Chicago Meetup On Sunday, 8/31?
I come into towns like a hurricane; I’ve usually got little time to spend, and a bunch of Internet-friends I’d like to visit. Which means that I kind of miss on meeting all the new and shiny people in town.
Well, in my endless quest to dine at Michelin-starred meals with my lovely wife, I’ll be breezing into Chicago to eat at Graham Elliott. This is doubly exciting because a) it will be my first introduction to molecular gastronomy, a whole new cuisine, and b) it will give me food from two of the three MasterChef judges. (Gordon Ramsay! I am coming for you! …Eventually!)
Anyway, the plan is that I’ll have Sunday afternoon on Labor Day weekend to kick around, and if y’all wanted to drop by and say hello, I’d put myself in a public space and have y’all drop by. Last time I did this in New York we got about twenty people, which was way more than I expected, but it certainly gives me the incentive to do it again, since I met some darned interesting people (and some long-term LJ friends).
So! If you’re interested, mark the date, and possibly suggest a public spot that would be amenable to small crowds. (Or possibly no crowds. New York may have been an aberration.) If you’re reading this, it means that hey, I want you there if you want to be there – I love meeting new people.
So. Chicago. Sunday, 8/31. In…. some place, in an afternoony time.
Go.
Without knowing your geographic restrictions, I’d suggest migrating between Myopic Books (you know, the bookstore that up until recent stayed open until 4 a.m. so once you got out of your concert, you’d have someplace to buy used books. SF is in the basement— a little paltry, but what are you gonna do since Alice Bentley moved to the west coast?) and the Flat Iron bar (tell Jen and Jaclyn [you shall know them by their hotness] that Roland’s friend Laura sent you) on the west side until 6:00. Then cross the street and go around the corner. Find the funky mural with the secret door beneath the lantern (no, I’m not joking) and go to the Violet Hour if you possibly can. Their old-fashioneds, even if you don’t like old-fashioneds, are of the see-Florence-and-die quality. (I mention this area because I love it and its gathering spaces, and if you’re using public transportation, they’re right off the el that gets you to and from O’Hare).
Also fun to gather of a Chicago afternoon: the Lincoln Park zoo; the Paragon bookstore (south side near the museums).
I wish I could be there. Have fun!
Er, http://theviolethour.com/