Friday Food: Chicago Edition

I have one more Chicago recap post left in me, and I would be remiss if I didn't spend it talking about all of the (very unhealthy) food I ate on my recent trip. My first real meal in the city (not counting the hotel make-your-own waffle) was, fittingly enough, deep-dish pizza. I met up with two of my friends who were also visiting for the wedding, and we walked around Millennium Park for a bit before we started to get hungry. I suggested Gino's, since I had been a few times before, but it was a little far away and we were on a tight time schedule. Google came to the rescue, as always, and led us to Giordano's which is right across from the park.

We were told there was a 45-minute wait, so we put our name in for a text alert when our table was available. We headed out down Michigan Avenue to sight-see while we waited, but we weren't gone more than ten minutes before I got a text that our table was ready. We had already put in our pizza order ("Meat and More Meat"), so it wasn't long after we sat down that it came to our table.

This is where I preface my review by saying that I don't even consider deep-dish pizza to be actual pizza. I am a thin-crust, New York-style girl through and through, but that's not to say I don't enjoy the occasional mile-high, cheese then sauce slice when I find myself in Chicago. I put deep-dish in a category all its own, a cross somewhere between a lasagna and a real slice of pizza. Giordano's was as good as any I've had, but to be honest all of the different kinds I've tried over the years have sort of blended together in my mind. The abundance of meat toppings was totally tasty, and the location wins on convenience points alone.

The next day, after my three+ mile walk to Lincoln Park, I stopped for lunch in one of the zoo cafes and ordered a Chicago-style hotdog. Hotdogs are my guilty pleasure, and I continue to adore them even though I know they're totally disgusting, laden with chemicals and non-edible parts, and are probably killing me slowly. I'd never had a Chicago-style dog before, and I've always been somewhat of a purist when it comes to hotdogs. For most of my life I was strictly mustard only, but recently I've ventured into sauerkraut territory with excellent results.

I said yes to almost all of the standard Chicago fixins: onion, mustard, tomato and hot peppers, although I drew the line at relish. Pickle wedges were not offered, unfortunately, but I would have included those as well if it had been an option. I'm so glad that I decided to step outside of my culinary comfort zone, because the end result was delicious. One of the best hotdogs I've ever eaten, in fact, and now I'm wondering about all sorts of alternate toppings. I don't think my hotdog consumption will ever be the same (or quite so sad and plain) again, and I have Chicago to thank for showing me the way. I also managed to eat the entire thing without getting one poppyseed stuck in my teeth, which is a pretty big deal.

That night, I also walked to Navy Pier (racking up another three+ miles in the process), where I went on a mad hunt for caramel corn. The carnival atmosphere of the pier had me craving something sweet, and once I got it in my head that I wanted caramel corn there was no stopping me until I found it. It was harder to track down than you would think, but I was finally victorious when I found a Garrett Popcorn shop. I was all set to order plain caramel corn, but when I asked about the make-up of their "Chicago Mix," and she told me that it was a mix of caramel corn and cheddar cheese corn, I thought "When in Chicago," and made the last minute switch. It was definitely the right decision, and the mixture of salty and sweet was perfect. I managed to save some for the next day, by which time it had already started to go stale, so I recommend eating it quickly (not a problem).

My last food stop in the city was Margie's Candies, which I passed a few times on the walk from where I was staying to the Western stop on the Blue Line. I decided to check it out right before I left, and I'm so glad I did. It's the oldest ice cream shop in Chicago, and everyone from Al Capone, to the Rolling Stones to the Beatles have stopped in for a sweet treat. The place is a total time capsule, with tabletop jukeboxes and a huge menu filled with ice cream delights that they serve in huge plastic clamshells.

I ordered a brownie sundae, which came with an entire gravy boat filled with hot fudge, and was big enough for four people. I made it through half of it before giving up, and unless you have an enormous appetite, I recommend bringing a friend or two to help you out. Their sign has some of the most beautiful neon typography I've ever seen, and it's perfect whether it's lit up or not.

I left Chicago feeling like I was in desperate need of a vegetable (or five), but I figure I balanced my feasts with quite a bit of walking so I didn't feel too bad about it. I did, however, resist getting a Cinnabon in the airport, which I've never managed to pass up before so who cares if I ate my remaining caramel corn for dinner the next day?

Chicago: Lincoln Park Zoo

During my recent weekend in Chicago, I was staying with a friend who lives in Bucktown. I had all of Sunday to myself, so I decided to walk to Lincoln Park and check out the zoo. I knew it was pretty far (more than three miles), but I'm not scared of a good walk, so walk I did. When I plotted my route for the day later on, I realized that I ended up covering nearly ten miles just on Sunday, which is a lot even for me. It was such a beautiful day, and I made a lot of stops along the way so it didn't feel quite that long.

My first real stop was Lincoln Park. It was one part of Chicago that I had never been before, and there's almost nothing I won't try for free. I love parks and zoos, so I figured I couldn't really go wrong. The park was beautiful — a little closer in feel to Central Park than Grant or Millennium Parks— with tons of trees, athletic fields, ponds and statues.

On my way to the zoo I passed a marker indicating that I was standing on an old potter's field, stating that "due to various oversights, many bones likely remain here beneath the soil," which was just creepy enough to make me officially like Lincoln Park.

The zoo was really lovely, and completely free (at all times) which is pretty awesome. They had all the standard zoo fare — tigers, camels, giraffes, a polar bear, zebras, seals — although a lot of the animals were no where to be seen, and I'm always sad when zoos don't have penguins (my favorite). The new baby black rhino wasn't on view, but there was a baby hippo to satisfy my cute quota for the day.

The leaves had just started to change, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky so it was the perfect day to linger outside. I actually took the first of two outdoor naps (the other one was on Columbus Day, next to Lake Michigan) right outside of the zoo, on an incredibly comfortable bench by the South Pond. I have to say, that for park naps, Chicago's benches have no rival (sorry, New York).

No tourist activity is complete, in my opinion, without getting a squished, souvenir penny and luckily the zoo had a machine. I've been collecting squished pennies since I was a kid, and I make a point of getting one wherever they're available. They seem to be getting a little harder to come by as I get older, but I they're the perfect souvenir because they're unique and cheap. I have books and books filled with different ones, and I hope the machines (or pennies!) never go away completely.

I wish the Central Park zoo would take a cue from the second city and stop charging a ridiculous admission price. I definitely liked Lincoln Park the best of all the parks I've visited in Chicago, and if I lived there I'd probably find myself there all the time. 

Chicago: Millennium and Grant Parks

Columbus Day weekend I went to Chicago for a college friend's wedding. It was my fifth trip to the "second city," and while I was more than happy to return home to New York, I will finally admit that Chicago is a fun place to visit. I've always been very snobby in my attitude toward Chicago, but this trip was nothing but lovely. Aside from the wedding Saturday night, I spent the majority of my time just walking the city alone. I was occasionally joined by other friends, but like most of my New York adventures, I was by myself a lot.

I spent most of my day on Monday (Columbus Day, which I had off for the first time in my working life — thanks W. W. Norton!) exploring Millennium and Grant Parks. There was the obligatory stop at the "Bean" (aka Cloud Gate), which is pretty much my nightmare since it's impossible to get a photo of it that does not contain other people.

It is fun to step back and watch everyone else pose for ridiculous photos of their own, although I don't recommend getting too close. The shiny surface always has about a trillion grimy handprints on it, which always grosses me out a little. I want so badly to bring a roll of paper towels and some Windex with me next time and just go wild.

The face-changing fountains have always sort of creeped me out, but I did spot a rainbow through the overspray that lessened the creep factor just a bit. Grant Park was still recovering from the aftermath of the marathon, but you'll never hear me complain about an abundance of bathrooms, even if they were port-a-potties.

I visited Buckingham Fountain, which is always more gorgeous than I remember, and crossed the road to walk along the shore of Lake Michigan. I ended up scoring a super comfortable bench that I proceeded to nap on for about an hour, because I am basically a human cat. It was a perfect day, weather-wise: warm in the abundant sun, but with a chilly fall breeze. I got embarrassingly sunburnt from my outdoor adventures, and I'm pretty sure the nap in direct, afternoon sun was 98% to blame.

I was chased off my bench by a super nosy squirrel, who became extremely interested in me when I opened up a bag of caramel corn I had brought to snack on. I walked over to the Shedd Aquarium, intending to check it out, but the line to get in was absolutely insane. This New Yorker is certainly no stranger to long lines, but the line surpassed even my very high threshold of insanity. I later found out that the aquarium was offering free admission that day, but I've been a few times before so I wasn't heartbroken skipping it this time around.

I realized on this trip that everything in Chicago feels wide: the sidewalks, the streets, the people (sorry Chicago, you're Mid-Western through and through), the pizza and the parks. I still prefer the rambling trails in the Ramble, or the Literary Walk in Central Park to the wide open space of Grant Park, but it's a nice contrast to what I've gotten used to here in New York.

A co-worker of mine told me that my apartment would really start to feel like home after I had gone on a trip and returned to it for the first time, and I have to say she was right. This was my first trip leaving New York that didn't include Ohio, and that actually returned to New York. I had a great time in Chicago, but it was even better to return to my home, in the greatest city in the country.