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.

reasons to love WF

I love my neighbourhood Whole Foods. Oh sure, there must be a ton of reasons to rail against them - they are a big company, I know.

But gosh darn it: soft licorice.



Peter = very happy.

Thanksgiving dinner

Last night I was thankful for a nearby Whole Foods with a decent hot bar so that I didn't need to try some half-ass attempt at cooking turkey in between work and swim practice.



But otherwise I am far from bitter and am mightily thankful for Conrad and all the other people I love. A day late, but happy Thanksgiving all!

Whole Foods comes closer

A monumental day in our happy Chicago gaybourhood: Whole Foods is open and doing business. And what business it is! So many samples to snack on tonight. It's a wonder we even bothered with dinner!

Yes, I know some of the criticisms of Whole Foods. Expensive. Anti-union. And more. But I gave up on Treasure Island's meat a long time ago because of the smell in that area of the store, and the night I bought salmon from Jewel and had to sauce it heavily to mask the odor I swore off all but chicken from that store. And barely that. We've been buying produce and meat from Whole Food for some time now. Add in cheese and dried goods and even wine, and, well, there's not a lot we need from other grocery stores.

Whole Foods was a bit of an expedition for us, however. A trip there required a car. Now I can get off the Red Line at Addison or the Halsted bus at Graceland and just walk over to the new GLBT community center. The store - and all credit to them for this - anchors the new center.




Ah yes, Whole Foods knows of the power of the gay dollar. Smart.

It opened this morning, and we made plans with Rachel
to stroll over, buy our dinner, and eat on the deck at her apartment building. This was a good decision. The evening was so pleasantly warm, and it was easy to put things on plates and dine. Some turkey meatloaf; a baguette and a wedge of Cocoa Cardona cheese; a little antipasti selection of garlic marinated olives, cornichons, roasted red pepper, and an artichoke spread with little balls of mozzarella; Marcona almonds; something of a Greek salad. We sipped a Babich Pinot Noir and capped the evening with Rainier cherries and a Vosges Barcelona bar (my favourite!).





So, no more big journeys for groceries every couple of weeks. Now it will be stopping in to buy some meat and veg for dinner, maybe a bit of fun cheese or some other treat. The neighbourhood will change and adapt because of the new Whole Foods, but I, for one, am delighted! As is Conrad!

;-)