Oct 10th, 2011 at 11:00AM: There are goat people, and then there...aren't. We're like dog people, except we can't carry the objects of our obsession in our purse. There aren't city parks dedicated to goats.
I grew up with goats because my brother and I raised them for 4-H. When we got our first dairy goat in the mid-'70's, my mom tapped her inner hippie, experimenting with making yogurt from the prodigious amounts of ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
chicago posts
Got goat? A cultural exploration of the other red meat
Oct 10th, 2011 at 11:00AM: There are goat people, and then there...aren't. We're like dog people, except we can't carry the objects of our obsession in our purse. There aren't city parks dedicated to goats.
I grew up with goats because my brother and I raised them for 4-H. When we got our first dairy goat in the mid-'70's, my mom tapped her inner hippie, experimenting with making yogurt from the prodigious amounts of ...Chicago named most mustache-friendly city in America
Sep 29th, 2011 at 4:00PM: Chicago has recently been named the most "mustache-friendly" city in the United States by the American Mustache Institute (AMI). The research came in response to a "long-existing pattern of social and professional discrimination against Mustached Americans".
Apparently, Chicago is leading the way in providing an ideal living and working environment for Mustached Americans. In fact, Dr. Aaron ...America's 25 most expensive restaurants
Aug 11th, 2011 at 5:30PM:
What recession? Bundle just released a list of the 25 most expensive restaurants in America, and you'd never know the economy was still faltering. Your average diner would definitely require a stimulus package to pay the check.
Topping the list is The French Laundry, located in Yountville, in the Napa Valley. Chef/owner Thomas Keller's three-star Michelin restaurant is ranked among ...Cuba: Nine US cities cleared for charter flights
Aug 1st, 2011 at 1:30PM:
Nine US airports have been approved for charter flights to Cuba, Reuters reported this morning. The Cuban travel agency Havanatur Celimar made the announcement on Friday.
The US government forbids commercial flights between the United States and Cuba, so all air travel between the two countries has to proceed on charter planes. The Obama Administration has already removed all restrictions ...Chicago's Park Hyatt turns on heat lamps on picketing unionized employees
Jul 22nd, 2011 at 12:00PM: Ouch. Were there any worse time to stage an outdoor protest in Chicago it would be this week. The temperature has been surging past 95 degrees for the past three days, and terrified residents are darting from air conditioned homestead to transportation to office.
The union workers at Chicago's Park Hyatt are taking a stand though, and on schedule were protesting over the course of this past ...Summer travel: best U.S. cities for localized food lovers
Jul 14th, 2011 at 3:00PM: What's that you say? Summer's half over? Those of us living here in the Pacific Northwest had no idea, given the lack of sun in these parts. But even if you're getting slapped by the mother of all heat waves, it's still early in the season for the best produce summer has to offer. As for where to get great food featuring locally-sourced ingredients? Allow me.
Some cities are inextricably linked ...Twin United pilots throw opening pitches in Chicago's crosstown classic
Jun 25th, 2011 at 2:30PM:
The rivalry between the Cubs and the White Sox is no doubt one of the greatest in the sports community, each teams reflecting the vastly different attitudes and culture between the north and south sides of Chicago. Despite the tension, however, there's always room for some joviality, and this year, United jumped into the fray by bringing a pair of its identical twin pilots down to U.S. ...Spend a month at the museum - literally!
Jun 25th, 2011 at 8:00AM: Have you ever walked the halls of a particularly great museum and wished that you could just stay there forever, soaking in the art, historical displays, or scientific demonstrations? Then we have just the thing for you, as the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is hosting its second Month at the Museum contest. The winner gets to live at the museum 24/7 for a full month.
Applications ...Inside the WBEZ Studios in Chicago to Learn about the Rust Belt
Jun 8th, 2011 at 5:30PM:
At the outset of my trip, I needed some guidance. A sort of Rust Belt Virgil, willing and able to orient me to the exciting and dynamic and tragic state of the Great Lakes region. With my route passing through Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland, there seemed no one better for the job than Micki Maynard, a journalist now spearheading a public radio project called Changing Gears.
More than just a ...Making Cars in the Great Lakes: Inside Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant
Jun 7th, 2011 at 10:00AM:
Before I left Chicago for points east, I had a chance to tour Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant, a complex that finishes about 1160 vehicles a day. A great majority of those are Ford Explorers, pieced together by line workers wearing safety glasses and headphones, working pneumatic tools in a hypnotizing ballet of endless repetition. Whir, whir, whir.
Walking the floor, following pedestrian ...Traveling the American Road: A Video Introduction from Chicago
Jun 6th, 2011 at 10:00AM:
Last week, I kicked off a summer-long road trip around the country, a project we're calling Traveling the American Road. After picking up my ride in Chicago, I set out to see the city, and this video intro will fill you in on the project, a quest to find out how people are confronting change in the wake of the Great Recession and determine the state of the American road trip in an era of ...Hitting the Road in Chicago, a City of Reinvention
Jun 3rd, 2011 at 3:30PM:
If the story of this road trip is the reinvention of America, Chicago makes for a fitting starting point. Burned to the ground in the 19th century, its skyline now bristles with architectural gems, including some of the tallest buildings in the country.
And while the economy here has diversified over the years, heavy industry and manufacturing still exist, whether its on the industrial ...Traveling the American Road Kicks off in Chicago
Jun 3rd, 2011 at 11:00AM:
It was a beer-and-snack-fueled kickoff for Traveling the American Road on Tuesday night at Chicago's Hubbard Inn.
The launch party took over the top floor of the newish restaurant and bar, and the microbrews and conversation were flowing, with local bloggerati and bon vivants passing me tips and offering advice for the next couple of months. (I'm extra eager to check out some recommended ...Best ice cream in America not just from a shop
May 30th, 2011 at 4:30PM: Since Memorial Day is past, I think it's safe to say we've officially entered ice cream season (National Ice Cream Day is July 17) Unless you live in Seattle, in which case, it's still winter, but never mind. We still have great ice cream.
What makes for acclaim-worthy ice cream? Food writers like me tend to look for an emphasis on local/seasonal ingredients, including dairy. I love high ...First U.S. shopping festival arrives Chicago this summer
May 13th, 2011 at 11:00AM: Impulse buyers, hang on to your wallets. The nation's first shopping festival is being held this summer along Chicago's Magnificent Mile, and it's looking to be quite the extravagant affair.
Organized by The Greater North Michigan Avenue Association, In-Fashion: The Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival™ begins on Friday, August 26th with an interactive celebrity event featuring renowned ...Conference and Meeting Travel: Five ways it differs from other business travel
May 5th, 2011 at 2:00PM: As I write this, I'm en route to Chicago from New York, the first leg of a trip that will bring me to Vancouver where I'll be when this story runs. For the first time in a few years, I'm headed to a professional conference, and the preparation process, it has occurred to me, is different from other forms of business travel. From the packing list to the mindset, it's unlike the other business trips ...Pop-up restaurants: dining for a new decade
Apr 28th, 2011 at 1:30PM: First, it was underground supper clubs. Now, everything's coming up pop-ups. As with food trucks, this form of guerrilla cheffing borne of economic need has become a global phenomenon. Equal parts dinner party and dinner theater, a pop-up refers to a dining establishment that is open anywhere from one to several nights, usually in an existing restaurant or other commercial food establishment.
...Mobile farmers markets: the next "big thing" in food trucks?
Apr 25th, 2011 at 5:30PM: 2010 was the Year of the Food Truck, with cities from Seattle and San Francisco to D.C. taking it to the streets, literally. While street food and taco trucks have long been a part of U.S. culture in places like New York, Los Angeles, and Oakland, health regulations have historically made it considerably more difficult in other parts of the country. Eatocracy reports that Atlanta--despite its ...Virgin America's flight for Chicago challenge
Apr 25th, 2011 at 1:30PM:
In May, Virgin America will begin flying to Chicago O'Hare from Los Angeles and San Francisco. To celebrate their service to an airport traditionally dominated by legacy carriers, Virgin is rolling out a social media contest to entice travelers to "put the smack down on everyday air travel."
The contest invites Chicagoans to submit a photo or video via the Virgin America Facebook fan page ...California's proposed shark fin ban stirs up debate over global politics of culinary delicacies
Apr 12th, 2011 at 3:30PM: As a former longtime resident of Berkeley, California, I'm no stranger to the concept of eating-as-political-act. Well, there's a new food ethics issue on the block, kids, and while it may smack of the current, all-too-pervasive epidemic of food elitism, it's really more about ecology, animal welfare, and the politics of eating--especially with regard to travelers, immigrants, and adventurous ...
