(photo by Lee Bey)
Is there is a Chicago-area building better sited than the Baha'i House of Worship?
Dolinsky: The Park Hyatt's high rise heirloom tomato garden
Aug. 4, 2010
NoMI's tomato garden (photo: Joseph Storch)
Christophe David has been running the kitchen at NoMI for the past five years; he made big news this week when he announced that his last day at the Park Hyatt will be August 14th. He's moving to Switzerland to be with his girlfriend, who found a great job there. But over the past few weeks, he's been tending to a special urban garden seven floors above ground.
Album review: Best Coast, "Crazy for You"
Aug. 4, 2010
Best Coast, "Crazy for You" (Mexican Summer/Wichita) Rating: 3.5/4
The debut album by the L.A.-based indie-pop trio Best Coast arrives like a cool breeze off the lake on the most oppressive day of the summer—and as such, the occasional moments of cloying sweetness, the deafening hipster buzz (based both on front woman Bethany Cosentino’s pedigree as a former member of the more spacey Pocahaunted and her current status dating Nathan Williams of Wavves), and most of all that obnoxiously cute album cover (the adventures of Cosentino’s cat Snacks are documented in-depth along with a wide range of other topics on her Twitter account) all are easily forgiven in the face of the irresistible pleasures.
“When I’m with you/I have fun,” Cosentino coos in the closing track.
New Trib section promotes blogger Weigel to columnist
Aug. 4, 2010Robservations on the media beat:
- Jenniffer Weigel, the amazingly versatile broadcaster, author, actress, singer, producer and blogger, will soon add Chicago Tribune columnist to her credits. Starting Sept. 1, she'll be writing for the newspaper's new lifestyle section, to be called TribU. It's a three-tiered job that also will involve her making regular TV and radio appearances to promote the section. Since July 2009, Weigel has been blogging for the Tribune's ChicagoNow network. She's the daughter of Tim Weigel, the late Chicago sportscaster, and Kathy Worthington, the former radio news anchor. Her brother is Rafer Weigel, sports anchor on HLN's "Morning Express with Robin Meade." Her second book, I'm Spiritual Dammit, will be published this fall.
Revision Street: Eric Jones, late thirties
Aug. 3, 2010A former punk enthusiast, Office Eric Jones was a new member of the Chicago police force when I first met him a few years ago. One of the first interviews I conducted for this project, Eric remains an intriguing character: a friend of a friend, who happened to also be a cop. He lives in Albany Park and patrols the area around Humboldt Park.
I’m a Chicago Police Officer. I’ve lived in this neighborhood for three years, Albany Park. We moved here because it was affordable. We previously lived in Ukrainian Village and we were just priced out of the neighborhood. There are a lot of condos going in here, now. I mean the building right next door was a twelve-unit building, and that was Section 8 Housing, as was the building across the street from that. Those have both been emptied out and are now being all turned into condos. Like the one across the street on Leland is still under construction and this one here I think they only have one or two units left. But now I see people who I’d normally see walkin’ around Wicker Park walking around here. Young starter couples. It’s not particularly affluent around here. It’s a good mix, though. If you go directly north to Lawrence Avenue there are Korean stores and Korean barbecue places and a little Korean tiki-like bar, and there are all the Nigerian cab drivers on Elston to Pulaski. It’s just crawling with diversity.
Ice cream, prescriptions, modernism: Old pharmacy has avant garde side
Aug. 3, 2010
(photo by Lee Bey)
The former R.V. Kunka pharmacy hasn't filled a prescription since February 2009; a nearby CVS takes care of that now. But look at what's been left behind: a totally modern and streamlined 1930s storefront--relatively rare in Chicago, especially in this good of a condition-- composed of metal panels, a unique color scheme and a typeface cool enough to grace the opening credits of an RKO Pictures movie. The storefront is the ground floor of an occupied, circa 1900 apartment building on a six-corner intersection at Archer, Loomis and Fuller in the 11th ward. Here's a photo I took of the facade about four years ago when the pharmacy was still in business.
Win Tickets to "Taste of the Nation" Aug 12 (part 2)
Aug. 3, 2010
Lula's version of street food, at Logan Square Kitchen (photo: Steve Dolinsky)
As you may know by now, I'm giving away a pair of tickets (value: $190) each day this week to Share Our Strength's "Taste of the Nation," (at which I'll be the MC). The organizers have assembled a Who's Who of Chicago's culinary talent this year (45 chefs, 15 pastry chefs, a half-dozen mixologists) and the theme is "street food" which will be interesting to see how they do it at the Aragon (God knows I'd rather eat there than see a band - the acoustics suck).
Speaking of street food, I'd love to hear a limerick, rhyme, joke, haiku or other witty riff on why you'd like to attend this year's "street food" themed gala. Most creative, thoughtful response here in the comments section wins two tickets to the event. Deadline is 4 p.m. CST today. Good luck!
#34a My life in six-words (and 7 notes)
Aug. 3, 2010I'm so digging the six-word memoirs over there (me pointing left) in comment section. Aren't you? I hope many more of you will send yours along. It's quite meditative, actually, to pause and think about how to describe your life (or state of mind) in six little words.
Here's mine:
i really like to make things.
In fact, the very first video I ever made (about two years ago) was titled "17 things i made." Maybe you've seen it (it's what ultimately led to the "Beckoning of Lovely") but here it is in case you haven't and wish to view: