Little Orphan Annie - Chicago Connection

The comic strip, Little Orphan Annie, first appeared in the Chicago Tribune on August 5th, 1924.  Harold Gray was inspired by James Whitcomb Riley's popular 1885 poem "Little Orphant Annie" which begins:

Little Orphan Annie's come to our house to stay,

An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away...

The strip ran for 85 years, 10 months and 8 days.  Hell of a run. Annie was also a radio show on WGN, started in 1930.

It's pretty cool that something that had such a long run in American history started in Chicago.

Things To Do In Chicago

I recently put a list of things to do in Chicago together for a friend and thought it might be useful to others so I'm sharing it here.

Chicago Weekend Notes:
I try to denote touristy and not touristy not as a bad thing or anything but more so you can know what to expect and for your adventure level.  Also, any of the addresses that I list, a cab driver will know if you just say the address or cross streets.  For example, you can tell any cab driver 958 W Wrightwood and they will know what you mean.

Touristy
Millenium Park
Millenium Park, Cloud Gate (aka the Bean).  This is one of the top tourist spots because of the large open spaces and view of the city from the east.  Lots of people to watch, and artwork is scattered throughout.  There are restaurants and shops all over, mostly touristy, but plenty of snacks and small eats as well as some nicer restaurants if they so choose.  (*This is where Tavern on the Park is, a restaurant that you and I have been to.)  Free to walk around of course. Take the bus or red line to get there. See note about Google maps at the bottom for directions.

Michigan Ave
Of course Michigan Avenue is known for it's shops but it's also nice to just walk down to see the artwork and flowers (if they're out) and of course window shop and people watch.  The Apple store is one of the larger ones in the country though not as large as the Manhattan store.

Navy Pier
This is of course the tourist destination.  Lots to look at, tons of shops of course and lots of people.  There's always something going that's seasonal: ice sculpting and dog races in the winter, demonstrations and shows in the summer and all kinds of things.

Museums: Lots of them, all good. (see link below)

National Geographic put together a list of "free things to do in Chicago":
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/city-guides/free-chicago-traveler/

Not Touristy
Wrigleyville
After a Cubs game, go hit up the batting cages upstairs at Sluggers, right near the stadium.  It will be an "interesting" crowd because of the number of Cubs Fans that pile into the surrounding bars but it's always a fun time to be in the action, especially after a win.
Downtown
Grab a drink at the Roof.  The Wit hotel has a fantastic roof top bar.  It's a little trendy with low slung chairs and the drinks are more of the martini style but it's a great view of the city and it's fun to people watch.  They also have a few open air areas which are great for sipping martini's.  Free to enter, the only cost would be drinks (if any)
http://www.thewithotel.com/

Grab a bite to eat at the Purple Pig.  While this restaurant is on Mich Ave, it's considered one of the top new restaurants.  http://www.thepurplepigchicago.com/

If you're into walking and architecture, there's a lot of hidden gems in the city, one of them right behind Wrigley Field.  Alta Vista Terrace is a tiny little street where every house is considered a replica of London.  Not very big but fun to look at: http://home.xnet.com/~jkelley/VirtualTours.fldr/VirtualChicago.fldr/AltaVista.fldr/AltaVista.html

Deep Dish Pizza (this is a whole email in and of itself but this is a good overview)
The number one touristy spot: Uno's on State and Ontario (49 East Ontario)  This is the one that made Chicago famous for it's deep dish and they now deliver all over the country. Touristy
http://www.unos.com/

My favorite is Lou Malnotti's on Sheffield and Lincoln (958 W Wrightwood).  Supposedly Lou Malnoti actually made the first Uno's pizza and then went out on his own.  Very good.  Not touristy at all.

If you're downtown (e.g. near Navy Pier or Millenium Park) there's Pizano's pizza on State and Madison (61 E Madison) http://www.pizanoschicago.com/loop.html  This is another one that was started by the same Uno's/Lou's crew.  Also very good.

Last but not least, Gino's East is like Uno's in that they've made a name for Chicago Deep Dish.  Plenty of locations and their schtick is that you can write on the walls.  http://www.ginoseast.com/  If you go to the Superior location or the Wells location, they're pretty touristy.  The others aren't as much.

True Chicagoan
If you really want to get out of the touristy scene altogether, head over to wicker park.  One of my favorite spots is Violet Hour.  It's hard to find (there's no sign) and the drinks are made very meticulously.  It's modeled after an old 1920's speak easy with very high backed chairs, very private and dark.  http://www.theviolethour.com/

Also in Wicker Park/Bucktown area is Jerry's Sandwich Shop.  Amazing food, a huge beer selection and it's nestled in between a bunch of great little bars.  http://www.jerryssandwiches.com/ (Address on bottom right of page)

Hop Leaf
"Up north" in Andersonville this little spot has a fantastic beer selection and is often full because of it.  http://www.hopleaf.com/dining_menu.html  Very casual beer spot but great.

There are a lot of other, more casual places like this that serve good food and have great beer.  If you're interested I can expand on this section.

Mercadito
Great food, located in River North neighborhood, good lively atmosphere and is often a place to see and be seen.  http://www.mercaditorestaurants.com/chicago/index.php

Uber Exclusive:
Sunda and Underground.  Owned by the same guy, these two places, the first a restaurant that serves high end philipino food is often frequented by celebrities whenever they're in town, the second a dance club that is frequented by the same celebrities. The club can be hard to get into.
http://www.sundachicago.com/
http://chicago.metromix.com/bars-and-clubs/lounge/the-underground-river-north/146714/content

Other Links for More Info:
http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en.html
http://www.chicagotraveler.com/things-to-do.htm
http://www.chicago.com/things_to_do/

For Getting Around:
Google Maps does a great job of listing both walking diretions and public transit directions.  It's even smart enough to know if you type "wrigley field" as your stating point and "millenium park" as your destination.
Example: http://www.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&f=d&sll=41.812267,-87.837067&sspn=0.732868,1.450195&saddr=&daddr=&ttype=dep&date=4/14/2011&time=11:44%20AM&dirflg=r

This is the main site for all things public trans.  You don't need to use it really just know that it costs $2.25 to ride the CTA per person, one way.  So two people riding the train or bus "there and back" would be $9.  Weekend unlimited passes are a good deal and the site lists where you can get them.
http://www.transitchicago.com/

Chicago Needs More Food Served From Trucks

Sure we have our Flirty Cupcakes but cities like NY and LA have really embraced the mobile food preparation concept.  LA even has a site with all the food truck twitter feeds listed on one page.  How great is that?  Now you can see in one place, what food will be outside of your front door for lunch!

We need this!  It seems as though I wasn't the first to say or think that this was a good idea.  This article is asking all Chicagoans to reach out to their local alderman to change the street food laws.  This isn't a new movement either.  Chicago is just behind the times and doesn't make it easy.

I for one am for the street food movement!

Another Chicago Invention: Soul Train

Soul Train debuted on WCIU in Chicago on 8/17/70.  Don Cornelius wanted a show that show cased the positive side of a group that was always portrayed as negative in MSM.  Not only did he achieve that goal but he also unwittingly provided the launching pad for pop locking, breakdancing, the robot and the infamous moon walk originally created by Jeffrey Daniel on the show.  Awesome.

Google's Doodle has a Chicago connection

The Doodle on the Google home page is of Wizard of Oz.  People are still trying to figure out why it's being posted today.  It is the 71st anniversary but that's kind of an odd number to celebrate.

Whatever the reason, Google now has a Chicago connection by way of the doodle: L. Frank Baum lived in Chicago at the time of publication.  According to the wiki page, "It was originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900"  He also may have used the 1893 Chicago World's Fair (the "White City") as an inspiration for the Emerald City.

Pretty cool.

Duck Race Chicago

I adopted 6 ducks today.

I hope my ducks are the fastest!

Update 8/23/10: My ducks didn't win but I'm sure they put up a good fight. Here are highlights and the list of winners.

Next year my ducks will be quacking all the way to the bank!

Chicago: 10 Great Cities for Young Adults

According to this Kiplinger article, Chicago is one of the top cities to live in if you're a young adult.  I would wholeheartedly agree!

French Market in Ogilvie

I learned today that the Ogilvie transportation center has an "open air French market" in it. After doing some searches on Google, I finally found the website: Chicago French Market.

I hope to check it out this week or next week at the latest.

Exchanging British Pounds in Chicago

I normally do all of my foreign exchanges at the Chase in the Loop on Dearborn. Today I learned that the chase in the loop only deals with paper money, however. They told me that Harlan J Berk at 31 N Clark exchanges coins. They do exchange almost any coin but it's at a severe discount due (66% of the current exchange rate) to the high cost of shipping the coins back. They exchanged the coins and the proprietor told me to "buy chocolate" in the future. It has a better "return."

Best Places to Look at World Skylines

James Blakeway, author of Skylines of the World, has been photographing city skylines for 20 years. He put together his list of best places to view the skyline.

Adler Planetarium is his #1 spot for Chicago. I would have to agree that it's a close second, only behind "on a boat" or "from the lake".

Don't Forget About Quincy Jones

With the media mania surrounding Michael Jackson's death, I've heard very little about Quincy Jones, the man behind the music. If you don't already know, Quincy produced the Thriller album. Otherwise known as the biggest selling album of all time. He was behind all the songs that everybody dances to: Thriller, Billy Jean and Beat-It. Play one and try not to dance or sing along. Jones came up with the basslines that make everybody want to dance. They're creepy and soulfull at the same time. Who could forget about Vincent Price's voice?? He used a drum machine and made it sound like a real drummer with rolls and snare hits that were a welcome addition. All of it in perfect synchronicity. Not only with itself but with the 80's. It was a great sound that mixed a bit of the 70's with the "future" of the 80's sound. It paved the way for all music afterwards.

And he was born in Chicago giving this whole story a home town connection.