A Visit Means Learning More About My Town

I had a good friend of mine come into town this weekend. This can be a lot of fun. Not only is it good to see old friends, but it’s often a chance to learn about new things right in your own city.

It’s a funny thing about living in a place. You just get used to doing things. You get used to the fact that the Sears Tower is part of the skyline. If you live in Paris, it must be the same thing with the Eiffel Tower. In St. Louis, you just came to accept the fact that the Arch was going to be there.

There are restaurants everywhere in this town. Most of them you drive or walk by and never think about going into. Sometimes you hear about them and think that maybe you would like to visit them at some point, but you just never get the chance. When life gets in the way of things, you just go on living and you don’t think about all of the cool stuff that’s there.

Just think about where you live. Sure, you may live in a small town, but I am betting there are still things in and around the area that people like to visit when they come in from out of town. If you live in a place like New York, think of all of the things everyone in the world talks about and associates with your city. Then think of all of the times you actually partake of those things. See, what I mean?

So, it is with some delight that I wanted to talk about some of the cool things I found out about Chicago this weekend while I was walking around with my friend.

Smith and Wollensky – This is a restaurant right on the Chicago River. It is just below the infamous Marina Towers. You know the Marina Towers if you have ever seen a picture of Chicago or seen a movie filmed in Chicago and saw those two towers that look like corn cobs.

The towers were meant to be a self-contained city. At one time they had a grocery store, bowling alley and movie theater. Then the entire downtown area fell on hard times and so did Marina Towers.

Then people started coming back downtown. Now the Towers are hot again and people are living there again.

Smith and Wollensky is a fancy restaurant. Their head chef is a guy named Chef Hans and he is famous around here for his appearances on the Steve Dahl radio show. He also happens to be a talented chef.

My friend and I ate there on a Sunday morning, late in the morning. I had a sushi-grade tuna steak and their homemade fries. It was one of the best meals I have had in a long time. The tuna was seared on the top and bottom, and almost raw in the middle. As a new fan of sushi, this was a delight. The fries are great.

It costs a pretty penny, but damn, this place has good food. If you are in town, look up the name Smith and Wollensky and enjoy

Wicked – This is a musical that has taken up residence here in Chicago at the Oriental Theatre. The Oriental Theatre is also known as Ford Theatre, but no one I know actually calls it that. This play is a musical that tells the story of the Wicked Witch of the West and what really happened to make her into the character you know from “The Wizard of Oz.”

The music is great, the play is funny, the songs are catchy. The special effects are dazzling. The actress, Erin Mackey, who plays Glinda, is fantastic and funny. The show had me cheering and singing the tunes afterward and wanting to come back to see the show again.

I can’t believe it took me as long as it did to finally get around to seeing this play. Check it out!

Toyota Park – I had never heard of this stadium located in suburban Bridgeview. It turns out it’s where the Chicago Fire Major League Soccer team plays. It’s a pain in the ass to get there from downtown, what with the Dan Ryan construction, but it’s worth it.

I went here with my friend to see the Dave Matthews Band play. The concert was great, but it took forever to get into the place and park. So, my one complaint about this stadium would be the way in which they handle parking. Still, I am betting they don’t have to handle this many cars when the Fire are playing.

It’s an amazing place. I would put in on par with Soldier Field downtown. We had seats 11 rows back and it was amazing. I have my doubts there was a really bad seat anywhere in the place.

The Westin River North – This is the hotel my friend stayed at. If you can afford it, stay here. The rooms are huge and clean. They have free internet service. They also have one of the coolest hotel lobbies you are likely to see.

They have a restaurant called Ember. It looks great, if not particularly big, but I never see anyone in it. Check it out before it closes and let me know how it is.

They also have a bar in the center that has a great selection of drinks. You can sit down there and enjoy the sushi bar right in the same area. Great sushi and great fresh fish. It’s great atmosphere and the people who serve are very nice.

So, that’s it. I hope you come to Chicago and I hope you check out these places. I also hope you have a great time.

Bryan W. Alaspa’s novel Dust is available in print and eBook format at his website www.bryanalaspa.com and www.amazon.com. He also has several short stories available for purchase and download at www.amazon.com.