousands of cartoon eyes on a pink background.
    {The food here might be some of the freshest and liveliest of all the "chains" in Chicago, BTW.}

The bizarre sight of seeing hundreds of little girls dressed up as little girls and carrying dolls which looked just like them.

The beautiful, old slate-roofed, red bricked buildings hiding and dwarfed among all the new shiny structures devoid of character.

The incredible, thought & emotion provoking photography show in the Water Tower.

Learning there was a swimming pool at the condo we'd rented.
The view of Lakeshore Drive and Lake Michigan from many stories up.
The fantastic lightening storm we watched through these massive plate glass windows on our first night.

Riding the 66 bus and witnessing the remaining Cabrini Green projects out the window.
    And understanding how important it is to see a whole city when visiting. {Besides visiting East New York in Brooklyn, I have never seen housing the likes of this devastation in the United States. First impression: like a prison turned inside-out. Visceral. Painful. Terrifying. Desolate.}

Riding the eLevated subway train packed with happy, drunk White Sox fans.

Eating Carson's ribs, in Chicago. {The first time I ate these was in NYC almost 25 years ago!} 
    Our table was made of 8 fabulous food bloggers from all over the country: Elise, Kat, Jasmine, Alanna, Kalyn, Susan, and Heather.

Seeing crazy neat-o Niki Saint Phalle sculptures at the Garfield Park Conservatory.
    Coming upon their education/installation/showing of possible green roofs was exciting as well, especially in the Midwest!

Hunting down and finding a Polish restaurant.

Seeing the furnace of a steel foundry in operation. Deafeningly loud. Hot. Black smoke. Massive equipment.     Impressive. Clinky-clanky to the point of my whole body vibrating with its sound. Terrifying. Bright. Sparks flying: light like stars twinkling.
[Name of foundry: Finkl & Sons]

Swimming in the swimming pool at night, watching fireworks and flirting.

Staying up all night talking about the conference with old friends and new. Waking up with "happy hangover."

Driving all over the city with a native Chicagoan, getting the history, the facts, the change-ables, the names. Seeing neighborhoods. Eating Italian Ices. Finding restaurants. Taking photos out of the car window. Getting to "the bean" {Actually a sculpture called Cloud Gate.} late at night and seeing the skyline reflected in it.

Hearing cicadas for the first time in almost 30 years.

Seeing old neon signs. Trying to comprehend a city similar to NY, my home, but so very different and absolutely unique.

I am happy to have met you Chicago, albeit briefly. Thank you for your hospitality.

{find First Impressions/ the photos at Flickr.}

Comments

[david]

no Garretts caramel corn?

you need to go back!

[Pioneer Woman]

Shuna, I loved "meeting you" in Chicago. I attended your wonderful foodblogging panel discussion, and I also accosted you right before the Craft panel to tell you how much I enjoyed it. You're so bright and funny, I hung on your every word, both during your panel and during the speaker's training Thursday afternoon.

I also appreciated your experience and emotion on the subject of "The New Foodbloggers" and the power their keyboards can wield.

Thanks for being a very positive presence at Blogher.

Ree
a.k.a. "Pioneer Woman"

[jo]

You don't have cicada where you are? I guess I never thought of them as NOT being anywhere in the states. That is THE ubiquitous sound of summer for me. The scream early in the day that let's you know it will be a scorcher (we called them heat bugs) and then the later rhythm in the evening.
All in all it sounds like a delicious time.

[Krista]

Don't you just love the bean? I do.

[Sean]

Wait, you have to pay an extra 75 cents for the stacked waitresses?

[amaras_mom]

I agree with David -- you must have Garrett's the next time you hit the Windy City!

I hope my first trip to Cali (whenever that is) will be as whirlwind as your trip to Chicago!

I am in love with your blog. I honestly feel privileged to have met you!

[shuna fish lydon]

DL,

"no Garretts caramel corn?" yes, no caramel corn... where were you last week when we were taking suggestions?! Yes, I did hear that Chicago is famous for its popcorn but we had little time....

Ree!!

Thanks so much for coming by again. I've been to both your sights and I am flabbergasted that I've not visited you yet before! Your words are taken into the folds of my heart.

I'm sure you know, from sitting on a panel yourself, that it feels odd and in-cohesive being up there, so the feedback from those listening is Most helpful! I hope you stop by eggbeater again-- we are always happy to hear from new voices!

Jo,

I, too, thought that I would hear cicadas my whole life long, but they appear to be more rare than they ever were when i was a child. And I have never seen nor heard one on this West Coast of ours. I do so remember their whining and think of their sound as summer, but alas, not out thisaway...

Krista,

YES. We Loved the Bean! I should like to see it one day in full daylight. next time fo sho.

Sean,

hey now-- don u be gettin' me in trouble!

Amara's Mom,

How utterly sweet you are.
::blushing eggbeater::

It was wondrous to meet you as well. I hope we meet again, at Blogher 08 if not before!

[Terry B]

Shuna, reading about your amazing and varied experiences in Chicago, I'm sorry we didn't actually get a chance to talk at dinner. I really admire people who "get" cities--and my city, in particular. Beautiful photography too!

[sugarbuzz]

Oh my gosh..Finkl! I grew up very near there. My friends & I would walk down there from my house to see the foundry at night on our way to the rock clubs on Clybourn ave.. Not a safe thing to do back when I was 17. It wasn't so pretty looking as it is now.
I hope that Italian Ice came from Mario's.
Reading your blog has really made me miss home.

[shuna fish lydon]

Terry B,

"I really admire people who "get" cities--and my city, in particular. " I cannot begin to say you're welcome for a statement such as this. All I can say is, the pleasure was all mine. I've been a secret admirer of Chicago since a long long time ago. Very glad to have finally had a chance to see and taste!

Sugarbuzz,

I can see the smoke & the teased hair now! I am so glad to have been able to capture even a glimmer of the immensity of your past home. I really like to see a city when I go to one for the first time. I pay attention to every last detail that i can so that, like a person, I can remember the city's features.