Shining City

I came to Chicago for a publishing conference. It was awesome to see and hear the great things people are doing with their magazines, but the second I saw a chance to break out, I took a walk. I did a nice, long loop around Millenium Park, along Lake Michigan, and back up to Navy Pier, stopping to take pics of the absurd names people give their boats. All the buildings are beautiful, but the Marina Towers (aka. Wilco Towers) were the coolest. The "Jellybean" and the video installation in Millenium Park were hilarious - especially with kids and drunks splashing around, and the dozens of cops on Segways playing yard monitors.

Later in the day, the art director of my magazine arrived and after a few free margaritas (yay, hotel cocktail hour!) we had another big walk. I could've kept walking and snapping pics until the sun came up.

My last night in town, I met up with my old, great friend Matt for dinner, and got a small tour of other parts of Chicago.

And finally, with a few last hours to spare, I got to grab a last taste of pizza with housemade sausage and some of the best Lambrusco I've ever had.

Flying Solo in the Windy City

Never having been to Chicago, it was nice to have a day to myself, to get pleasantly lost and discover.

A short list of faves: The Gotham-style architecture is jaw-dropping. I felt like I was in a Superman or Batman comic. The old, landmark building by my hotel that was lit with gas lamps at night. The pizza totally lives up to the hype, even for folks who live for NYC style.That first night, the fog rolled in from Lake Michigan and shrouded the tops of the buildings, and it felt like a warmer SF. The bottle shop down the street had tons of Belgian ales and I ended up picking the Foret because it had unicorns and elves on the label. The El is my favorite public transportation ever. The old, creaky, but sturdy train had me caught up in nostlagia for things I don't even know.

Oh! Hi!

Mark is from these parts, but I had no idea where, what, etc. Ojai was all about. It's pretty awesome. Especially if you and your buddies and buddies of buddies are taking over the town for a wedding. This hokey hotel was just whack enough to be hilarious, but not too gross. I did have an over-priced torta that was made with lightly spiced SPAM. I guess multi-millionaire LA weekenders don't demand good Mexican food. Thankfully, we were in town for the wedding of one of the finest cooks I've ever known. Leave it to Danielle & Adrian to make sure that the big, extended Circle of Radness was well-stuffed with fresh, local goodness.

I Thee Wed

Can you see how amazing that arbor is? Our friend Mark called upon some very talented friends and built is out of drift wood. The minister talked about the magic of finding love in the mountains when you think you're alone. Everyone was spritzing themselves with lavendar to keep the bugs at bay, and the air smelled wonderful. And a quite good singer sang an ethereal chant as the important folks rolled up.