What trip to Chicago/Michigan Avenue would not be complete without stopping into The Disney Store?  Well, for me, it's always a given, even when I only have a few hours in the city as with this trip. After all, I have to stop by to see my friends!

So what was the hot ticket at The Disney Store on this trip? Lots! I didn't get to take pictures of all of the new items, but one caught my eye, since I received an email about it and talked to my friend Sharon about it. With the release of 'Cinderella' coming to Blu-ray in October, there is a limited edition Cinderella doll. I thought it would be the size of a Barbie doll, but it's much bigger. And it really looks good! For those of you who are interested in it, take note. They are limited edition of 5,000 and $99.50.  Click here to find out more on how to order.

"I'm surrounded by idiots." Any Lion King fan recognizes that lion, I mean line, as something Scar says about the Hyenas. I felt the same way as I was walking around the Store, but I thought it was nicer to just take a picture instead of saying it.

 Some of the unique merchandise that's offered at this destination store are the Chicago-specific items. They've been doing it for years, and it's been popular. I've picked up many items in the past, and this trip I found some pins for some friends and me.

Above and below in greater detail are some of the shirts they sell. I'd like that hooded sweatshirt above, but I wasn't ready to admit that I need to put the t shirts away and pull out the fall/winter wardrobe.

Here are some of the fun key chains and those pins I mentioned. I also have this thing about buying the reusable bags. But since I like the version I bought last year better, I passed on this one.

Did you wonder what I purchased? Probably not, but I'm going to tell you anyway. I purchased several pins, two for me and the rest as gifts. I also picked up this great new cell phone case. It's part of the Magic Around the World product line.  I just love it! I have to pick up the suitcase they have.  They also included a flyer about the new product line that's as popular as the Disney Princesses Designer Collection: the Disney Villains Collection. Just in time for Halloween!

Magic Around the World 

Disney Villains Designer Collection

The Giant Spider Invasion

'The Giant Spider Invasion' is not only the title of a 1975 B-movie, but it's happening again!

Well, not really. These pictures don't do it justice since they were taking with my iPhone. When I drew the curtains of the window at the Marriott Courtyard, I was greeted by this huge spider. It really was big!

It was moving back and forth across the window, so from my perspective, it looked like a giant spider taking over the city.

In this picture, it looked like it was going to take on the car.

Yes, this is how my mind works.

A Higher Standard

Yesterday, my coworker and friend, Nancy, took me to Bakersfield Restaurant. It was a great! (To read about it, click here.)

Today for lunch, a group from work went across the street to Standard Market. It's the sister restaurant of Bakersfield.  At the heart of Standard Market is Standard Grill, a sophisticated fast-casual restaurant that showcases seasonal ingredients and the culinary talents of the team of chefs.

For lunch, I had "The Coast", which features Grilled Salmon, Mustard-Honey Dressing, Campari Tomatoes, Egg, Cucumber, Carrots. It was delicious!

But because some of my coworkers had to back to the office, we didn't get to spend as much time as I wanted to check things out. Insert sad face here.

In my quick spin around Standard Market, I did notice this pumpkin ale. Not that I love pumpkin ale, even though I love pumpkin, but if you know me, you should see something in the packaging that caught my eye other than the booze.

The market has all sorts of goodies in it, I just knew I had to go back. It was settled. Since I had an evening to myself, I planned on going back for dinner! Besides, I wanted to try the Gazpacho I saw.  But then my coworker and friend, Maureen, asked if I had dinner plans. Drat! I told her I wanted to go back to Standard Market, and had to confess that I wanted to look around so I could post about it. She was okay with it, so off we went!

This time, I had the Iowa White, which consisted of Pan Roasted Chicken, Sauteéd Spinach, and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes. I didn't eat all of it, because it was huge! But it was very good. Maureen had an Asian salad that looked tasty too. They have "servers" around the dining area, but they tell you they are a "Tip Free Zone", so it was a nice level of customer service. Our server came back with little samples of brownies. I gave my to Maureen, thinking that perhaps I would get something from the dessert area to bring back to the hotel. 

Maureen left me so I could roam around. There were all kinds of treats for the senses: fresh fruit and veg, cheese, wine, desserts, meat, fish. I could just go on and on.  But pictures tell so much more.

Here's the wine and cheese shop. I was trying to take sneaky pictures, so this one's a bit fuzzy. But the aromas of fromage were très magnifique.

Look at that fruit tart!I was going to get that small one, but that was enough for two people.

They even had people making fresh Sushi! I could lived there. Look at that Snapper!

The store and design were fresh and clean. The light fixture look like it came from IKEA. I won't say what the women said it looked like when we were having lunch today. And they say I'm naughty.

Check out more of Standard Market's tasty treats by clicking here. Like Bakersfield, I know I'll be back the next time I'm in town!

Field Trip

My friend and coworker, Nancy, suggested we go to Bakersfield. Growing up in California, that has a whole different meaning. I'm glad I pushed aside those memories for the ones made tonight.

Bakerfield is hip and trendy without being pretentious or snobby. Remember, I'm talking the restaurant and not the city of Bakersfield. While the food, wine and atmosphere were excellent, what really made the experience stand out was due to our server, Sean. He knew the menu in great detail, and could make some knowledgeable recommendation. He found us a nice bottle of Cab that Nancy and I liked, even though we did not have to pair it with our meal.

For starters, we both had the Mexican soup. It had the right blend of ingredients, even though I had to spice it up more for my taste buds. For entrées, Nancy ordered the bacon-wrapped shrimp that were the size of prawns, while I opted for the fresh Cajun Trout. One word: phenomenal!  Now, talk about spice, it had quite the kick. (The trout, not Nancy, although I'm sure she wouldn't mind doing that to me from time-to-time.)  Again, personally, I could have done without the peanuts. I really wanted the asparagus for my side, but Sean said the Caprese was better, so we both ordered that for our sides.

 
We couldn't just leave it at that, oh no, so we took the plunge and went for dessert, too. Nancy had the fried Oreos. They looked like cream puffs, and I tried one, and it didn't taste as sweet as you'd think. I chose the "healthier" route and went for the nectarines and berries. They were drizzled with balsamic vinegar and it was the best!

Because of our experience, I asked our server to send over the manager. I should have told him why, because I think he was a bit nervous. But we told the manager we were very pleased with our meal, but mostly, very happy to have Sean as our server. Be sure to ask for him and you'll be ensured you have a great time! I can't wait for my next office visit to Lisle, because I know we'll be dining here again!

To check out the menu and swanky decor, click here.

It's A Good Sign?

Today's flight from Minneapolis/St Paul to Chicago Midway was rather uneventful.  It's a short flight, but that doesn't matter for me, because no matter what, I must visit the lav.  (I know. T.M.I.)

There were a lot of signs in there, and it made me wonder what happened in ordered for the signs to get there. For example, we all know that if too many people take a shortcut across the lawn, it causes a "Keep off the grass" sign to appear.

So get a load, pardon the pun, of this sign. Morbid curiosity makes me wonder who was the Einstein that couldn't get themselves off the loo in order to flush, and what happened to that poor soul that didn't think things through of the cause-and-affect vacuum it would create if your cheeks were large enough to create a seal around the toilet seat.

This next one, I'm sure, came from the Flight Crew. I'll have to ask my friends who are flight attendants, but I'm sure they come in to find a water park of sorts where kids, and adults, make a mess and don't clean up after themselves.

Here's a sign at the Midway Airport elevators. I've done this trip so often, I can do it in my sleep. I'm sure the thinking was to make a sign for foreign tourists who don't read a lot of English. Whereas the signs in the airplane lavatory are lost to them, the one below, I know from personal experience of having to help out travelers who can read English, might as well be written in Klingon.  Or Greek.

You're suppose to equate the number on the left side of the picture to the button of the floor you want. However, and I know it's hard to see until you click on the picture, each picture is a Chicago landmark, and then you have descriptions to the right of that. People being visual and in a rush, only see the pictures. So what happens is someone says, "Does '3' take me to Buckingham Fountain?"  Not unless we've developed Transporter technology I don't know about, because then I wouldn't have to fly.  See, '3' takes you to 'P' or Daily/Hourly Parking. No one is ever going to say, "I left my car on Level Buckingham Fountain."

Apparently the simple and most routine of trips sometimes are the Devil's workshop for one traveler.

The Heat Is On

So my friend, Mike, sent me a picture today (Thanks for use of the picture, Mike!), and at first I focused on the Little Green Man, of course. Then I read why he sent it. This crushed red pepper is from Papa John's, and make sure you read the fine print at the bottom of the packet.

I never heard of food being treated with radiation, so of course I Googled it. Naturally, there were countless (or at least 19,700) hits about food being treated with radiation. Although funny at first, it does make you wonder if it's really necessary to kill bacteria this way, especially when we don't know if it really causes carcinogens.

Even though I love crushed red peppers, I'll think twice about eating any treated with radiation.

To read more about food treated with radiation, click here.

Now That's Funny

Or should I say, Well, That's Just Great?

Today quite by accident, I found a brilliantly funny blog named 'Well, That's Just Great'. The author blends his sense of humor with a hint of sarcasm in some terrific posts. Here's a sample of a recent post.

So check out his blog. I've added the link to my favorites over there on right.  Your other right. Now scroll down...