July 4th weekend and MOTO

So my mom came to Chicago to visit for a week so Amy and I took her around the city, just the normal tour as she has been here before. I'm going to bypass all the normal walking around the city as I will describe those ongoings when we have our other visitors. The only new things that we have done will be described here. First, we went to see the Harry Potter exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. The museum was awesome in itself. From the LEGO replicas of the Sears Tower and Empire State building to the exhibits on the future of science, the museum was very cool to walk through. We were all excited to walk through the Harry Potter exhibit and as we finally got there we entered into a tent on the outside of the museum. They let us in at our scheduled time and we finally got to the entrance surrounded by kids and their parents. They did some cute display putting the kids on a stool with the sorting hat on to send the kids off to a house. Then, they let us in the doors and we were immediately engrossed in the Harry Potter experience. The halls were decorated like an old castle with pictures on the wall of people that walked in and out of the pictures. All of the props from the movies were there, the cloaks, the house elves, the plants, the wands and monsters. It was a great experience. You are not allowed to use flash photography in the exhibit so here are a few fuzzy ones from my phone. We left museum to head back home to prepare for watching the fireworks in Grant Park. Chicago's big 4th of July celebration actually took place on the 3rd. We packed a small picnic and blanket and headed to the park to reserve a spot on the lawn. As dusk came upon us The 85th Army Band played a patriotic medley in the Petrillo Shell and then the fireworks began. It was a fantastic display as they lit up the sky and bounced off the facades of the surrounding skyscrapers. As the show ended and the thousands upon thousands of spectators made their way out of the park I realized I have never in my life been amongst so many people. Michigan Avenue was closed to traffic and we floated home in the sea of people stopping to take pictures along the way. I love the city at night!

The next day, I thought it would be a great experience to take Mom and Amy to this amazing restaurant that I heard about. The restaurant called "MOTO" is headed by renowned executive chef Homaro Cantu (who is famous for creating sushi using a inkjet printer. Rather than using conventional inkjet cartridges, he creates cartridges that are filled with organic, edible "inks.") Moto is famous not for dinner, but for having a dining experience. The style of cooking is a new American approach deemed Molecular Gastronomy which (according to Wikipedia) is a scientific discipline involving the study of physical and chemical processes that occur in cooking. It pertains to the mechanisms behind the transformation of ingredients in cooking and the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general (from a scientific point of view). Translation??? The cooks use scientific methods using liquid nitrogen, lasers, and chemicals to make awesome artistic plates of food. Still confusing?? For example, one of our last dishes was a dessert called a cherry bomb. It was called a cherry bomb because it was a small black sphere with a wick on top. However, it was a play on a s'more. The ball itself was made of chocolate, the wick made of a marshmallow type of foam, and the inside?? A liquid filling of graham cracker!! The presentation was great, the waiter came by, lit the wick allowing the frozen graham cracker center to melt, and then you eat the whole thing in one bite. It was like an awesome, refined s'more!

Anyway, to get back to chronological order of this amazing experience......So we drove over to the restaurant which was only 2 miles away from our apartment. We drove through the meat packing district of the city, which isn't a very nice part of the city. However, we found the diamond in the rough. We parked down the street, made a wrong turn to "OTOM", MOTO's sister restaurant, which we will try before we leave, and finally made it to the restaurant. We checked in with the desk, saw that only 2 other tables were occupied, and were seated. The service was impeccable. Prompt and attentive, the waiters were great. I also learned that because all of the dishes are so complex, the cooks double as waiters so that they can help explain the complexity of how the dishes are made. We were first presented with a small bowl with each containing a dollop of butter, a thickened drop of balsamic vinaigrette, and our menu. The printed menu was small and 2 sided, 1 side had the 10 course tasting menu, the other course had the 20 course tasting menu. After we decided upon the 10 course menu, we were instructed to eat our menu. Yup.....eat the menu. The menu was printed with edible ink on a small piece of toast. It tastes different every night, and tonight it was garlic bread and it was delicious. Our eating the toast quickly signaled the waiter to take our drink order, and to start our 10 course meal. Amy opted for a nice white wine, and I had a cocktail. The cocktail was amazing. It was a sweet concoction of gin, fresh white grape juice, and a touch of brandy with frozen grapes used as ice cubes in a martini glass.

1st Course....instant Risotto

We were not sure what to expect as instant risotto is a vague term. We were served a small dish with a creamy Parmesan sauce, puffed rice, and freeze dried peas. It was delicious!! The crunchiness of the rice and peas was a great contrast to the rich, creaminess of the Parmesan sauce. Once the rice was mixed into the sauce, the whole dish transformed into a delicious risotto!

2nd Course.....Denver Omelet and Muffin

This course came as a trio of breakfast foods. On the plate was a tater tot (entirely consisting of rock shrimp but resembling a tater tot), scrambled eggs(entirely consisting of sweetened carrots, gazpacho, and olive oil), and a muffin which almost had a cotton candy like consistency. The tater tot was delicious, the rock shrimp perfectly cooked with a crisp, crunch to the skin of the tot. The "eggs" were amazing! They were cold, mildly sweet, and very tasty. It's hard to believe that there were only carrots, tomatoes, and olive oil that made it taste so good, and made it look so much like scrambled eggs.

3rd Course......Gruyere and Onions

This dish was one of my favorites. A gravy boat type bowl was placed in front of us with a soup spoon inside of it. The soup spoon held a dollop of caramelized onions, where atop the onions sat a onion chip. A smear of Gruyere cheese was placed against the back of the bowl. Next, the waiter came by and poured the soup through the spoon, filling the bowl. There it was, a refined french onion soup. Again, every bite tried to incorporate all of the ingredients, the onion broth, the caramelized onions, the cheese, the crunch of the onion chip...Delicious!!. It was not only a great soup, but a wonderful concept.

4th Course.....House-made pequin capon

This concept was absolutely awesome as the meal progression started to veer towards the main protein entrees. The theme of this dish was.......buffalo wings. The capon confit was placed atop braised celery. On the plate was a artistically placed house made blue cheese, and a few drops of meticulously placed house made Tabasco sauce. Along with this, was a piece of paper with a rooster on it. The paper was edible and tasted just like a buffalo chicken wing!! It was like eating at Willy Wonka's kitchen!! The capon confit in buffalo wing flavors, the celery, blue cheese, the dish was delicious, and again, the concept.....amazing.

5th course......Cuban Cigar

The next concept and dish was my favorite. The waiter next came out with an ash tray filled with ashes and a cigar. The cigar was still warm, and it was identical to a cigar. I wasn't sure if I should eat it, or ask for a light. The waiter soon eased our trepidations in explaining that it was, in fact, a Cuban sandwich wrapped in greens, and the "ashes" were ground white and black sesame seeds. The concept was incredible, and the taste amazing!! It tasted just like a Cuban sandwich!! Another amazing dish.

6th Course.....Reuben Lasagna

A play on the traditional Reuben with all the flavors of the corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing layered with what seemed to be wonton noodles sprinkled with caraway seeds. One of Amy's favorites.

7th Course.....Mexican Cannoli

At first glance it seemed we had started into the dessert course, but although this offering resembled the confection from the famous Mike's Pastry it was definitely more savory than sweet. The cannoli which we were encouraged to eat with our hands was filled with tender, juicy duck in a Mexican mole sauce.

The remaining courses moved us into the 3rd and 4th hours of our meal and dessert. 8th Course was a Yogurt Parfait, 9th Course was titled Blackberry & Corn and the 10th Course was the Chocolate Forms which included the s'mores bomb as mentioned earlier as well as a dessert mini cheeseburger. The cheeseburger was a fun concoction of layered sweets that made up each component including the buns, burger, cheese and ketchup.

It was a dining experience unlike anything we had ever experienced before. It was the ultimate dinner and a show! Moto is now our new favorite restaurant.

The next day Greg and Nate joined us and we revisited Millennium Park and the Bean, the Taste of Chicago, the museum campus and Soldier Field. Greg, a long time Bear's fan, was happy to see the home of his beloved team.

We finally made use of our deck and bbq as we ended the day with a rooftop cookout. Not a MOTO caliber meal by any means but there's no denying the great taste of burgers and dogs right off the grill. Happy Fourth of July!

The Outer Banks!!

OBX!!
Ok, I love Chicago, but this weekend we went to the outer banks of North Carolina for Alicia and Brian's Wedding, and it was gorgeous!! We worked a swing shift of Sunday to Wednesday and on Wednesday night we flew into Norfolk, VA, rented a car, and drove down to Duck, North Carolina. Upon arrival, at about 1AM, we were greeted by a bunch of people at the pool, drinking and swimming. We stayed at the Saltaire House, which is a beautiful 6 bed, 6.5 bath house that not only served as our quarters for the next few days, but also was the site for the wedding reception. We met everyone, had a few beers, and turned in. Amy had a full day of wedding party stuff.....wedding rehersal, nails, etc.... So, I had the day to myself. With no agenda, I drove around Duck, NC. The Outer Banks is an island that lies off the coast of North Carolina. It's Jersey Shore esque, being a nice half mile stretch of land sandwiched between the Atlantic ocean and the sound. The small 2 lane road that stretches the length of the island is littered with grape leaves, sand dunes, and hundreds of rental beach houses. I awoke early when everyone was going to the beach, and explored a bit. I drove south to a small art show, then walked around the waterfront shops, picking up a coffee, bagel, and a newspaper. I went back to the house and sat by the pool, met and chatted with a couple people until the wedding party returned. When Amy came back, we explored the rest of the house,
mingled a bit, and then Amy had to go get her nails done. With more exploring to do, I soon headed out to see the rest of the island. My first stop?? Kittyhawk, NC to see the famous spot where Orville and Wilbur Wright made their first motorized flight. I took the tour of the entire exhibit, walking from one end where a huge monument was erected on top of the hill, resembling the tail of a airplane. Down the hill was a pathway with 4 large stones commemorating the distance where the first flight took off and landed on its 3 attempts. The museum and welcome center both have informative and educational displays that teach about the history of this site as well as the history of flight and the physics behind aeronautics. I had a great time exploring and seeing all these things. The exhibits and history of Kitty Hawk are unbelievable, and it was awesome that I had the chance to see such a historical place in aeronautics history. Afterwards, I decided to drive a little further south, to see Kill Devil Hill, which is one of the highest sand dunes on the eastern seaboard. I parked the car across the street, quickly perused some of the local shops, grabbed the camera and started my hike up this incredible sand dune. I started at the base of the hill and started walking up.....slowly. The North Carolina summer heat, the steep incline of the hill, and the inability to get a good bearing in the soft, fine sand, made it a struggle to get up the hill. I kept pumping my feet, and after some good perspiration and heavy breathing, I got to the top of the hill!! Only to see, another hill, even bigger than the one I just climbed. Not amused by my misfortune, I ran down the back side of the first hill and started trudging up the face of the next hill. I finally got up to the top and was immediately greeted by a beautiful breeze and an incredible view. From the top of the second hill, there were handgliders taking off, floating in the sky. It's amazing how these dunes are formed here and incredible to see how big they get. I made my trek back to the car, literally running down the hill (because it was fun, even though I wish I had a lunch tray to slide down on) and returned to the car.

I emptied about 3 cups of sand onto the pavement and made my way back north towards the house where a BBQ was to be getting underway. I made a quick stop at the driving range, hit a few balls, and met with everyone back at the reception site for the barbeque, where the beer flowed like water in a plethora of varieties. The next day, Amy went to
get her hair done, and I went back to hit a few golf balls. Afterwards, I picked her up and went to a place called Aqua S for lunch and had a great meal. Then, we went back to the house where we both got ready for the wedding ceremony. The ceremony was on the beach, which was a short walk from the house, and as soon as you walked off the boardwalk, there was a steel drum band trio playing laid back tropical tunes, serenading you as you followed the seashell pathway to your seats. The ceremony was great, and afterwards, we all found ourselves eating, laughing, drinking, dancing, and celebrating the night away at the reception site. The next day, we had breakfast

with the new bride and groom, and then made our way back to Norfolk to catch our flight back to Chicago. It was a great weekend, and we were both thrilled to help the happy couple celebrate their big day. Congratulations to the newlyweds Alicia and Brian Lynch!!

Sweet Home Chicago!

With the last minute decision to throw caution to the wind and just jump into home care in Chicago for 6 months, we quickly packed up our place in Naples and set out to get settled in Chi-town. We stopped first in PSL to see Brandon's family and of course drop off and exchange some stuff. We woke the next morning and headed straight for Nashville, Tennessee. After finding our hotel we headed out for some cafeteria style BBQ with mac and cheese, baked apples and sweet tea for me. We walked around the downtown area. Brandon had been there before on a college road trip and since he is also not a fan of country music there was little to interest him. We did walk by the Country Music Hall of Fame and drove out to the Grand Ole Opry. The most interesting thing there was the 24 mph speed limit. It seemed pretty random.

We left the next morning, Kankakee bound. I'm sure when the Conways bought a second home in IL to be close to their daughter and her family they never imagined how much use I would get out of it. I stayed in their place two years ago when I worked in Bourbonais, IL to be close to Brandon who was working in Chicago for the summer. We stayed there last year for our annual reunion with my Ithaca College PT friends and now once again this year while we searched for our new home in the city. Brandon once again worked his Craigslist magic and organized about 5 potential apartments to see. After doing the Goldilocks bit of too small space, too big rent we narrowed it down to 2 that could be just right. We sat down at Pizzeria Due to hash it out over some deep dish. Apartment one had floor to ceiling windows and an amazing view from the 47th floor but less amenities and in the downtown area. Apartment two didn't have the amazing views although from the 27th floor we'd have a glimpse of the lake and the John Hancock and NBC buildings. It does have a great pool and sun deck with BBQs and plenty of seating, an office with fax and copier and gym overlooking the deck and River North part of the city. It's also in between the Mag Mile and River North so it has more of a neighborhood feel and is convenient to most places we'd want to go. So apartment 2 wins out. Decision was made Thursday night. Friday we drove about 40 minutes north of Kankakee to find a Bank of America to get a certified check for rent and deposit. Our new landlord met us at the bank and we signed the lease in the back of his minivan. Shady at best, I know, but after the tour of our place with our guide speaking well of our new lessor, I was only partially concerned about handing over three months rent to a stranger. I was completely relieved on Saturday when the keys he gave us fit the apartment and we were able to move right in.

On Sunday we met with our new boss for "orientation" where she just handed us some forms and our schedule for the next day. She also gave us each a piece of chocolate and Brandon handed his right over to me knowing I'd need more than that to get through our first week.

It was a rough first week. Nothing seemed organized. The office would call asking if we could see patients here and there, but being new to the area had no idea where here and there were. We were at the mercy of our GPS units. We were driving over 50 miles between patients some days and then sitting in 2 hours of traffic to get back home. Brandon who had been worried about driving his car in the city ended up in a fender bender by day 4 and had to get a rental while his baby got some body work done. This came just after hearing the worse news of the week, the passing of Brandon's good friend Freddy, as mentioned in a prior post.












With week one done we were happy to start the weekend and to get back to exploring the city we love. Spring was still in the air and tulips were in bloom all over the city. The Art Institute of Chicago was celebrating the opening of their new modern wing with free admission. You can now enter the museum via a walkway that goes up through Millennium Park. I enjoyed the exhibits and could easily spend a whole day at the Art Institute. Brandon on the other hand, well, let's just say he got his money's worth.

The second weekend in June brought a visit to the Oriental Theatre to see Topol in Fiddler on the Roof. We enjoyed the show and were happy to see Topol in one of his last performances of the role he made famous. Also going on that weekend was the famed Blues Festival in Grant Park. We spent the afternoon moving from stage to stage taking in the music in the city that helped make it famous. Here's Eddie Taylor Jr with Harmonica Hinds:

The following week we went to two shows of the TBS sponsored Just For Laughs comedy event. On Thursday we went to the Best of the Fest show at the Lakeshore Theatre. The show was hosted by Ben Bailey of Cash Cab fame. Most of his stand up consisted of him complaining about being recognized as the "Cash Cab Guy." After listening to his performance however, I don't think he should be so quick to distance himself from his "cash cow." Andy Dick performed a few little diddies. Danny Bhoy made me laugh but I was easily charmed by his brogue. Jim Jefferies was laugh out loud funny but definitely not for the politically correct with sensitive ears. It was obvious that Paul Provenza was on something, but it certainly was not performance enhancing. Patrice O'Neal, Sebastian, and Whitney Cummings rounded out the rest of the questionable "Best of the Fest." The true best show was the following night at the historic Chicago Theatre where Russell Peters hosted an All-Star Comedy Show. Unfortunately we had to sit through a repeat performance of Ben Bailey and Whitney Cummings, but enjoyed the rest of the performers Jeremy Hotz and Owen Benjamin, and especially Maz Jobrani, host Russell Peters and the hilarious John Pinette.



We concluded the weekend back in Kankakee for the annual bike race in my friends Jen and Bill Yohnka's neighborhood. The annual Cobb Park Criterium, hosted by the South Chicago Wheelmen brings the neighbors together for food, fun, drink, music and hours of watching heat after heat race around Cobb Park.

Back to work Sunday to so we can head out of town Wednesday night to get to the Outer Banks for Alicia and Brian's Wedding.

Steph and Dan visit

Our last full weekend in Naples, April 15th to 19th, brought us a visit from my friend Stephanie and her husband Dan from Pennsylvania. Steph, a marine life enthusiast wanted to check out the Everglades and estuaries as well as the beach. First stop, Wooton's, a favorite stop for an Everglades experience. A forty five minute drive from Naples, Wooton's, offers airboat and swamp buggy rides and a visit through their animal sanctuary. The airboat ride took us hydroplaning over land and water and careening around mangrove clusters to see alligator nests and a variety of wild birds. No gators though as the low water levels created a more brackish environment that the gators do not favor. Although the "wild" gators had moved further inland, there were still plenty of gators to be seen in the sanctuary. Signs warned of the impending loss of appendages if you got too close, but at the Alligator Show you were free to get as close as you dared. Steph and Dan jumped right in to hold the "show" gator. I had partaken in a previous visit and did not feel the need to do it again.

After watching the wrangler show off her two gators, placing her hand in the larger ones mouth and telling stories of injuries suffered by tooth and tail, we continued on to the other animals in the sanctuary. We saw two tigers having dinner, a cougar pacing in its confined space and my favorite, the otter, diving into its pool, running up to the window for a visit and then back into the pool, over and over again.

On the way back to Naples we stopped at the Big Cypress Bend Preserve Boardwalk. As we approached the welcome sign, we observed one of those inland gators walking up the path to greet us. After a few nervous moments of wondering how close was going to be too close and sizing up the other tourists to find at least one person I could out run if need be, the gator peacefully sauntered back into the water paying all of us gawkers no mind.

After meandering along the boardwalk scoping out other gators at a comfortable distance and strangler vines along the big cypress, we headed to the Snook Inn on Marco Island for a tropical happy hour under the chickee hut.

The next day we (Steph, Dan and I - Brandon once again went to work) headed to Sanibel and Captiva Islands. After touring the Islands and checking out the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge which unfortunately has limited access on Fridays, we made our way to one of the tastiest reasons to visit the Islands. The Bubble Room on Captiva is known for its eclectic room after room of Christmas decor, toys and Hollywood memorabilia almost as well as its mile high desserts. If you can get past the musty smell of the decades old clutter and the visual sensory overload in the confined spaces you'll enjoy the tall layer cakes with sugary icing. We devoured the orange cake.

We worked off lunch AND dessert with an afternoon kayak trip around Buck Key Island. We rented kayaks from the knowledgable couple at Captiva Kayak Co. & Wildside Adventures out of McCarthy's Marina next to the Bubble Room. This was my first time in a kayak with a rudder system and I loved how easy it was to steer. We were initially worried about the winds making the trip difficult, but we were sheltered by the mangroves and saw some manatee, numerous birds and jumping mullet. We stopped at Sun Harvest Citrus on our way back to Naples to complete the south west FL tour with some fresh squeezed juice.

The next morning we woke very early to head to Key Largo for a two tank morning dive with It's a Dive. Brandon was able to join us today and we were all looking forward to scuba diving. Unfortunately, the weather was not the most cooperative and upon hearing of 4 foot swells and low visibility, Brandon who is prone to sea sickness opted to sit this one out. While Brandon found a good local spot for breakfast at Doc's Diner, Steph, Dan and I headed out to the Spiegel Grove wreck. My prior diving experience was in calm water with high visibility in about 30 foot depth. I was nervous entering the rough water and was getting short of breath fighting the waves to remain holding onto the rope that we had to follow down to the wreck. Visibility was low and I was feeling very claustrophobic. For a few moments I contemplated turning around and getting back out, but as I slowly made my way hand over hand under the surface and out of the rough surf my attention turned to the wreck. The coral had formed beautiful mosaics along the walls of the ship like works of art. I was surprised to see the US flag still intact and flying high. We were down 75-80 feet peeking in the portholes and doorways of the hull not brave enough to go in. It was quite an experience, and although I missed my dive partner who I'm sure was much more content enjoying his hash browns and sausage gravy then trying to keep his breakfast down under the sea, it was great to finally dive with Steph. She had been begging me for years to get certified to dive with her and I kept putting it off thinking it wasn't for me. After a trip to the Great Barrier Reef where I could only snorkel, four seasons in Naples and some urging from Brandon I finally got certified last year and I'm glad I did. Happy to report we all survived the dive without decompression or sea sickness and had worked up a good appetite for lunch at Hobos.

We ended the night back on Marco watching the sunset at South Beach. Dan, looking like a

professional photographer with his SLR camera was solicited by a number of groups to take their picture against the setting sun. We stopped for some BBQ at Porky's Last Stand before leaving the Island and then headed up to 5th Avenue to show Steph and Dan where the Neopolitans go to see and be seen and eat Kilwin's ice cream.

The next morning we hit up Tiger Tail Beach back on Marco to do some shelling before it was time to take Steph and Dan back to the airport. Brandon and I found some good shells at the end of the "tail." We also had a good discussion and made the decision to take the home health jobs in Chicago for a 6 month contract. I'm a little nervous about doing home health in the city, but I'm excited we'll be back in Chicago, the city where we started dating. Stay tuned to see how it goes!