All the Best Souvenirs from Chicago

Heading to Chicago sometime soon? Or perhaps you’re already there and wondering what to buy in Chicago? I lived in Chicago for 10+ years — check out my Chicago archives — and frequently had to find souvenirs and gifts from the Second City for friends and family. Inspired by my popular London souvenirs post, here are some of my all-time favorite Chicago souvenirs to help you remember your trip. Enjoy!

Chicago Jewelry Souvenirs

Chicago Bean Necklace

If you enjoyed your trip to Chicago’s “Cloud Gate” — aka The Bean — in Millennium Park you might like this cute little bean necklace as a cute little Chicago souvenir. (If you want a more expensive version of the Chicago bean necklace, head to Tiffany’s!)

Chicago Flag Necklace

If you really loved your trip to Chicago, or perhaps you have some Chicago connections, consider this Chicago flag necklace. (You’ll see the Chicago flag around town — it has four red stars and two light blue stripes on a white background)

Edible Chicago Souvenirs

Garrett Popcorn

If you’re looking for a party pleaser, Garrett Popcorn makes for a great Chicago souvenir. While I love Garrett’s cheese popcorn an awful lot, one really fun thing to do is get the “Chicago Mix,” which is half cheese & half caramel. If you can’t face the queue at one of Garrett’s downtown Chicago locations, you should be able to pick some up in O’Hare. Garrett’s have locations in Terminal 1, 3, and 5.

Vosges Chocolate

Since 1998, Vosges Haut-Chocolat has been fusing spices, nuts, roots and herbs from around the world with premium chocolate, encouraging you to travel the world through chocolate. Any bar or box of bars from Vosges makes for a particularly sweet Chicago souvenir. I particularly love the Vosges bacon bar! Vosges has a shop on Armitage in Lincoln Park and there’s another shop in 520 N. Michigan. There are also outlets in O’Hare in Terminals 1 and 3 and you can of course buy Vosges on Amazon if you’d prefer to have some of the best souvenirs from Chicago delivered. 

Fannie May Chocolates

Fannie May started in Chicago back in 1920 and the company is still headquartered in Chicago. Fannie May is known for its Pixie chocolates as well as Trinidads and my personal favorite, Mint Meltaways! You can find Fannie May chocolates in a number of locations in downtown Chicago and you can also buy them online at Amazon.

Chicago Pizza

Hopefully while you are in town, you will get a chance to try Chicago’s famous deep dish pizza. Personally, I’m an east coast girl so I’m thin crust all the way but there is always a time and a place for Chicago-style pizza. If you’d like to take some deep dish home with you — one of the best souvenirs from Chicago possible — many local chains will deliver frozen pizza to your door. Or you can order some Lou Malnati’s (my personal favorite) from Amazon! If you are really into pizza, you might also want to consider a Chicago pizza tour while you’re in town. Check out this cool walking tour that covers both crime and pizza.

Giardiniera

If you enjoy an Italian beef sandwich while you are in Chicago, you will probably encounter giardiniera, a spicy and vinegary mix of peppers that’s very very addictive. If you fall in love with giardiniera, pick some up as a souvenir from Chicago! You can find giardiniera at most grocery stores in Chicago as well as the Vienna Beef Factory Store. (See next entry.) You can also buy giardiniera on Amazon.

Vienna Beef Hot Dog Box

Who doesn’t appreciate a good Chicago hot dog? (Hold the ketchup.) Vienna Beef has been making hot dogs forever — you can even visit their factory store while you’re in Chicago. What better way to commemorate your visit to the Second City than a big ole box of Vienna Beef hot dogs as your Chicago souvenir? You can buy a Vienna Beef Hot Dog Box on Amazon.

Old Town Oil

Old Town Oil is a great little shop on Wells Street in Lincoln Park. They have hundreds if not thousands of olive oils (and other oils) to choose from. It’s worth a visit while you’re in town — they let you sample lots of the oils while you’re there — and afterwards, you can buy your favorite to take home with you. Or  just make a mental note to buy some on Amazon as a small Chicago souvenir when you get home.

The Spice House Spices and Rubs

Old Town Oil and The Spice House are very conveniently located just a few minutes from each other on North Wells Street so they are worth a visit together when you are in Chicago. What I love about The Spice House is all the cool spice mixes and blends they’ve created! They have a series of Chicago-themed blends like Lake Shore Drive (chives & shallots) and Bronzeville Rib Rub. This is one of the best foodie souvenirs from Chicago!

Hot Fudge Sauce from Margie’s Candies

Margie’s Candies is a Chicago institution. It’s a bit north of downtown but worth the trip if you want an authentic Chicago local experience. If you enjoy your ice cream sundae, consider purchasing some of Margie’s famous hot fudge sauce or caramel sauce to go! Unfortunately, you can’t order Margie’s sundae sauces online so you will have to make the trip!

Eli’s Cheesecake

Eli’s cheesecake is another Chicago institution. Eli Schulman was born in 1910 on the West Side of Chicago and got his start with a popular coffee shop and later a deli. In the 1960s, “Eli’s The Place or Steak” opened up with its signature dessert. Although Eli’s has closed down, the cheesecake lives on and has historically been a popular item at Chicago’s annual “Taste of Chicago” summer food fest. You don’t need to wait til summer though…you can get your very own delicious Chicago cheesecake souvenirs delivered to your house via Amazon!

Stephanie Izard’s Latest Cookbook

OK, obviously the book itself isn’t edible but if you follow all the instructions in the book, you’ll have lots of tasty treats to eat! Stephanie Izard is the chef behind Chicago’s famous Girl and The Goat and her latest cookbook, Gather & Graze, is one of the best Chicago souvenirs for foodies! Her recipes are definitely ready for anyone who wants to play around with interesting ingredients and flavors.

Check out the Wrigley Building and other buildings downtown from a Chicago Architecture Cruise

Tours & Activities as Chicago Souvenirs

Instead of one or more physical Chicago souvenirs, how about a Chicago experience instead? Give memories instead of gifts with one of these amazing tours of Chicago. To make the most of your time in Chicago, I highly recommend “Skip the Line” experiences. For example, if you are planning on doing an architecture boat cruise, try this Skip the Line Chicago River Architecture Cruise. You’ll skip the ticket purchase line and go directly to boarding. Likewise, instead of queuing up for tickets in the height of summer for the John Hancock Building, you can buy your Hancock Observatory tickets online and go straight to the elevator. Check out these other essential Chicago experiences too:

Chicago Christmas Ornament Souvenirs

These beautiful ornaments make excellent Chicago souvenirs even when it’s nowhere near Christmas time! They are so gorgeous and will help you remember your trip to the Windy City and City of Broad Shoulders. The great thing is that you can have them delivered directly to your house so you don’t have to worry about packing them in your luggage!

Drinkable Chicago Souvenirs

Koval Whiskey. Photo from Koval Web Page.

Koval Spirits

Koval is the first distillery in Chicago since the mid 1800s which is a  big deal considering everything the city went through with Prohibition. KOVAL produces organic whiskey, liqueurs and specialty spirits. You can take a tour of the distillery and/or attend one of their classes in person at their Ravenswood location.  You should be able to find Koval at many Chicago-area wine and liquor stores as well as at a few bars and restaurants. This is one of the most super-cool local Chicago souvenirs.

Jepsen’s Malort

Personally, this stuff makes me gag but people love this stuff and swear by it! Check out the video for how people describe it and their reaction to tasting it. You’ll find Malort in a lot of more local hipster bars. Most people drink it straight as a shot but some cocktail bars are also including it in cocktails. Here’s a relatively recent list of Chicago-area Malort-cocktails.  You should be able to buy Jepsen’s Malort in most large liquor stores in Chicago.

Chicago Beer

You’ll find Goose Island all over the world now but for more local Chicago beers, look for Half Acre, Revolution, Metropolitan, and Pipeworks. You should be able to find their beers in most local liquor stores, especially Half Acre and Revolution. If you’d like to experience Chicago craft beer while learning a bit about Chicago through comedy, check out this fun Chicago Comedy and Craft Beer Tour of Old Town.

Sporty Chicago Souvenirs

Chicago Cubs Stuff

No visit to Chicago is complete without a trip to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field on Chicago’s North Side. (A short walk from the Addison Red Line stop.) There are plenty of souvenir shops in the area to help you get your Cubs gear but you can also order your Chicago souvenirs from Amazon as well.

White Sox Stuff

Similarly, you can also pick up White Sox souvenirs while you are in town. You may not want to head all the way down to Guaranteed Rate field but you should be able to find White Sox t-shirts and hats at most Chicago souvenir shops and sporting goods stores.

Chicago Bulls Souvenirs

While the Michael Jordan days are over, you can still pick yourself up a 23 jersey or any sort of Chicago Bulls memorabilia at many Chicago souvenir shops. If you’re in town during basketball season, it’s also worth checking to see if you can get tickets to a Bulls game at the United Center. Always a good time and the experience alone makes it one of the most memorable Chicago souvenirs ever.

Chicago Literary Souvenirs

Devil in the White City

If you want to read a book to prepare for your trip to Chicago, Devil in the White City by Erik Larsen makes a great Chicago souvenir. It tells the true story of Chicago serial killer H.H. Holmes during The World’s Fair in 1893. (It maybe spends a bit more time on The World’s Fair then on Holmes, just fyi.) Weirdly, two of my friends in business school at the University of Chicago lived where Holmes’ victims apparently met their ends. (Different house though. The original building burnt down.)

Musical Chicago Souvenirs

Kurt Elling Live in Chicago

While you are in Chicago, please do not pass up an opportunity to visit The Green Mill in Uptown to hear some of Chicago’s greatest jazz music. Jazz musician Kurt Elling got his start at The Green Mill so as a fun Chicago souvenir, either pick up a copy of Kurt Elling Live in Chicago or download his music from Amazon. Elling is a baritone with a four-octave range and likes to improvise over some jazz standards I’m sure you’ll be familiar with!

Anything by Chance the Rapper

I’ve posted the video from Chance’s NPR Tiny Desk concert in case you are unfamiliar with his music but if you’re looking for the latest musician to make it big out of Chicago, it’s Chance the Rapper. And not only is his music super cool, but he’s also a super nice, high quality person who really gives back to his community. I really wanted to post a video of All Night, my favorite catchy dance number by Chance, but unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be a video online.  Check out his music on Amazon.

Chicago Souvenirs for Kids

Chicago Lego Set

This is great for both the kids and adults in your life! Lego has done a series on cities and you can get this Chicago skyscraper set with the Willis Tower (aka Sears Tower), John Hancock Building, and even a mini bean! I don’t know where you can find this downtown but you should be able to find it on Amazon for sure!

Chicago Pullback Police Car

If someone in your life is really into cars and trucks and things that go, this mini Chicago police car makes a great Chicago souvenir! Comes with doors that open and close! You can buy this on Amazon.

Summary of The Best Chicago Souvenirs

I hope you’ve enjoyed my suggestions for the best Chicago souvenirs. Do you have any of your own tips or suggestions? Have I missed any local products that make for great Chicago souvenirs? Let me know in the comments!

Need More Chicago Souvenirs? Book a Chicago Tour

The post 26 of The Best Chicago Souvenirs first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

The Cubs are in the World Series!! That’s crazy! It’s amazing! I’m not even a sports fan, but I am so happy for them! Yey Cubbies!

It’s been more than two years since I left Chicago for the 2nd time. And you know…I feel bad about this but I don’t really miss Chicago. Then again, you can’t make yourself feel something you don’t feel so I shouldn’t feel bad about this but I still do. People ask me all the time “Don’t you miss Chicago?” And I have to think about it for a bit because I know my answer won’t really make them happy. It’s not that I dislike Chicago or anything — I just feel pretty neutral about it. Let’s just say…it’s a nice place to visit.

To be fair, I am not a native Chicagoan or Midwesterner. I was born in Queens and raised in Long Island, New York. I moved to Chicago after university because I got a job in Chicago and well, I kinda like change and I figured “Hey, why not.” But during my first visit to the Windy City, I was so used to Manhattan that my immediate reaction was something like “Uh, is this it? It’s just one street. Where’s the rest of the city?”

But well, I did live in Chicago for 12 years in total — eight years the first time and four years the second time — so I must have had a nice time there. There are a few things I still think about now and then. In an effort to placate, here is what I do miss about Chicago…in no particular order…

Cheap manicures and pedicures: Ah, how I miss you. $35 for the set, if I was lucky. Although I have found at least one new favorite place in London — Modern Touch Nails in Islington — Chicago made it just so very easy to be well-groomed.

The Pittsfield: I love, love, love this old diner off Michigan Avenue in the The Loop. I love the servers, I love the menu. I love the brass elevators as you enter the building and the gorgeous wood ceilings. I love the chopped salad too. (Second favorite diner? Beef and Brandy on Michigan. I love an old school place.)

The Blues: If I can thank Chicago for something, it’s for my love of the blues. WXRT has a Monday night Blues program at 9 pm that I used to listen to on my way home from The Gleacher Center at the University of Chicago. Always the greatest. I love Memphis Slim the best.

The WGN TV Morning Show: These guys still crack me up. Sometimes, they even get a little international attention. I mean, if you want to see a group of people who really seem to love their jobs, it’s these guys. British morning television just doesn’t compare.

The Tamale Guys: Sometimes it’s 2 a.m. and you’re in a bar somewhere and you think to yourself, “Boy am I hungry” and then all of a sudden, there’s a guy there with a cooler full of tamales. So that’s amazing.

Tacos: I was so grateful for London Mexican food when it arrived here way back when. But a few years back in Chicago made it clear: London Mexican food is shit. (This is a sweeping generalization but it’s mostly true.) I do not like steamed tortillas.

Whole Foods: OK, not very exciting but the Whole Foods salad bar downtown fed me pretty much every night once I moved downtown. Love that place. I was just in the Whole Foods Piccadilly Circus the other day for the first time and I honestly felt like I was back at the Whole Foods on Huron. I just need to get to Piccadilly more often.

Red Rooster #1: I must have walked by this place in Ukrainian Village 50 times before I finally figured out it was a shop and went in. I love this store. I want to move in. The cabinet work alone is worth a visit.

Zombie Dust: The unicorn of beers. I love you, Zombie Dust. Robust, spicy, hoppy perfection.

As always, I’m sure there are other things I will remember that I miss in the days and weeks and months after this post goes up. I miss my friends in Chicago most of all, of course. xoxo

Book a Chicago Tour

The post I Miss Chicago…Sort of… first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

To be fair though, this third trip was more about me than about work. I knew I had some leftover holiday to take and I knew I wanted to see some people and celebrate some things so I went. And I had a nice time. But I don’t think I need to go back for a while now…

Sleeping

I stayed at The James hotel off Michigan Avenue, an excellent location if ever there was one. My room was all white and modern BUT it was also a bit scuffed up. I used Hotwire to book my room and saved A BUNDLE. I forget now if I’ve written about my Hotwire arbitrage skillz but if not, I will in a later post. I like The James BUT I don’t like the food at The James, even though it is David Burke. Every sandwich came with too much untoasted bread and too many undercooked fries. Also, every sandwich was pretty expensive. So stay at The James if you want a nice central location, but eat elsewhere. Also, book via Hotwire. I saved $100 a night off the regular rate at time of booking. With taxes and fees, my room cost $153.87 a nght, which is a great rate for a hotel of this caliber and in this location. The Verdict: A good choice, but in need of a facelift. Try The Thompson instead.

Eating & Drinking

I wish I could tell you that I did some good eating and drinking while I was in Chicago, but honestly…I didn’t. I don’t know if it was bad luck or just laziness on my part. (OK, it was laziness.) I didn’t even go to Eataly, for the love of God! Here’s where I ate and drank…

Kanela Breakfast Club, Wicker Park: I met my friends Amy and Larissa at Kanela Breakfast Club in Wicker Park for a Saturday brunch/lunch. Kanela is in a beautiful space largely kitted out by the oyster bar that was there before Kanela. I liked that oyster bar, but when they opened, I thought to myself “People in Wicker Park don’t eat oysters.” I was right. They didn’t last long. Judging by the crowds at Kanela, people like it here. I did not enjoy my chorizo breakfast burrito at all, and that was after waiting an hour to receive it. The Verdict: Skip it. But I don’t know…everyone else seems to like it here so there’s that.

O’Callaghan’s, River North: My friends Bob & Aileen were celebrating their 10 year anniversary so I popped over to O’Callaghan’s with them for some Guinness to kick off the festivities. Super friendly bar staff, although very dark interior. It was quite empty when we visited but I am sure it gets packed during the week. The Verdict: If you want a nice Irish bar in downtown Chicago, you could do worse than O’Callaghan’s.

Star of Siam, River North: I used to walk by Star of Siam every day on my way to work, but yet I had never been. Well, a sudden craving for curry led us here during my visit and boy am I glad we stopped in. I loved it! I loved the decor! (All warehouse-y and spacious and nice decorated with Thai things.) I loved the service! I loved the food! Why have I not eaten here before? Star of Siam is in a bit of a strange location…you have to walk down a flight of stairs to get there from Wabash…but it seems to be a destination in its own right. The Verdict: Go if you’re craving Thai in downtown Chicago.

Lou Malnati’s, Rush Street: I woke up on Sunday morning and was kinda jonseing for a pizza. Don’t ask. I am ashamed of myself. I was there as soon as they opened and enjoyed my deep dish mini pan pizza in silence. UNTIL…I ran into my old colleague Leslie who caught me stuffing my face at 11 am on a Sunday morning. Lucky for me, her and her dad were planning on doing the same. The Verdict: A guilty pleasure.

Soho House, West Loop: I met Karen out for some drinks and snacks at Soho House and she gave me the grand tour. Amazing how much it feels like Shoreditch House. I mean, I guess that’s not amazing because it is the same owners and everything but they’ve really got this design thing nailed. The ground floor of Soho House was packed, the upper levels less so. The ladies’ room on the pool floor was flooded, so that was kinda gross. Also, I ordered almonds and pickles to snack on and the dish came with just three pickles. (Granted, when I pointed this out, they brought me a WHOLE BOWL of gherkins.) The Verdict: I like Soho House. Despite The Pickle Incident.

Joe Stonecrab, River North: Joe’s was right around the corner from The James so we popped in here for dinner one night. I order the ahi tuna and kicked myself later. I should have stuck with what Joe’s does well…stonecrab or steak. My ahi tuna was straight out of the fridge. No sign of searing but maybe they did sear it…in a very cold, cold pan. Many people like Joe’s, but after eating here many times with those many people over the years, I’m just not a huge fan. The Verdict: Meh.

So there you go…that’s my last trip to Chicago for a while, I think. Unless I become a property magnate and then maybe I will maintain residences around the world. That would be awesome.

The post Quick Trip to Chicago first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

The old Tokyo Hotel, home of Ginza, one of the most traditional Japanese restaurants in Chicago before it went out of business.

I am just back in London after my work visit to Chicago…where it was friggin cold. Too cold. I wanted to leave, it was so cold. My nose, my nose…it is so dry. Everything is dry. My face has aged ten years overnight, in the course of two weeks. No problem then, I just stuffed my aged face at (the oddly empty) Le Colonial for lunch and  contemplated botox. (Probably wouldn’t help with the dryness though, huh?) Everything at Le Colonial was nice except for the exceptional amount of shredded lettuce served with everything. I watched the fans swirl around overhead the (seemingly all) blond ladies having lunch as I contemplated the cheapness of my UK mobile phone in the UK but the hefty £6 per mb of data fee in the U.S. Sigh. I feel so powerless. The Loos: Colonial, but they work. The Verdict: Good for ladies who lunch, but hold the lettuce.

Earlier this year, for various unremarkable reasons, I learned a lot about Darden Restaurants. Darden used to run Red Lobster. They still run Capital Grill and The Olive Garden and a bunch of other places most Americans have been to for one reason or another. This is when I finally put together that Seasons 52, the people who had been repeatedly (repeatedly) pestering me to visit their property in the Chicago suburbs, were a Darden venture. It’s an interesting concept for a big chain affair…every item on the Seasons 52 menu is under 475 calories And the food is — you guessed it — seasonal!! I was honestly more than a little curious, and as Seasons 52 was right across from my hotel, The Conrad Hilton, I stumbled over there one late night after work. The decor was pleasantly surprising…no glaring lights, but rather lots of dark wood and soft lighting. And hey, THERE WAS A PIANO PLAYER. I am a bit of a sucker for a good piano player in a bar or  restaurant. I ordered some low-calorie mushroom bisque — almost as nice as the piano playing — and served with a bit of crispy (low-calorie?) bread. And then I spent $28 on a piece of sesame coated swordfish as big as my palm (and I have small hands) drenched — inedibly so — in soy sauce, with nary a sesame seed in sight. The Verdict: Go for the live music and if you’re on a diet. Don’t order the swordfish.

Tuesday night, I had a hankering for lobster bisque and a glass of Riesling. It was m*ther-f*cking cold so again, I did not stray far from my hotel. The bar at Shaw’s Crabhouse it was. And guess what guys??? There was a LIVE BLUES BAND! And they were awesome. (The Friends Band…check out some of their tunes here.) And while I liked my lobster bisque, I probably should have had a cup and not a bowl because the big bowl meant cold soup syndrome set in fairly soon after the soup arrived. (Too large of a surface area.) The Verdict: Worth a visit to the bar for live music (Sunday through Thursday…schedule here) and good times. Also some good happy hour oyster specials pre-band.

Hah so I did get out a bit in Chicago — more than I expected to — but I did not get to many new places. My late working hours and the bitter, bitter cold meant I didn’t stray very far from my office or my hotel. That was a-okay with me though.

The post An Unexpected Return to Chicago, Part Deux first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

When I left Chicago this past summer, I really never expected to be back anytime soon. But voila! Late last Friday, it was confirmed. I was heading to Chicago — of all places — for two weeks for work. I’ve been this person before — the Chicago business traveler — but it’s been awhile. Four years? Five? So it’s been weird to be back and in a hotel for so long. And it’s been funny to have my new colleagues doubt my directions to dinner and to their hotels. (“Are you sure this is the right way???” And the ever-alarming “Well surely if we showed up with 8 people at 7 pm  on a Wednesday, they’d have a table for us.”) And it’s been even funnier to try to make dinner plans with my old friends, who want to eat at 7 pm. Ah yes, and I hate my U.K. mobile phone plan that charges me £6 a MB for data, so I have been suffering from iPhone withdrawal. (O2, I am looking at YOU.) But here’s what me, the Chicago business traveler, has been up to.

Monday: I almost threw up on the hotel staff as I checked in. It was 2 am for me and I was BEAT. Jet lag hung heavy and dark around me. I went straight to bed, despite promising myself I’d head to Eataly for a little snack before bedtime.

Tuesday: I made it to Eataly and had some verdure fritto misto and a glass of Gavi. Perhaps not surprisingly, while I was sitting there enjoying the free wifi and Wild Belles playing in the background (check them out, seriously), an old colleague walked by, so we had a nice little catch-up and another glass of wine. I love Eataly, especially on a slow Tuesday night when no one is around. Even though the graphic design does really bother me. The Verdict: Go!

Wednesday: We were a motley crew from all around the world so I made an executive decision that we all needed deep-dish pizza. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a reservation anywhere. (Lou Malnati’s on Wells does not take reservations???) So we ended up at Pizano’s on Madison, where I had the genius idea of pre-ordering our pizza so it arrived about 7 minutes after we sat down. For about $20 a person, we gorged ourselves on pizza and slugged back half-price bottles of wine. A good time. And festively decorated for the season as well. The free ice cream cakes/pies delivered to our table at the end of our meal were an extra bonus, as was our extremely competent server. The Verdict: No complaints.

Thursday: We stopped by Bohemian House on Illinois and had some wine and the largest plate of potato chips. Manny the bar back let us tether our phones to his, which was particularly awesome of him, but caused us to go deep into a dark and downward social media spiral. I like the design of Bohemian House, although it feels so much like Hubbard Inn, I thought I was in the wrong place there for a moment. I thought about eating at Boho but I just wasn’t feeling particularly hungry so I headed back to my hotel where two hours later, I decided I was ravenous and that I really wanted CHINESE FOOD. Do you know what happened next? P.F. mother f*cking Changs. You got it. I dragged my jet-lagged, freezing cold slightly slimmer American ass to P.F. Chang’s and enjoyed their spicy chicken more than I really expected to. The Verdict: Hey, sometimes, you are tired and cold and go with what is close and easy and it all works out just fine.

Friday: My friend A has just KICKED BREAST CANCER’S ASS. She is the best and the most amazing. Also, modern medical technology is AMAZING. So we met up at Bistronomic with our friend T who I have known since I was 5 years old to celebrate and chat and be normal. Although A loved her steak frites, I was less than impressed. My steak was overcooked — I ordered medium rare — and and my frites were undercooked. And they weren’t really frites anyhow. (I prefer the golden shoestring style when having steak frites.) The Verdict: I want to like Bistronomic! The chef is handsome! The staff is lovely! The location is great! But yet…

Saturday: I worked for 12 hours on a Saturday. So that sort of sucked. I like my weekends (who doesn’t really) and I am down a day. I got “home” at 9:30 pm and didn’t want to spend $57 on room service. So I went around the corner to Oysy and had some maki and it was okay. It was too cold, actually. But the staff gave me some free saki which was exactly what I needed after a day like mine. They all kinda stared at me when I entered though, and then they cleaned all the glasses like right there directly in front of me. Hmmmm…I wonder how much their rent is and how much sushi they have to sell in a month to break even. The Verdict: I will probably try some other places before going back here.

Hey, it’s not over til it’s over. I’ve got a few more days…

The post An Unexpected Return to Chicago… first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

London, you are the best and the most beautiful. I love  you, totally and completely. I get lost in you. (Just like Mark Wallinger and Labyrinth, his London Underground art series of mazes .) But sometimes in love, there is not-so-love. Here is the bad and the good from where I am sitting today.

THE BAD…and/or the things I’ve forgotten…

Yelp London is useless! Barely any reviews for a lot of places.Where is everyone leaving their reviews? No one writes reviews on Time Out anymore. I am left with Foursquare, and even that is kinda sucky and lacking in reviewness. HELP. I want the voice of the people. Help me.

What is with hair color on women? I’ve seen a lot of washed out pink and blue hair. I don’t like it. It looks tacky. If you’re going to do it ladies, MAINTAIN IT.

Flowered trousers…perhaps a bigger thing when the weather was warmer but the patterned blousey trousers on women thing. I don’t know if I like it? Oh wait…hold on, my phone is ringing and it’s MC Hammer…

Smoking…After spending the last four years in the U.S., I have honestly forgotten that people still smoke. On the sidewalk/pavement in London as I’m walking, at work when they need to take breaks and then return to stink up the meeting room, everywhere, everywhere. Smokers are everywhere. Stop putting fire in your mouths, people. It is going to kill you a lot faster than a lot of other things.

Flats owned by people in Singapore and Hong Kong: I had no idea that this was a thing until I started flat-hunting this summer and when I would ask about the landlord, 9 times out of ten, they would tell me, “Oh, he/she is in Singapore/Hong Kong.” Apparently, people in Asia have bought up all the new construction property in east London these last few years. That’s fine, but if you’re going to do it love, hire a property manager. I’m not calling you in Hong Kong when the boiler’s out.

Taking a shower is still hard. In my new flat, I’ve got the two-and-a-half-foot bath and the shower half-glass. I have conquered the two-and-a-half-foot bath (I think) but I HATE THE HALF-GLASS. How do British people take showers?? I do not understand it. I flood the bathroom all the time, and if my bathroom floor tile is any indication, the last tenant did too.

They don’t bag your groceries for you anywhere. They just stare at you (or make no eye contact whatsoever) and then they wait for you to leave. #AWKWARD.

The importance of the past: I learned this hard during my first tour-of-duty. In my experience, British people don’t forget any sort of past. I’m not saying that Americans forget the past, but in general, my take is that Americans have a mindset that’s much more like “Ok, that happened. That was the past. Hindsight is 20/20. Let’s move forward.” Take me out for anything Japanese/Chinese/Vietnamese and I’ll tell you more.

Toasters everywhere but no toaster ovens. I just want an English Muffin pizza. Personally, I’m afraid of toaster-toasters. I’m always afraid the toast will catch fire inside. And I don’t want to fire up the broiler just for some cheese on toast.

THE GOOD…

Tethering: My iPhone came with a wifi hotspot, as opposed to in America, where you have to pay extra for that functionality. So if you’re in London and you wanna tether to my hotspot, you just let me know.

UHT MILK! I love long-life milk because you know, British milk goes bad in like less than five days. (American milk lasts a lot longer, like two weeks.) So I buy UHT milk and it lasts forever. I probably don’t want to know what they did to it to make it that way, do I? A lot of people use UHT milk to make yogurt, apparently. Me, I just use it for my morning coffee.

Charging for plastic bags: London started doing this ages ago. I believe California just started doing it. The U.S. is BEHIND.

Pizza Express Salad dressing: Haters, don’t be hating. This stuff is STILL delicious and I go through it like white wine.

The roads are smooth! I don’t know if it’s because I was unlucky enough to live in Chicago, but London roads are SMOOTH! There are no potholes! It’s amazing! I can ride my bike anywhere and not need any dental work!!

Recycling: My building recycles, we recycle at work, and anywhere I go around London, there’s one of those handy separators for recycling. Me and my empty Diet Coke cans feel so virtuous. Saving the world, people. Saving the world!

Direct debits! No checks! I’ve been here four months and I haven’t written ANY CHECKS. It’s amazing. I cannot believe that in America, people still write checks. It is crazy. My debit card is my favorite thing.

Kettles, kettles everywhere: I love my kettle. I use it more frequently than my microwave.

The weather! It’s NOT SNOWING! It’s not frigid. It’s nice. Thank God for that. Honestly, words cannot describe. On January 6th 2015, I am going to throw a “-40 degrees is where Fahrenheit and Celsius intersect” party. You’re invited.

xoxo

The post Hey, I’ve Been Back in London for Four Months Now! first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Some Vitners chips/crisps at the entrance to Oak Street beach, Chicago. Vitners are a Chicago institution.

It’s been two months and a few days since I decided to hop on a plane in Chicago and relocate myself to London. The time has gone quickly — way too quickly — to say the least. (Tip: Next time you quit your job, take three months off before you start your new job.) And while Chicago was never really my kind of town (sorry, Chicagoans), after living there for a grand total of 12 years (!!!) between my two stays, there are some things I still pine for occasionally. Here’s what I’ve been missing about Chicago lately.

Around Town

• Forgive on sidewalks: Sometimes I would be walking around Ukrainian Village in a bad mood for various reasons — thinking f*ck this shit, if you really must know. And then I’d see  Forgive. And I would change the direction of my thoughts.
• CLS and his/her sculptural street art. Chicagoans, you’ve seen CLS’ stuff around town. Scraps of wood, together, in an art piece. (This Flickr user has a number of photographs of CLS’ pieces if you’re not sure who I’m talking about.) I like CLS’ stuff. It’s natural but architectural and yet random.

Mexican Food

• Cemitas Puebla: Mexican sandwiches. They deliver to Weegee’s in Logan Square! Now that was an exciting discovery! I want to know how they get their pork chops so thin.
• Mexican in general…Mexican like the place on the corner of Chicago & Ashland, Taqueria Transpasada. Not the commercial burrito chains. London is full of burrito chains now. I just want some tacos. OK, I really want some tacos at Big Star even though I am not hipster enough for Big Star. (I realize I am, in some ways, contradicting myself. What I want is tacos from the corner shop and on weekends, tacos at Big Star, along with some Johnny Cash and bourbon.)
• Tamale guys. Magically appearing in bars around town in the wee hours of the morning, just when we all need some carbs. GENIUS.

Television: WGN morning news. Seriously, these guys crack me up. (Check out some of their best bits from 2013.) I love that they’ve been doing what they do for so long together. London breakfast news programming is terrible. They repeat themselves every 12 minutes. (I’m gonna time it.) And no jokes! And they don’t have enough human interest stories. And the news is so DIRE. Someone help me. I need something to watch in London between 6 am and 7 am while I am trying to become fully functional.

Chinese: Mon Lung: My Sunday routine when I lived in Noble Square was Szechuan green beans and chicken from Mon Lung. Me and all the cops and the fish tank. I loved that the multi-generational family was so in evidence here. This is really a family-run business, and they are all so super nice. (Sometimes, they run out of green beans. Just to warn you.)

Diners: The Pittsfield and Beef & Brandy: I love a good diner. The Pittsfield is my absolute favorite; it’s a triangulation of beautiful building decor, friendly service, and good food. Breakfast for dinner! At The Pittsfield, I like the Mr. Gyros Omelette, which is on the old menu, not the new menu, but they will still make it for you. Make sure you ask for some tzatziki. $10 (or less) for lunch and you get table service…really nice table service. They do what they do better than a lot of expensive restaurants I know. I also like Beef & Brandy on State Street, mainly because they let you pay at the table. (At The Pittsfield, you have to pay at the counter and then walk back to your table to drop off the tip.) I also love how Beef & Brandy’s website calls it the best restaurant in downtown Chicago. I normally go for the grilled cheese at Beef & Brandy.

Beer: Zombie dust!! All the Three Floyds! All of it!

Vietnamese Food: Han yen on Argyle. After my trip to Vietnam in March, I got a little addicted to pho for breakfast. So once I sold off Noble Square and moved away from Mon Lung, my new Sunday routine became a trip up to Han Yen on Argyle for a big bowl of pho for Sunday lunch.

Cheap Manicures and Pedicures. Particularly New Age Nails on State Street north of Chicago Avenue. So clean and white and nice.

Drinking: Pops for Champagne & The Watershed. London did something to me. It made me drink champagne a lot. I arrived back in the US and everyone kinda looked at me funny when I would ask if we could order a bottle of champers. So I would take myself to Pops and drown my sorrows. Champagne is not cheap in America. Champagne in London is a bargain in comparison. (There’s something to be said for being across the channel from France. ) Also, I love The Watershed, downstairs from Pops, which specializes in midwestern beers and wines. I like focus. And the banjo player on Thursday nights.

What am I forgetting? I am sure there is something!? Help.

The post Things I Miss about Chicago first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

So you know what I did before I left Chicago? I ate A LOT of chicken wings. At Jake Melnick’s downtown. I LOVE Jake Melnick’s! I love Pancho’s wings! Pancho, whoever you are, I love you. I sat at the bar at Jake Melnick’s and I ate a lot of chicken wings and drank a lot of beer. (They have A LOT of different types of beer to drink.) Sometimes I ate chicken wings with friends, sometimes I ate chicken wings by myself. But most of all, I ate chicken wings.

I also ate a lot of Chengdu Impression. It’s a very long story how I ended up in Lincoln Park during the last few days in Chicago, but I had to go to Home Depot a lot and going to Home Depot meant a trip to Chengdu Impression. The staff at Chengdu Impression are super sweet. Ask them for their help in ordering. I hope they do very very well because everything they have is all pretty delicious.

Ah, and Chicago Bagel Authority! My friend Jen’s English husband Leigh LOVES the Chicago Bagel Authority so while I was in the neighborhood, I had to check it out. I did. Many times. Although the New Yorker in me died a little every time I ate one of their **steamed** bagels, they were very tasty. And I kinda liked the intensely flirtatious bagel maker. He had nice eyes.

What else…I finally went to Longman & Eagle and it was very good but in hindsight, I don’t really remember anything we ate. I suppose that was my “cross it off the list” moment.

I did spend a lot of time at Scofflaw, drinking all the Temple Destroyers with Ben & Gerry and then Antonia. (Antonia says she’s now obsessed with verdita and is going to attempt it. I will be there.) I don’t remember much about my time at Scofflaw either, but that was obviously for other reasons. (And remember, I am not a big mixed drink person.)

Other things…Binny’s has a new wine tasting room, so I spent a lot of time there. Ah, and I had a nice lunch at Ramen San, although I hated their stools. Hated. I really need to start that “comfortable restaurant seating” business I’ve been thinking about.

My last meal in Chicago was at Nico Osteria. I stayed two nights at the very lovely Thompson Hotel. ((My stay at The Thompson Hotel was another Hotwire bargain!) I found it easier to camp out at Nico for the afternoon after me and my five suitcases checked out of the hotel. I ate a lot of Nico’s delicious focaccia olive bread. You should too.

So…I think that about sums up my last few days/weeks in Chicago. I’m sure it’s not the last time I’ll visit the city. But hopefully when I do, it won’t be MINUS FORTY DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. (Which also, coincidentally, is equal to minus forty degrees Celsius.) So goodbye Chitown. Thanks for all the beer.

P.S. That photo is from the Chicago Distilling Company in Logan Square. You should visit!

The post Saying Goodbye to Chicago…My Last Suppers first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

To London.

Yes, if you’re reading this Wednesday evening Chicago time, I have purchased a one-way ticket from Chicago to London and I’m somewhere in the sky right now.

My belongings sit in a container in a port somewhere in America, ready to depart. A lot of Americans I know think I’m crazy. (“Wait…you’re moving to London on Wednesday?” and “You don’t have anywhere to live??” and/or “You still don’t have a plane ticket?”) But my parents and Uncle George and Aunt Ursula and legions of taxi drivers across Chicago don’t think I’m crazy, and that says something now, doesn’t it? 

Oh yeah, and that plane ticket problem? Obviously I solved it. Thank you, Internet, which allows you to purchase magic paperless tickets to and through the sky with bits of plastic at the last possible minute.

You know what the weird thing is…10 years ago on June 26, 2004, I published my first ever blog post on the then “Krista in London” site on Typepad.

If that’s not a crazy big sign from somewhere, I don’t know what is.

So yes London, I have come back for you.

P.S. I took that photo under the El tracks in Chicago at that point in Lincoln Park where Bissell dead-ends into a parking lot around North Avenue. Tunnel vision, for sure.

The post Goodbye, Chicago first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Best part? COWSHED PRODUCTS in the bathroom. SOHO HOUSE CHICAGO, I am coming for you.

The Verdict: Go for the chandeliers! And wash your hands with all the Cowshed! Have the chicken liver with ALL the toast. For sure.

The post Dillmans, Chicago first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

But someone is having a bad day, and it’s not me. I’m having a great day. It’s Friday! It’s lunchtime! Everything is great and everybody is happy!

It’s my server who is having a bad day. He’s not mean or anything…he’s just…absent. And I don’t mean that he’s not physically present, because he is physically present. He’s just mentally absent. He just doesn’t seem to want to be there. At all. And he doesn’t want me to be there either. He doesn’t seem to want me to eat or drink and he has no recommendations on anything. Everything is good here, he says. All the wines are nice, he says.

But everything is not good here. The eggplant empanada is bland and tasteless and doesn’t deliver on the promise of its appearance.

The salmon ceviche, on the other hand, is quite zingy and tart.

The feijoada is good but I am really jonsing for some farofa to sprinkle around everything.

The Verdict: I like the look of La Sirena Clandestina. I also like the sink in the bathroom. The food was good but I think I’m going to have to give this place another go to say for sure.

The post La Sirena Clandestina, Chicago first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Francis proved to be the master organizer yet again when he marched us little ducklings off to Tanta, the new Peruvian place in Chicago by Peruvian chef Gaston Arcurio, whom some may be familiar with from World’s 50 Best Astrid & Gaston. (Almost wrote Gastrid and Ashton there. Whoops.)

I’m worried about Tanta’s location. Although it’s in River North, it’s in a bit of a desolate stretch of Grand close to Lasalle. Signage is also a little discreet for River North, but maybe that’s not a bad thing. I can imagine the tourists walking by…”Should we go here? I don’t know…Tanta? What does that mean? Do they have steak here? Do you think I can put ketchup on it? I hope they open at 5.”

But once inside, I love the space. I love the bar and would happily come back here to dine solo. I love that it’s not too uber-stuffed with tables and chairs. There’s an appreciation of personal space here that is just really nice.

That being said, personal space is on overdrive at the back of the restaurant at our table, which is too wide and too long for our party of five. I am the fifth wheel. And the restaurant is LOUD and my hearing is not as bionic as it used to be. I am alone at the end of the table, but the lovely and gracious Mr. Stashwick is a wonderful table-mate.

Enough babble. Let’s talk CHICKEN. I cannot profess my love of a full roast chicken enough. Roast chicken is one of my absolute favorite things to eat and to make. (Yes, you read that correctly…to make!) While I hate restaurant chicken breast entrees (too frozen Restaurant Depot for me), I love a pick-at-it-all-day-and-all-night-long roast chicken. And Tanta’s is probably one of the best I’ve ever had. The presentation is awesome…so many sides and lovely crisp potatoes that are even crisp the next morning when I polish them off as leftovers for breakfast. Seriously, this is very good stuff, very excellent, supremely competent stuff.

The Verdict: I will be back here soon. You should go too. Maybe we should go together and drink all the Pisco Sours together.

P.S. It’s perhaps worthy to note that we received special treatment the night we came in because Francis was super-excited about the restaurant’s opening and had been in touch with Gaston Arcurio and staff. The chef came out a few times to talk with us, along with some of the other senior staff. Also, we were comped a few dishes; my apologies but because I was not in charge of the bill, I’m not sure what exactly we were comped but it was a small amount in relation to the overall bill. We tipped as if we had not been comped, of course.

The post Tanta, Chicago first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.