That's right. Another post about hot dogs.

"Stay hungry. Stay foolish." - Steve Jobs

I like to think that I follow Steve Jobs's advice every time I travel. The first thing I plan whenever I'm travelling to any given city is where I need to eat. If I'm lucky, my travelling companion will be interested in museums, boat cruises, and walks in famous parks, and our two lists will come together like magic. If that's not the case...well, I can't be held responsible. Now open up!

In Chicago, this food-centric tour took the form of donuts, hot dogs, and other such healthy, hip-loving delights. The Doughnut Vault being no exception. Everyone warned about the lines that stretch around the block and also how they close as soon as they sell out, but I got lucky--arriving at eleven, I was able to walk straight up to that tiny, tiny counter in that tiny, tiny hallway and load up. I can only assume there was nobody waiting because they all thought the Vault would be sold out and closed by that time. But there were four whole donuts left! A chocolate AND a gingerbread stack, all of which I bought and promptly devoured. That's right. I closed the place DOWN.

(This is what bliss looks like.)

This is also what bliss looks like: pig face at The Girl and the Goat. Imagine a maple breakfast sausage covered in shoestring fries and a perfectly fried egg: basically, all you could ever want in a meal. Also, GOAT CARPACCIO. I know! There was SOMUCHDELICIOUSGOAT on that menu. And not ONE was a curry, thank you very much. It was like I died and went to bleating heaven. 

 

The next day I took my classy, ever-expanding self across town to wait in line for what was to become the best hot dog experience of my life: Hot Doug's. And I actually MET Hot Doug because he WORKS there and I made him take a PICTURE with me. And waiting 45 minutes was ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT. We went on Duck-Fat-Fries Saturday and while they were fantastic, the real star of the show was The Dog--I ordered the Bacon Cheeseburger Dog with Coca Cola BBQ sauce and maple-smoked cheddar cheese and I kid you not, IT REALLY TASTED LIKE A BACON CHEESEBURGER. IN A DOG. There was bacon and cheese INSIDE the sausage. INSIDE THE SAUSAGE! With every bite, cheese gooed out. SERIOUSLY. And if that doesn't make you realize you haven't lived, nothing will. It was, hands-down, the best hot dog I've ever had in my life. That is, until I tried my friend's Chicago Dog. Then THAT became the best hot dog I've ever had in my life. Which makes me think they're ALL the best hot dog I've ever had in my life. EVER.

I actually want to try every single item on this menu. Don't judge me.

And lest you think all I did was eat (uh), check out this architectural boat cruise! It went through the rivers/canals/allthosewaterways and a lovely old lady told us who designed all those gorgeous buildings and I learned a LOT.* 

Like did you know one of the Batman movies was filmed here? I know! I remember all the good stuff. It is SO Gotham City. Look at that fog over the top of the tower. I didn't even photoshop that in.

I'll release you all from my Chicago tour now--two posts on it far surpasses how I usually cover a city. But I couldn't resist storing my food memories somewhere, and here is a much safer place than my head.*

Until we meet again,

Big hugs and lots of love,

Essss

*Mostly that I have zero capacity for remembering names. Which you may have already suspected if you've ever met me at a party.

On Highgate Wood, a new friend, the pleasures of fall, and the difficulties of self-pimping

Remember back when I used to blog post all the time? Yeah. That was awesome. I was amazing.  Don't spend too much time on that link; I think I used to be mildly illiterate if those posts are anything to go by.

In other tidings, I've made a new friend! She is GREAT. We met for the first time after corresponding through our blogs and it was like a blind date and I was all nervous that she wouldn't like me but then she was so much fun all my nervousness went away and now I want to hang out with her all the time but I'm totally playing cool so she doesn't think I'm stalking her. We spent an afternoon in Highgate Wood and it was such a beautiful fall day, all blue blue skies and red and yellow leaves and the light was so golden like an apple that I thought maybe I was in a different place like Vermont or Maine, and I was going to go home to my farm and my chickens and my jug of maple syrup and my barrels filled with something organic from my local market and then I would turn on some Philip Glass while I made dinner. That's how nice it was.

I think fall is London's best and my new favorite season. Normally spring or summer would be neck-and-neck and fall would be somewhere down in 'yeah, when I'm moody' territory, but this year spring didn't actually lead to summer, so I'm still a bit mad at both of them. And if I know London, winter is definitely coming. So right now fall is in the lead, if for no other reason than promises delivered. Go fall!

And honestly. Look at this: 

 I know!

My new bff! If she lived in America, she would totally listen to NPR. You can tell.

And then a ram appeared in the thicket.

Did I mention I have to create a personal brochure? I do. It's difficult for many reasons, not the least of which is that I'm not actually sure what I'm selling here.  It's certainly not my ability to design furniture. And apparently the capacity to spot a designer chair from a mile away isn't something marketable. I'm also having trouble making 'retentively organized' sound artistic and sexy. I'm clearly going to have to start making things up...What would Jasper Morrison say...

I hope you're doing well! I miss you.

Big hugs and lots of love,

Esss

On Chicago, old friends, veal brains, and zoo porn

Chicago. I love it. IloveitIloveitIloveit.

Me and Chicago, we go way back. Most of my past visits are a bit blurry thanks to my dementia and the fact that I didn't have a blog in those days to record things in, but I still have snapshots in my head that tell me I've been there so I'm going with it. Once in college, I went with my roommate (a native) and we snuck into the Signature Lounge in the John Hancock Tower because we were 19 and looked about twelve and wanted to see the view. I remember going another time with a volunteer group and tutoring inner city kids and seeing Cabrini Green pre-demolishment (we weren't allowed out of the van) and all the little girls I worked with wanting to know 'Why I ain't got no baby?' And then, years later, I road-tripped through. 

But this time it was different--I wasn't staying with friends and I couldn't afford to be a lazy planner. I had to pay attention. Chicago became a whole new city to me because of this, and I absolutely fell in love. Not a little credit is due to a wonderful reunion with old friends at a 30th birthday party, around which this entire weekend was centered. (I never miss 30th birthday parties. Especially when the birthday girl is an award-winning black belt.) 

(That's her. Behind the waffle.) 

We had a blast together: we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo, had lunch at Hot Doug's (more on that in the next post because omg! hot dogs!), followed by dinner at the Publican (holy veal brains, batman! So...creamy...), and capped off the whole day with the Blue Man Group. 

(Not pictured: Blue Man Group.)

Have you been to the Lincoln Park Zoo? If not, you should. It's free. I think that's the best part. I'm not really a fan of zoos in general (not because of anything noble, I just think animals are dull when all they do is pace and sleep), but I'll take a free zoo any day. Especially a free zoo featuring zebras molesting one another, which this one did. It was pretty much the greatest thing I've ever seen in my life. I couldn't get my camera out fast enough to capture the wholly one-sided amorous encounter, but I did get a snapshot of the aftermath: 

This is what shame looks like. 

It was fantastic.

I've got to go now--classes began this week and they are NOT messing around. Among other things, I have to research workstations* for a design project and make a giant poster on materials and processes. I know you're all going to clamour for a copy of that poster when I'm done, but I'm sorry to say it's not for sale. You're just going to have to figure out how to cast non-ferrous metals on your own.

I miss you tons. 

Big hugs and lots of love,

Essss

*Does anybody happen to know a designer or architect in London that I can talk to about their workspace? Anybody?

You should see my shopping list.

I'm going to America tomorrow. I'M GOING TO AMERICA TOMORROW!! I don't know if that's okay to say. I had a girlfriend come visit me here in London once and she spent half her time on Facebook pretending to be home so people wouldn't know she was gone and try to break into her house. I don't know what kinds of friends she has.

That said, don't break into my house while I'm away. I'm totally home. 

But if I WEREN'T home these next couple of weeks, I'd be in Chicago! And then Tulsa! And then--* pitter patter *--SAN FRANCISCO! Did your head just explode? Mine did. Please, someone gather up my gray matter and push it back in. I am so excited!

All the things I am looking forward to:

 A walk along Lake Michigan

My beautiful nieces!

Everything else.

And in closer-to-London news, I got a job! Well, sort of three. You know, when it rains and all. But two are unpaid, so I like to think those are just for 'fun'--one is that internship for the literary publicist, one is a potential readership for a book agent, and one is contract work as an admin assistant! (That's the paid gig, since we all know admin is my x-power.) And of course I cleverly timed everything to start at the same time as my classes, because what is life if not overbooked?

I would love to stay and talk but I really should get back to my trip preparation. I've done the laundry and cleaning and travel document organization, so now all I have to do is pack and eat all the food in the fridge. YES!

Big hugs and lots of love and see you soon,
Essss

On liking, loving, and assumptions of obsession

A bookshop in Dublin, quote by Flann O'Brien

So I took down my last post because I may or may not be doing an internship with a literary publicist soon and the last thing I wanted was for them to google me and find me posting about experimental sushi hot dogs (I KNOW!) but now I'm in a position of having to write about something that makes me sound smart.

...   

Maybe the absence of something embarrassing will suffice in the place of something meritorious; I'm drawing from an empty well here.

True story: once I told someone that I liked children's literature. Later, and unrelatively, I mentioned that I went to a sci-fi exhibit at the British Library. Ever since then, this person will preface any discussion we have of books with 'Well, I know this isn't a kid book or sci-fi, but...' 

I love that.

It's like when you're ten and you draw a picture of Mickey Mouse because it's easy and makes you look talented and your family thinks because of this that you must love Mickey Mouse and so for the next five years everyone is giving you Mickey Mouse tee shirts and watches and pillows and radios for Christmas and birthdays and there is nothing you can say to stop it because the idea has taken root. (Not that this happened to me, but it totally did.) Once a person has a notion in their head about you, it is nearly impossible to change. I think the best you can do is hope to redirect. Perhaps with the person above who thinks I'm obsessed with sci-fi this means talking about a fascination with Jewish literature, or light pollution, or the wonders of peppers. That could sufficiently throw me across another train track. When I was young, I should've taken to drawing pictures of gold bricks and LP's. Who can say where I'd be now if I had derailed the Mickey train and replaced it with wealth and music taste?

Either way, I've got to build myself a new box soon, and hopefully one with more than two sides.

(Dublin again; it's a city that understands me)

Before I forget! I must apologize to subscribers of my feed. There's some sort of glitch that causes random posts from the past to come flying out of nowhere and back into your inbox. I think it's triggered by me taking down posts, but I don't really understand why that would be, so I don't want to conjecture too much. Suffice it to say, I'm so sorry for spamming you, please do delete these extra posts when they arrive.

I have to go now, but here's one last photo from Dublin; I'm off to Galway on Friday for a wedding and I hope it's as beautiful as this. 

Big hugs and lots of love,
Esssss