Wow! Can you imagine eating dinner floating in the sky? Well, did you know that you could actually have that experience? There's also a Marriage in the Sky, Meetings in the Sky, and Showbizz in the Sky. Can you imagine putting a fork full of mashed potatoes in your mouth and looking at eye level to see a grand piano floating above the treetops?
Ok, so it's too late to use this service for Superbowl, but maybe you have another event coming up or you're hosting an Oscar party (the movies were much better this past year than they have been in years). There are two web sites that I've discovered which are design friendly to plan your next event—Pingg and Mypunchbowl.
These two websites seem to have the best choices in terms of design. Pingg has a variety of fun and lovely designs that are free as well as a Designer Series. Some of my favorite Designers at Pingg are Ashley Mills, Lenny Williams, Stephanie DosReis, and Photographer Larry Vogel.
On the other hand, Mypunchbowl.com is a central stop for complete party planning. The site not only provides you with reasons to celebrate, but you can import your contacts to create a guest list, poll your guests for the best day for the event, manage RSVPs, design and send the invite, and keep track of who's bringing what for pot-luck gatherings!
Some of my favorite designers on Pingg: Lenny Williams, Ashley Mills, Stephanie Dosreis, and Larry Vogel.
Party organizing site mypunchbowl.
Here's some Valentine's Day inspiration from Real Simple's photo archive.
Corner Bakery is one of my favorite "good food fast" places to go. Its charming and casual atmosphere is a delight to visit. They serve sandwiches, soups, salads, and an array of delicious treats. My favorite sandwich? The D.C. chicken salad sandwich. If you ever go, you have to try it!
The reason I'm including it on the blog today is that I wanted to share with you the great typography and color palette that is used in their cafés. Their packaging, which includes, bags, boxes, cups, and more, are all typographical. Beautiful! Unfortunately, the cafés are only in a few states: California, Colorado, Texas, Illinois, Georgia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and D.C.
If you were ever wondered who designed the graphics for Corner Bakery, check out HillebrandCory in Dallas, Texas. The site isn't quite ready yet, but check back to see the other work this awesome firm does.
Click here to read an article about Corner Bakery packaging.
After going to a holiday party this past weekend, I discovered some really good tea. Mighty Tea is wonderfully aromatic, displays beautifully, and is smooth and really, really good! They come in unique, yet delicious flavors, and they come in a variety of packaging. Go to www.mightyleaf.com to find a selection of teas, teaware, and other tea gifts.
I am excited to introduce everyone to YMIB (You Make It Beautiful), an online magazine that recently celebrated its one year anniversary. YMIB promotes an inspirational "holistic, creative, and purposeful" lifestyle for women of color. Find articles and webisodes that include topics on Health and Holistics, Inspiration, Fashion & Beauty, Entertainment, Family, and Creative Living. Network with other women who share these interests in the Network or Forum section of the site, or get inspiration from other women to help you stay the course to becoming a better you. Look for my upcoming interview with YMIB's Editor-in-Chief, Ericka Taylor.
This is the close of Chicago Week. I hope that you learned a lot about Chicago, or that you were able to find something that inspires you. Chicago is truly an underestimated city, and we hope that the Olympics will make it known and respected more internationally.
Chicago is known for great restaurants, and part of its reputation may stem from the annual Taste of Chicago, which takes place from June 29 to July 8. Over 70 restaurants join to gives area chefs a chance to show off their culinary talents and gives you a chance to discover who really has the chops.
If you're looking for something to do this weekend, then check out Ribfest Chicago. It starts this Saturday, June 9 from noon to 10 p.m. through Sunday, June 10, from noon to 10 p.m. There will be music and a chance to win a vacation to Hawaii.
While you're downtown, there's one museum you'll have to visit, the Art Institute of Chicago. It's one of the most widely recognized art schools and museums in the world. If you visit from May 31–August 31, the admission is free. They also sponsor free evenings on Thursdays and Fridays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. during the Spring and Winter.
Have a taste of Louisiana at Dixie Kitchen, where you can be warmed by some southern cuisine. I eat pretty healthily on most occasions, but every now and then, I do have to eat something different.
If you like Indian cuisine, another great place to try is Hema's Kitchen, located in Chicago's Little India. This restaurant was recommended by WWTW's Check Please! and is said to be the best Indian food in Chicago. It's also Zagat rated.
End your night with some great jazz or blues. My husband I have visited Kingston Mines, which plays mostly Blues music, but I heard Green Dolphin is really good, too.
Well, thanks again everyone for visiting and learning more about Chicago. I hope to hear from you next week!
................................................................................................................................................................
Thursday's answer: The city of Chicago sits on which lake? The answer is (a) Michigan. Thanks for playing! I hope that you enjoyed learning about Chicago. ................................................................................................................................................................
Get a view of the city while having Sunday brunch at The Signature Room, located on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building. It's a little pricey, and the food, well...the food comes second to the view. The view is spectacular! If you can visit, don't forget to go on a clear day, whether it's day or night.
Chicago is known for its museums. So today, we'll be visiting the museum campus. One exhibit I can't wait to explore is the CSI exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. This exhibit provides visitors the opportunity to solve a case based on the evidence that is provided. To experience the interactive exhibit, go to www.csitheexperience.org, where you can purchase tickets and watch videos about the exhibit..
You can either pay $200,000 or more to gain the experience of going out in space, or you can visit the cosmos for much less. Check out the Adler Planetarium where there is a Black Hole exhibit which is said to be "visually stunning." Hmmm...may be able to find some background ideas from that. There's also the Field Museum, which has several exhibits that are interesting. There's the Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discovery, which will continue until September 3, and the Darwin exhibit starting June 15 and continuing until January 1, 2008. To find out about other exhibits, go the the Field Museum's website. Then there's the online exhibit, Chocolate, which traces the history of chocolate.
So now, we've gone into space at the Adler Planetarium and have escaped the dinosaurs at the Field Museum in just enough time to eat a box of chocolates from the Field Museum's online chocolate exhibit. The only place we haven't been is...the water. Don't worry about that, the museum campus has it covered. See the largest indoor aquarium in the world, the Shedd Aquarium. See sharks, lizzards, and turtles, oh my!
It's dinner time! We can go to Morton's or Wildfire. Morton's is known for having really good steak. If you don't eat steak, they also have seafood and chicken. Wildfire is pretty good too, but if you're going too try both restaurants, I would try Wildfire before Morton's. Although Wildfire's food is really good, you may not appreciate it if you go to Morton's first.
Well, I hope that everyone has enjoyed their visits to the museum campus, enjoyed some great food, and discovered something interesting. Join me tomorrow where we'll discover even more visual and tasty treats in Chicago.
................................................................................................................................................................
Tuesday's answer: False. Save the ketchup for the fries. There's no ketchup on a Chicago-style hot dog. ................................................................................................................................................................
Wednesday’s quiz:
The Chicago White Sox won the World Series for the first time since 1917 in what year?
a) 1985
b) 2004
c) 2005
d) 2006
................................................................................................................................................................
Hope everyone had fun on Monday! We'll start off Tuesday at my favorite restaurant for breakfast, Walker Bros. The Original Pancake House. Whatever you decide to eat there, you won't go wrong. If you love food with that down-home country flavor, then you'll love "The Pancake House". Cracker Barrel has nothing on "The Pancake House"! The pancakes, eggs, fresh squeezed orange juice, and the incredibly delicious, wonderfully delectable, apple pancake is soooooo good!
You may not be able to make "The Pancake House" pancakes, but you can make some really, really great ones with the help of Michele's syrup. If you live in Chicago, you can find this syrup at Jewel-Osco stores. If you're not in Chicago, then the next time you visit, be sure to pick up a few to take home.
Now that our tummy's are filled with some great food, let's go to the theater! Not a movie theater, but a theater for performing arts. Goodman Theatre, has been a part of Chicago for 82 years. It represents classical to contemporary work of local to international writers and actors.
If theater isn't your thing, then maybe you'd like to tour the beautifully designed homes of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It's amazing that he designed homes from the late 1800s to early 1900s, and they are still contemporary. Take a tour of these homes and witness how Wright was so ahead of his time.
A little shopping is needed. We hit the luxury stores yesterday. So today, we'll have to visit some of Chicago's finest boutiques. For beautiful home decor, you have to check out Zella Brown. I'm sure you'll find something you love. I love the pillows! Although my feet tend to be extremely picky about named brands when it comes to shoes, Heelz has some really cute ones. Francesca's Collections has some really cute clothes. The Tennessee top has my name written all over it! :o) (See the pics below from their website.)
We'll end our day by going to Ravinia Park, but first, let's get a Chicago-style hot dog from Portillos. Now, we can enjoy the show! On Friday, June 23, at 7:30 pm, Wynton Marsalis will be performing. Tuesday, August 21st, at 8 pm, will feature Aretha Franklin.
................................................................................................................................................................ Monday's answer: (b) verbose politicians. It is said that Chicago is called the windy city because the city hosted so many political conventions, that it generated many long-winded politicians. ................................................................................................................................................................ Tuesday’s quiz: True or False? A Chicago-style hot dog is made with an all beef hot dog, S. Rosen's poppy seed bun, mustard, ketchup, relish, chopped onions, pickle spear, tomato slices, hot peppers, and a dash of celery salt? ................................................................................................................................................................
Garrett's Popcorn is a must in Chicago. If you ever decide to try it, make sure you come early to stand in line, because usually there is a line outside the door. My favorite blend is the Cashew Caramel Crisp, but if you like cheese popcorn and caramel, you may want to try the Chicago blend, which is a combination of the two.
My husband and I love Lawry's. It's one of our favorite restaurants. Although their specialty is prime rib, they have a wonderful lobster and tilapia. If you ever go, you have to try the creamed spinach. No one has been able to make it better. If you try it and find a better place, let me know. They serve a delicious strawberry shortcake for birthdays.
There's a great tea cafe called Argo Tea. They have black, green, white, red, fruit, and mint teas. I've only had their white tea, but I'm sure all of the rest are just as great. For those who don't enjoy tea, don't worry, Argo has you covered. They also serve coffee, and an array of delicious treats.
Recent Comments