This morning was one of those lovely mornings where I woke up just before the sun and time allowed me to lay there with Luna Bell on my pillow a little longer, the sun and I both slowly waking up.
What a wonderful way to start the day. Nature’s alarm clock.
Sometimes, it’s just a wine with a dear friend,
come home to your boo,
make a late night snack,
play fetch with your cat kind-of-night.
Happy Friday!
Labor Day weekend is traditionally, if not officially, the last weekend of summer. It’s been a real, live summer; a hot, sticky, lots of popsicles and swims in the lake kind of summer. Even though the temperature dropped 15 degrees literally over night, I spent a good part of this weekend soaking up those last delicious moments that happen at the end of each season. The ones you aren’t quite ready to let go of even though you’re looking forward to the next best thing.
It was a tad chilly this weekend but you better believe I was going to lay out. I grabbed a blanket, book, and boyfriend and went to the park near our apartment. I just wanted to feel the sun on my face and smell the sweet smell of freshly cut grass one last time. This may sound dramatic but if you live in the Midwest, you know these days are fleeting and you know how difficult it is in February to remember what it’s like to walk outside and not hate…well, everything. The above pic was taken pre-park nap. This is my kind of outdoorsiness.
In keeping with the theme of “one last ___”, it was also time for one last summer cocktail. Taste testing at Whole Foods procured us a bottle of Blackberry wine. Way too sweet to drink straight but we played around a bit and came up with this:
A little vodka, a little blackberry wine, a little soda water and muddled raspberries. Delightful. We all know how much I love champagne so I’m thinking a splash of the blackberry wine topped with champagne will be my Fall cocktail. Replacing the standard Fall favorite of Captain and Apple Cider. Stay tuned.
People who have dogs were out in full force, playing fetch in the hot summer sun one last time. We have a cat and it’s generally not socially acceptable to take her places so Ryan played fetch with her inside.
Ryan throws red ball. Luna Bell jumps, meows and waits for him to do it again. This went on for a good 15 minutes. Our cat is the best dog ever.
So, farewell Summer. Thanks for being so sunny and warm and sparkly on the water outside my window. Please don’t be shy about showing up again, perhaps as early as April. We’ll be anxiously waiting…
Moving on up…literally. Up to the 41st floor to be more exact. This is what I wake up to every morning. Yeah, I’m still not even close to over it–I had about 40 pictures to choose from for this post of the exact same view because I take a picture pretty much every morning, noon and night. Thank God all those other apartments didn’t work out because apparently 18th time’s a charm.
Luna Bell is thrilled with the move. She doesn’t know what to do with all the room she has to run and her new favorite past time is watching the lights from cars going by at night. Her head just whips back and forth. It’s hilarious.
Ryan feels pretty much the same way. He has lots of room to run and he likes looking out the window too.
As for me, I’m just livin’ the dream. When I was young, my family came to Chicago a lot. I wasn’t allowed to cross the street by myself in my hometown, but for some reason, when we were in Chicago, my Dad would leave me a $10 on the dresser at the hotel in the morning to get myself a newspaper and Corner Bakery for breakfast and then I would wander around Michigan Avenue and the Gold Coast window shopping for hours. I remember thinking, “Someday, this is what I’m going to do every day.” I know that’s super cheesy but if I ever stop squealing on the inside (and let’s be serious, sometimes on the outside) when I cross the river in the morning or see the Navy Pier fireworks happening right outside my window or when my daily run consists of being on the most beautiful lake-shore in the world, well, then it’s time for me to move. Or stop being such a curmudgeon.
Living with my favorite person and cat in the world in my favorite city in the world…jackpot, baby. Overwhelmingly grateful for these blessings.
High Five of the Day: I just noticed the reflection in this above picture so the High Five of the Day has got to go to my tank top. The Scoop Neck Tank is my fav.
There is a good chance that Luna Bell, Ryan and I will not be homeless come July 1. I saw my 18th and 19th apartments yesterday and loved, loved, loved both of them. After several pros and cons lists, we made a decision. I’m waiting until papers are signed and it’s official but I thought you would be happy to know that I most likely won’t be begging to live on your couch in 2 weeks.
And b y couch, I mean couches. And by couches, I mean all 5 of yours, Corey Lambert.
I’ve been a bad blogger.
I haven’t posted in almost 2 weeks but there’s a reason–I have been on the most ridiculous, annoying, frustrating apartment search of all time.
I didn’t want to write about it because I love this city and usually don’t stand for anyone to talk smack about it but they say “write what you know” and lately, what I know is the world of endless apartment searching.
While I haven’t been blogging, I most certainly have been on the internets. For hours. Every day. Scouring every apartment rental website in Cook County. We are on our 4th agency because every time someone shows us a shit hole or tell me they can’t find me what we want, we get mad and go find someone else to show us apartments. All we want is a 1-2 bedroom apartment in Streeterville or Lincoln Park (1 block either way off a very specific street) that is new/remodeled, gives my man friend good access to the Metra and me good access to a wine bar. And is Luna Bell friendly. And Rufus-friendly, the dog we do not yet have but want really badly. And is under our budget. And has a rooftop deck.
That’s not too much to ask for, is it?
The above picture is taken from the window of our dream apartment. You know, the huge, affordable, gorgeous, chic apartment that was snatched out from under us by some stealthy renter with a credit card over the phone just as I was starting to fill out the paperwork.
Another one of my favorites was one that I later found out was host to a shooting in the courtyard this winter. They blamed it on “outside influences” but I don’t want to live somewhere with people who have outside influences that shoot people.
I thought that the big decision was to live together. I thought that after that glorious moment as we were walking home from Panes was over, our biggest decision was going to be revolving around the choice between Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn.
I have about a thousand and two phone calls to make this morning, after which we should know if we are going to be homeless come July 1 or not. I’ll k eep you posted–when this apartment search is over, I’ll be shouting it from the rooftops…which my new building better have in the form of a rooftop deck.
The neighborhood of Bucktown is growing on me. I say “growing on me” because the first time I went there, it took me an hour and a half via bus and it’s only 1.5 miles away from my apartment. I was late for a meeting and cursed Bucktown for not having a good, fast, public transportation way to get there. This time, I took cabs and I must say, the absence of struggle to get there really improved my opinion of this charming area.
Bucktown is just east of the Kennedy Expressway and apparently, gets its name from the many goats that were raised there in the early 19th century. While I did not see any goats during my 3 days in Bucktown, I did see lots of high end shopping, eclectic art galleries, gourmet groceries, cool bars and trendy restaurants. A colleague brought me to Olivia’s Market where I was greeted by this:
These fresh cut flowers were just as fragrant as they were visually beautiful. Olivia’s Market was wonderful little specialty food store, filled with a great wine selection, made-to-order sandwiches, cheese, an olive bar AND 10 cent candy. Everyone working in the store knew my co-worker which reminded me of what it was like to go to the market in Italy, where everyone knows each other and it’s just a big social event. I left with a 7-grain salad, guava Kombucha, 2 Swedish Fish, a peanut butter cup and very, very happy.
Mid-afternoon, I was in dire need of caffeine so I schlepped across the street (which technically brought me into Wicker Park, just so no one tries to beat me up for saying it’s still Bucktown) to Buzz: Killer Espresso. I don’t claim to be a coffee connoisseur but if I was, Buzz: Killer Espresso would be my regular haunt. Everything is custom made (i.e. no coffee poured from a vat that has been sitting there for hours) and I had the most lovely chat with owner Stefan about the book “Pour Your Heart Into It” and to be really great in business, you need to figure out what is it you do best in the world. I can’t wait to come back in the summer when the outside patio is open–I envision lots of lattes and people watching. 1644 N. Damen–check it out.
Finally, I checked out Coast Sushi Bar.
I have been hearing about this place since I moved to Chicago and I must say, it did not disappoint. BYOB, minimalistic but lively atmosphere, and the quality of the sashimi and make rolls were excellent. The White Dragon Roll was amazing! Being there with co-workers I can also call my friends didn’t hurt either. Did I mention it was BYOB? Can’t wait to go back.
High Five of the Day: Waking up to Luna Bell asleep on my stomach. She is such a sweet kitty, I don’t know what people without pets do. If you don’t have one, I suggest immediately going to PAWS Chicago to get one. Awesome organization and really, how can you say no to this little face?
It’s still snowing. While it isn’t what the East Coast is getting slammed with, for a city with bare sidewalks yesterday, it is still something. I took this picture while I was walking to 7/11. I felt it was too snowy to venture to the gym but felt it was completely necessary to walk almost the same distance to get this:
I love Diet Coke and am perfectly willing to go out in a snowstorm for it. And look! Valentine’s cans! Love and Diet Coke–a match made in heaven.
Here’s how Luna Bell feels about the snow:
She doesn’t want to talk about it.
Panes Bread Cafe. Sigh. How I love Panes Bread Cafe.
First of all, it’s a cafe for BREAD. Who doesn’t love a whole cafe dedicated to carbolicious delights? Second, it’s literally a 2 minute walk from my apartment. Third, they decorate for every holiday and Lord knows I love me some holiday spirit.
Panes makes all their bread on the premise and in addition to the best sandwiches on the planet, their salads are great and their carrot cake is to die for. As is the white chocolate rice pudding and the monster cookies (see sign in photo). And the cream puffs. My favorite is the “Turkey, Turkey” –turkey, roasted red pepper, avocado and spicy mayonaise on a tomato bun that is just unbelievably fresh. Once, I had to wait for the tomato bread to get out of the oven to make my sandwich. I didn’t mind.
Ryan and I got lunch at Panes today for the second time in the last week and have been going there since July so I thought it was time for a mention. It’s so homey inside, truly the go-to lunch spot in the neighborhood so it’s kinda like a Lakeview watering hole. I listened to a fascinating convo between 2 30-something women about Facebook (“why do the 20-something girls at work disguise their names and untag pictures on facebook?! I don’t care about my privacy, it’s just facebook!”) and another duo discussing a bad date from the night before, which really did sound awful. Did I mention this little place doesn’t take credit cards? Although kind of inconvenient when I don’t have cash on me, it proves that between the quality sandwiches and bread and reasonable prices ($5.50!) this place has serious staying power. There’s no website either but if you want a dose of fresh, delicious, carb-loving heaven, the address is 3002 N. Sheffield.
High Five of the Day: We get home from Panes and Ryan immediately starts calling for Luna Bell, per usual. Is she rolling on the corner of the living room rug like usual when she hears the key in the door? Is she snuggled up on my new super soft, super cozy blanket? Is she under the covers? No. Luna is laying on Ryan’s sweater, bypassing the blanket, pillows and all the other things she usually lays on. What can I say? LB is a luxury kitty and she likes cashmere. I raised her right.
This is Luna Bell. She has been my cat for 2 years. I went to PetSmart a few months ago looking for a water bowl. And not just any water bowl–a water bowl that would end her favorite past time of whacking it across the room the second it is filled, thus littering my kitchen floor with water and getting my feet wet every time I want a Diet Coke out of the fridge. In other words, something heavy and skid resistant. While I was at PetSmart, I was talking to a lady who was there with a pet shelter. When I told her I had a “rescue kitty”, she started gushing about how grateful rescue pets are. That no matter what happens, you just have a grateful animal on your hands. Let me tell you about my grateful cat.
Luna Bell enjoys cocktail parties, wet cat food and sleeping at the top of my pillow (see above). She hates beef, being cold and Justin Timberlake. Since we started our life together in a studio apartment, she has to do everything with me, even though we’ve now hit the big time and live in a one bedroom. She will only eat if someone is standing near her, she takes up half my pillow at night (again, see above–that was taken at 10pm yesterday) and I swear, when I was practicing yoga last night, she crawled on my mat and did a stretch that totally looked like downward dog. LB always lays with her chin flat on the ground or with her arms crossed, preferably on top of my Blackberry. Ryan does nothing to help the cause–he feeds her canned cat food every Sunday and I once came home to the two of them sitting on the floor in the kitchen, sharing a can of tuna. Oh and when the temperature in my apartment drops below 70, she digs her way under the covers so I can see is a Luna Lump in the center of my bed.
When it comes to being grateful, I think that’s me. Thanks, LB, for being my favorite friend under the weight of ten pounds.