Beautiful Chicago: A City in a Garden

When Chicago was first incorporated as a city in 1837 it chose a Latin phrase “Urbs in Horto” as its motto meaning “A City in a Garden”.


My neighbor's garden back in 2009.

Once a swampy outpost, Chicago has had a long history of landscaping and horticulture innovation. Back in the day many horticulturalists had to find ways to fight the freezing winters and crazy winds. Many immigrants created humble gardens or found ways to import exotic plants. In the 1850's laws were enacted to unify agencies and resources in order to create the nation's first comprehensive park and boulevard system.


Walking towards Millennium Park.

Today Chicago has over 500 parks covering over 7,300 acres. Chicago's largest park, Lincoln Park, gets over 20 million visitors a year making it the second most-visited park in the U.S. after New York's Central Park.

The parks are run by the Chicago Park District (CPD). CPD is the oldest (established in 1934) and most well-financed park district in the country. Chicago spends more money on its parks than any other city in the United States (yay higher taxes!). CPD is in charge of overseeing 33 beaches, 9 museums, 2 conservatories, 16 lagoons, 10 bird and wildlife gardens, and a harbor system with enough capacity to hold 5,000 boats. According to a CPD 2008 financial report, CPD is also in charge of 534 baseball fields, 10 ice-skating rinks, 618 tennis courts, 44 soccer fields, 372 volleyball courts, 2 zoos, and 228 sandboxes (I wonder who had to count those!).



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In 1989 a resurgence of Chicago's “City in a Garden” motto was spearheaded by former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.


Walking along State St. near the Chicago Public Library.

The mayor's goal was to beautify the city to attract its most important resource: human talent. It was the mayor's hope that making Chicago an attractive city to live in would bring in residents, investors, employers, job seekers, and tourists.

Richard Daley's plans seemed to have worked when in 2001, Boeing chose Chicago as its new metropolitan headquarters over Dallas and Denver.


Walking through Wrigleyville for a Cubs game.

Since 1989 $5.2 billion has been spent improving Chicago's walkways, parks, and streets. 300,000 trees have been planted throughout Chicago since then as well.


Some random shops around Chicago Ave.

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For more information about the Chicago Park District check out:
http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/

For an awesome history book of Chicago's parks, check out The City in a Garden: A Photographic History of Chicago's Parks by Julia Sniderman Bachrach.

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Yayyyy...it's half way to Friday. :)

-Manny

Disclaimer: Chicago's beauty subject to change based on weather, temperature, windiness, rain, cloudiness, etc.

Iconic Foods of Chicago

Some cities or regions have food that is attributed to them.

New England is known for its clam chowder. Philadelphia is known for its cheese and steak sandwiches. Seattle is known for coffee. Some say New York has the best pizza. Buffalo in New York is famous for its buffalo wings. Maine is known for its lobster. Boston has Boston baked beans. And Scotland has uh...haggis. And the list goes on and on.

Chicago can officially claim its own regional specialties. When you come for the SVU Conference, see if you can try any of the following foods.



Chicago-style Hotdog
What makes a Chicago-style hotdog unique is its specific ingredients. These are the rules for a true Chicago-style hotdog:

-A true Chicago hot dog MUST be made by the Vienna Beef Company. Founded during the Chicago World's Columbian Expedition (1893), the company introduced Chicago to the Vienna-style (i.e. frankfurter) weiner.
-The hotdog must be 100% beef.
-The hotdog must be steamed, but boiling is okay too. Grilling it would not make it Chicago-style.
-The hotdog must be served on a poppy seed bun.
-The following condiments are the ONLY things allowed on the hotdog:
* Yellow mustard
* Bright green relish
* Onions
* Tomato wedges
* Pickle spear
* Sport peppers
* Celery salt.
-NO ketchup is allowed. I repeat NO KETCHUP is allowed. Adding ketchup is a felony in Chicago.

This hotdog was perhaps popularized during the Great Depression because it offered a full meal with veggies at a low cost.



Maxwell St. Polish
The Maxwell St. Polish is simply a Polish sausage served with mustard and grilled onions. It is said to have been introduced to the people of Chicago in 1939 by Jim Stefanovich who took over his aunts street stand on Halsted and Maxwell street.



Italian Beef
The Italian Beef sandwich originated in Chicago in the 1930's. It's simply cuts of sirloin beef placed on Italian bread and topped with giardiniera (Italian relish of pickled vegetables or sweet peppers). The beef is wet-roasted in broth made with garlic and oregano. After it's cooked the beef is sliced and placed in its original broth for hours.

Perhaps the most popular place to get Italian Beef sandwiches is Al's No. 1 Italian Beef, which has been open astonishingly since 1938. Also remember that the bread is purposely served wet (drenched in broth). You can ask for it dry.



Chicago Deep Dish Pizza
Deep dish pizza was invented in the U.S. in 1943 (post-World War II) by Ike Sewell at his Chicago-based restaurant, Pizzeria Uno.

This is what makes Chicago Deep Dish Pizza different:
-The dough is made with cornmeal and olive oil.
-The pan used to cook the pizza is "deep", which allows the pizza to have heightened sides.
-The toppings and meat are not placed on top of the pizza. Instead they are below the top layer. (this rule doesn't always apply)
-The pizza is topped with cheese and THEN the cheese is covered with tomato sauce.
-You eat the pizza with a fork.

I'm actually not a fan of Chicago-style pizza. I prefer thin crust. But I implore visitors to give it a try because it's still a part of Chicago's culture.



Pork Chop in Bone Sandwich
I'm not really sure if this can only be found in Chicago, but this is basically a pork chop sandwich...but the bone is still left on the pork chop! It's served with grilled onions and mustard.



Garret's Popcorn
Garrett Popcorn Shop has been around since 1949. They make popcorn, but what's unique is they basically mix the flavors. The Chicago Mix is cheese popcorn mixed with caramel popcorn. Savory and sweet combined to create a unique flavor.



Popcorn is not unique to Chicago, but tourists still make a stop at Garrett's for some cultural excitement. It's like how when I was in Boston (for my first clinical site), people always made trips to Mike's Pastry in the North End because of their legendary cannoli's...even though Boston isn't the only place to find cannoli's.

Jibarito Sandwich
A Jibarito is a unique Puerto Rican sandwich introduced in Chicago in 1996 by Chicago restaurateur Juan Figueroa.



A Jibarito is basically a sandwich made with meat, garlic mayo, lettuce, tomato, and onions. However, instead of using bread to contain the ingredients, fried green plantains are used. Plantains are a type of banana. Yes, a sandwich made with bananas...pretty cool huh?



Frango Mints
According to the U.S. Patent Office, Frango Mints were trademarked in 1918. Frango Mints are basically chocolate truffles made with peppermint and butter. Frango Mints were once exclusively made in Chicago by a department store known as Marshall Fields.



Marshall Fields was a department store that traces its roots back to 1852. Before there was a Walmart, Nordstroms, Target, or even Sears, there was Marshall Fields. Marshall Fields grew to be one of the most innovative and successful retailers of its time. Marshall Fields was the first to introduce the bridal registry, the first to offer in-store dining, the first to use escalators, and the first to offer tea rooms for ladies to shop and drink tea.

And it was only from Marshall Fields where people could buy Frango Mints. Today Frango Mints are available everywhere through Macy's, which purchased what was left of Marshall Fields in 2005. Many Chicagoans still miss the glory days of Marshall Fields. :(



Horseshoe Sandwich (only available in Springfield, IL)
Okay this isn't from Chicago, but I had to mention it because it's a crazy dish. It's unique to Springfield, IL and I got to try it when I visited there in December 2010.

A Horseshoe Sandwich is basically an open-faced sandwich. Its starts with toast that is topped with meat (i.e. ham, hamburger), french fries, and cheese. Wallah, that's it. I would definitely have a carotid duplex exam after eating one of these. :)

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So these are some iconic foods from Chicago. They aren't exactly the finest or healthiest foods the city has to offer, but they are culturally significant and have stood the test of time.

Have a great Tuesday everyone,
Manny :)

Wrigley Field

WRIGLEY FIELD

If you're going to come to Chicago, then you absolutely HAVE to attend a Cubs Game!!! Your trip wouldn't be complete if you didn't. I bleed Cubby blue and so should you!! Visit the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, the pinnacle of Major League Ballparks. Nothing beats sitting under the sun and drinking a beer while enjoying one of baseball's most storied franchises. Wrigley Field is now in its 97th year of operation. Being built in 1914, it now ranks 2nd only behind Boston's Fenway Park (1908) as the oldest operating stadiums in the U.S.

Want to see whats going on outside Wrigleyville right now? Click on the link below to see a live HD stream outside the stadium!!

http://www.cubworld.com/category/a_cubworld_cam/

The best place to sit and enjoy yourself for a game is by far the Bud Light Bleachers!! The view is great and the atmosphere is amazing!!!

Deciding what to eat at game can be very difficult. If you want get what you paid for then you have to buy the 'Nachos in a Helmet'. For $15 its worth it and takes up to 3 people to eat it. Well, it only took Manny and I 10 minutes to devour it.

While sitting in the bleachers keep an eye on the scoreboard. Every time there is a hit or run scored look up and you'll see a guy changing the numbers manually. During the game he'll usually poke his head out to get a view of the action!!

Wrigley also has the hardest outfield wall in the Majors!! Literally. Behind that beautiful green colored Ivy are rock solid bricks, so don't mistaken it for a soft cushion wall!! Also, this chain link fence on top of the wall is unique as it is the only of its kind. If the ball falls in there, its a home run!!

On your way out don't forget to stop and visit the Harry Caray statue located outside the Bud Light Bleachers. Check this guy out who's sporting Harry Caray's famous glasses!!

Remember what happened on August 8, 1988? I was only 3 years old. On 8/8/88, the first night game took place at Wrigley Field!!! Unfortunately, it was the last Major League stadium to have lights installed and have a night game. Hey, better late than never!!!!

Luckily for us the Cubs have plenty of home games while you will be in Chicago for the SVU Conference. Check out cubs.com for tickets and timings.

Any questions feel free to ask.

Thanks.

-Mannan

Chicago's Millennium Park

Hello vascular world! It's Friday today...time to jump for joy. :)



Today I'd like to talk about Millennium Park. No visit to Chicago is complete without visiting this place. Located along The Magnificent Mile (Michigan Ave.), Millennium Park is a free 24.5-acre public park that offers world-class art, music, landscape design, and sculptures. It's a modern urban park that truly reflects the spirit of Chicago. It's open daily from 6am-11pm.

I'll never forget my first visit Millennium Park. It was in September 2009 and I had just moved from California (my home state) to attend Rush. I was randomly dawdling through the streets of Chicago and I just felt compelled to visit an area of trees across the street.

And these were some of the things I saw:



This is Crown Fountain. An interactive public work of art by artist Jaume Plensa, Crown Fountain is a reflective pool placed between two huge pillars displaying faces of random Chicago residents.



Crown Fountain is unlike any other fountain in the world. It's a high-tech work of art, yet it's accessible, inviting, and crowd-friendly.



This is Cloud Gate by Indian artist Anish Kapoor. The sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" and it sits atop the Park Grill restaurant in Millennium Park.



It is made out of 168 plates of stainless steel and yet it has NO visible seams. The design was found through a design competition and at first experts thought it was technologically impossible to complete...but here it is!



Cloud Gate is a photography magnet. My favorite aspect about Cloud Gate is that it reflects a beautiful panoramic view of the Chicago cityscape behind it.

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During my first visit to Millennium Park, I also noticed a huge group of people walking towards what looked like an amphitheater. I asked a random person what was going on and they told me there was a free opera that night. A free outdoor opera!? How cool is that?



I followed the crowd and came upon the most technologically advanced outdoor concert venue I have ever seen in my life, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Designed by architect Frank Gehry, the pavilion is the center piece of Millennium Park.



During the summers Millennium Park offers free world-class music at the pavilion. Not everything that plays there is for free as the venue is also used by touring musical acts like Tori Amos and Ray LaMontagne. People are free to bring their own food and have a picnic.



The acoustics are amazing for an outdoor venue. When I watched the opera that night it was super awesome.

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For more information about Millennium Park and a schedule of events happening there check out:
http://explorechicago.org/city/en/millennium.html

Here are some of the free world-class concerts happening at the same time as the SVU Conference:

June 6: Iron and Wine + The Head and the Heart 6:30pm. Free.
June 9: Hanngai + Aurelio Martinez. 6:30pm Free.
June 13: Phosphorescent + Campbell Brothers. 6:30pm Free.
June 16: Dandana: A Celebration of Muslim Voices. 6:30pm. Free.
June 20: Kings Go Forth + Ben L'Oncle Soul. 6:30pm. Free.

If you like classical music, the Grant Park Musical Festival is offering it's 77th season of FREE outdoor classical music led by conductor Carlos Kalmar. Here are some dates:

June 15: Opening Night Symphonie Fantastique with pianist Jean-Philippe Collard. 6:30pm.
June 17 & 18: Mendelssohn & Schoenberg by the Grant Park Chorus and Orchestra. 6:30pm.
June 22: Violinist Regina Carter and the Grant Park Orchestra. 6:30pm.

Have a great weekend everyone,
Manny :)

TIME's 100 Most Influential People: Chicago Chef Grant Achatz, The Man Who Lost His Sense of Taste.

Grant Achatz is one of the most compelling figures in the culinary world today. His restaurant, Alinea, is considered by Restaurant and Gourmet magazines to be the highest rated restaurant in North America and 6th in the world.

Grant is a master of molecular gastronomy, a progressive type of cuisine that uses creative techniques, the latest technology, an exotic mixture of ingredients, theatrical tableware, and plating design that sometimes resembles art more than food.

Grant has said that his dishes are meant to intimidate eaters. In an interview with NPR in March 2011, Grant stated, "Some of the courses served at Alinea are meant to intimidate because, if you think about eating, we do it two, three, four times a day since we're born, basically. And the act of eating — the mechanics of eating — become very monotonous. So literally you're either picking up a fork, a spoon, and you're eating from a plate or bowl with the same motion every time. So if we can break that monotony, then we get you to take notice of the moment, and now you're thinking about the food. It's making you feel a certain way. Then we've won."

Here are some examples of his amazing dishes (yah it's edible):


Pheasant served with shallot, cider gel, and burning oak leaves.


Potato. You're supposed to remove the needle which drops the hot potato into the cold soup.


Bacon


Bean


Guava

Grant's rise to fame began when he worked under Thomas Keller for four years at the widely-acclaimed French Laundry in California. In 2001 Grant moved to Chicago and turned a restaurant called Trio into a Mobil Five Star dining powerhouse (only 13 restaurants had that rating at the time). In 2005 Grant opened Alinea and it was instantly recognized as one of the premiere restaurants of the world.

Grant Achatz was at the top of his game. But in 2007, something devastating happened. Grant slowly lost his ability to taste. Soon after it was discovered that he had stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth and that it had metastasized to his neck. Grant met with doctors in New York at Memorial Sloan-Kettering and Northwestern University in Chicago and they all had the same conclusion: his only treatment option was 75% removal of his tongue and perhaps his entire jaw in order to save his life. Survival rates after five years of this cancer is less than 50%.


Grant Achatz and Dr. Everett Vokes of the University of Chicago

But Grant decided against it. His fear of permanently losing his ability to taste was greater than his fear of dying. No other doctors would agree to anything other than surgery, that is until Grant met Dr. Everett Vokes (an oncologist) at the University of Chicago. Dr. Vokes proposed conventional chemotherapy and use of a clinical trial drug called Erbitux.



Grant underwent treatment from July to December 2007. Even during his chemotherapy Grant continued to run Alinea and he created amazing dishes even though he could not taste his own creations.

In December of 2007 doctors at University of Chicago announced that Grant was in full remission. Other doctors in charge of his treatment included Dr. Elizabeth Blair, Dr. Ezra Cohen, and Dr. Daniel Haraf. And slowly but surely, Grant eventually recovered his sense of taste.

For an in-depth story of Grant Achatz's ordeal, check out this article from Chicago Magazine:
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/June-2008/Burned/index.php?cparticle=1&siarticle=0#artanc

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Chicago is a foodie city where people are guaranteed good food no matter their budget.



But if you have tons of money and you really feel like trying the best rest restaurant in North America and the 6th best in the world, you really should try out Alinea. Grant Achatz has been given a second chance at life and I'd pay top dollar for that.

Oh and on April 21st, 2011 Time magazine announced that Grant Achatz was on its list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

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I love love love talking about food and in the upcoming weeks I'll be talking more about it. Alinea is just a small part of the culinary adventure that is Chicago.

Have a super awesome night!
Manny

P.S. Alinea is super busy, so make your reservations NOW!

Eat, Shop, and Explore "The Magnificent Mile" in Chicago.

Every great city has a special street or district ripe for touristing.

Los Angeles has Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Las Vegas has The Strip. New York has 5th Avenue. Boston has Newbury Street. London has Bond Street. Zurich has Bahnhofstrasse Street.



Chicago's special street is called Michigan Ave. and it's also referred to as "The Magnificent Mile". Michigan Ave. is an amazing place to walk through and it's currently home to over 50 hotels and over 100 restaurants.



There's great shopping experiences for EVERYONE. Fashionistas can shop at Prada, Gucci, Neiman Marcus, Zara, etc. Outdoor enthusiasts can explore North Face, Eddie Bauer, Lululemon Athletica, etc. Personally, my favorite store is the Apple Store. :)

For a complete list of everything to do on Michigan Ave., check out:
http://www.themagnificentmile.com/

Michigan Ave. also serves as a cultural anchor for the city of Chicago. Some of the best celebrations and holiday events have occurred here. Some examples include:


Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup Parade (2010)


Filming Oprah's 24th Season Opening Show (2009)


The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival (during the holidays)


Michigan Ave. also serves as an access point to some of Chicago's finest architecture, museums, and parks. Some examples include:


Beautiful buildings :)


Marathons on Michigan Ave.


Outdoor concert and picnic at Millennium Park.

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Michigan Ave. is an amazing and charming district. I encourage all SVU attendees to take the time to explore the place. Michigan Ave. really showcases some of the best shopping, dining, arts, architecture, and scenic views of Chicago.

Michigan Ave. is located about 2 miles from McMcormick Place (where the SVU Conference is). Its fast and easy to get there by bus, cab, or by walking.

Check it out!

Have an awesome day,
Manny :)