El Blogometer tells me that my last post was on March 25, and it is now March 30. My how time flies when you're having fun. At any rate, there is news to catch up on. March Madness is down to the Final Four and although I would never have chosen Michigan State or Villanova to be there, there they are, and frankly I watched a bit of the games they played to get to the Final Four. These are two teams that I vastly underestimated. On the other hand, Connecticut and North Carolina, two teams that I chose to be in the Final Four just keep on kicking butt. In the cases of Missouri and Oklahoma, Cinderella lost her slipper, never to be found again. Had to limp home to Columbia and Norman respectively.
In the continuing saga of R.D. vs. Barack Brackets, Barack got only 1 of the Final Four correct and R.D. got 2 correct. That means that I have extended my lead over the President in this Bracket challenge that he has no clue that he is in. Just let it be known that currently our President has picked 39 correctly and has gotten 21 wrong. R.D. has chosen 42 correctly and has gotten 18 wrong. It remains to be seen if my choice or Barack's will take the whole ball of wax. Frankly, I'm rooting for Villanova or Michigan State at this point, and that would mean that neither of us would be correct, but it would still mean that I am more correct than the President. To recap the point, "Economic and international terrorist crises-Barack Obama. Choice of pizza, beer and wine, and sports picks, R.D."
Aside from the chill outside today, it's a perfectly lovely day. The weather took a bit of a nasty turn this weekend. I declared it to be officially Spring a couple of weeks ago, and the Vernal Equinox actually came and went. It has begun a warmup, but blam comes one last gasp of winter. It seems Old Man Winter decided that he was not ready to give up the ghost just yet and we got an inch or two of wet sloppy snow. By Sunday afternoon it had gotten sunny out and most of it melted. There are still a few odd piles left in the shady spots, but I can hear Old Man Winter gasping his last. Tomorrow it will rain and it will be in the 50's. All remaining ice will disappear in time for April Fools Day. It's currently 38 degrees under partly cloudy skies at the Mini.
When last I was here, I was touting the glories of having anything you want delivered, so that you never have to leave home in a real city. Now mind you, I do like to get out of the house on occasion and I have to admit that this "Real City" that we call Chicago has a lot to offer. I'm not talking about the touristy stuff. They can have Navy Pier. Frankly I have never been to the top of the Hancock Building even though I live 3 blocks from it. I have been to the bar that is a couple of floors from the top of the Hancock Building. That's an entirely other matter.
When it comes to bars, Chicago has its share. My father-in-law, on one of his first visits to Chicago after Babs and I moved here, remarked, "A man sure won't go thirsty in this town." Got more bars than a dog's got fleas. We have bars of all kinds. You have your basic neighborhood tavern, just a short walk from home, the kind of place "where everybody knows your name." We have high class joints where the TV stars, the baseball, basketball, and football stars hang out. (Along with all the babes with physical enhancements.) Not really sure where the hockey dudes hang out, but I'm sure we have places where hockey stars hang too. The hockey season lasts a really long time, so I know the Blackhawks are in town a lot, and guys who fight that much absolutely have to do some drinking. You know it. We have music venues. Electric blues was practically invented here. We have comedy venues. Ever heard of Second City? Of course you have. It's a Chicago institution and they sell drinks there. I believe the standard line at that venerable hall of laughs is, "The more you drink, the funnier we are." Then there are bars that fill a nitch. My personal fave is Pops For Champagne. Specializes in champagnes. Has jazz in the basement. Then there is Hopleaf, a bar that specializes in Microbrews and Belgian imports. No jazz there, but Mussels and Frites to die for. Bars? We got em.
Not a drinker. We got art. The Art Institute of Chicago, home of Picassos, Monets, Renoirs, Grant Wood's "American Gothic," Seurat's "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte," and scads of other famous stuff. We have the Museum of Contemporary Art. We have a whole section of downtown with art galleries galore. Then there is the outdoor art, everything from the 50 foot tall Picasso at Daley Plaza to the piece we locals just call, "The Bean," in Millenium Park. Got parks for running, biking, swimming, golfing, tennising, baseballing, soccering, volleyballing, and for grilling with the family. Got free concerts in the park, classical, rock, country, jazz, gospel, and everything in between. Got theater in the park. Got skateboard parks. Got boxing in the park. And then we have Lake Michigan. Beaches, boats, sailboarding, swimming, and sometimes just gazing at it.
Restaurants? We got em. Steak houses. Remember Mike Ditka? Iron Mike? He has a steak house 4 blocks from my residence. Frankly every great sports figure in Chicago history has a restaurant of some sort here. Deep dish pizza? We invented it. Sushi? We got it. Italian? You want traditional Italian-American, Northern or Southern Italian, or any variation you want? We got it. Nice little French Bistro in the building next door to me. Not really crazy about Korean, but we got it. Fusion cuisine? We got it. Brazilian meat palaces? We got it. On and on and on, and you never have to go to a chain restaurant. Got the real thing here. Don't care what somebody told you about Olive Garden, we got the genuine article and it's better. Oh, and if you want you can always just go to a pub and get a burger so thick you have to hold it with two hands (with fries and a beer).
All of that being said, I'm getting a wee bit tired of gushing about the city I love. There's a lot to love here. I think I'll stay. And if every once in a while I get an itch to get out of the city, to do something else, we have two airports, and Wisconsin and Michigan are both within driving distance for biking, hiking, and exploring in the summer, and skiing, skating, and snowshoeing in the winter. Right about now I'm suffering from a little bit of Spring Fever and counting down to a Miami vacation. When that's over, though, I'll be right back here in Streeterville, and loving it. I chose Chicago, and Chicago chose me right back.
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