typical Saturday

You know, if it weren't for Smelts - and especially post-practice brunch - I wouldn't have known Conrad. 10 years ago last month, in fact, he showed up at a Smelts practice when we were offering a stroke clinic to the public and then came along to brunch at Ann Sather with the team afterward. We sat across from each other, chatted, I thought he was cute, nine months later we started dating. All in good time, right?

Brunch with the team was an essential part of our weekend for many years, but for a while, it wasn't happening. Ann Sather was tough to get in to, and to be honest, beyond the cinnamon rolls, the breakfasts were not that terrific. Nookies was our regular team spot for a while, but we were coming in large groups and finding ourselves divided up among small tables. We suffered a few poor meals there and interest in returning waned. Horizon opened near the pool, but it was a real love-it-or-hate it kind of place with the team. Uncommon Grounds and the Bagel were a bit of a hike, and the prices didn't always sit well with us. For a while Conrad and I were skipping brunch altogether. A sad state of affairs.

The arrival of Whole Foods and the Center on Halsted meant good things. The former has a hot bar (and salad and coffee and more). The latter has seating. The team has resumed brunching, sometimes in substantial numbers.

We were there this morning.




We're there most Saturday mornings we're in Chicago. Even when I was marathon training last year, I'd come down to have breakfast with the team after my runs.

It's not cheap, sometimes the food is cold (and the eggs can be terribly overcooked in those steamer pans). That said, it feels like OUR place, our community. It's a good place.

And there was Conrad today, sitting across from me. Ten years. Ten years. By gosh is he still so very cute.