The April And May Issues Of Chicago Magazine

I recently went through the April and May issues of Chicago Magazine, the one magazine of the three I subscribe to that I actually read. The cover story for the April issue is "The Best New Restaurants, Our 13 Favorites, Ranked." The introduction to the article written by the magazine's editor states that the current trend in Chicago restaurants is "the arrival of midwestern cuisine," and that two of these new restaurants, Creepies (No. 1) and Petite Edith (No. 5) "are doing this particularly well, creatively incorporating regional elements into dishes at their French-inspired bistros." I'm not exactly sure how they can mix French food with Midwestern, but then I am not a gourmet, by any stretch of the imagination. All I know is that they don't mention the average cost of dinner at either of those places, although they do say that Petite Edith is famous for introducing Chicago to the $225 duck. Enough said. The one restaurant that I thought might be good is the number 12 pick, Pizz'Amici, a pizzeria located in the West Town neighborhood. The food critic who wrote the article says you will say wow three times between each bite. But the next time I drive back to Chicago and want to get a taste of classic Chicago pizza, will I go to Pizz'Amici, located in a North Side hipster haven, or to my old favorites, Vito and Nick's and Aurelios's, those South Side Chicago institutions? You know the answer to that one. And the most interesting thing I read in Chicago's April issue is that Iowa has made a bid to relocate the Chicago Bears to the Hawkeye State. Seriously.

The cover story for the May issue of Chicago Magazine is "The Insider's Guide to Vacationing in Wisconsin." It consists of 8 articles featuring different areas in that state that are especially worth visiting. And one of them is "The Apostle Islands and their Gateway, Up North - Way Way Up North - to Bayfield and Beyond." This is a part of Wisconsin I know very well. Back in 1918, my Grandfather Hoyt and Great Uncle John bought 80 acres south of the town of Herbster, which is a 30-minute drive from Bayfield. The photograph on the right is of me standing on that property several years ago. Bayfield is a very pretty town on a hillside overlooking Lake Superior, and the article mentions bookstores, bars, restaurants, and various types of shops worth visiting, as well as great places to stay. Bayfield is the gateway to the Apostle Islands, which consist of 22 islands popular with kayakers and outdoor enthusiasts. Madeline Island is the only one that is inhabited, and a ferry connects its quaint town of La Pointe with Bayfield. 

My Great Uncle John let his half of the Herbster property go during the Great Depression, but my Grandfather Hoyt kept his half, and gave it to my father Nelson, who gave it to me, and which I still own. It is about 6 miles south of Herbster and is accessible via a snowmobile trail, about a one and a half mile walk from the nearest road when snow isn't covering the ground (August). Unfortunately, the trees are so thick, the property is inaccessible beyond that trail. I do wish my grandfather had bought 40 acres in Bayfield, as seen in the photograph on the left, instead, but those are the breaks. Others articles of interest in the May issue are a photographic essay called "Chicago on the Move," featuring pictures of people in transit in Chicago, whether by public transportation, car, or on foot, a piece about the State of Indiana making a bid to relocate the Chicago Bears to Hammond, and why it would be good for Illinois taxpayers, and an interview with Joel Mokyr, the Northwestern economic historian and Nobel Prize winner. All in all, two worthwhile issues to peruse.

Springtime In The Rockies!

Denver and Colorado are currently experiencing severe drought conditions. As of yesterday morning, snowfall in downtown Denver was 49% of average, 29 inches below normal. Basically, we virtually never had winter this year. And it was the most snow-starved season in 30 years for ski resorts in Colorado and Utah. The good news is that yesterday and today Colorado is experiencing its biggest May snowstorm in decades. While 4 to 8 inches are predicted to fall in Denver through this afternoon, snowfall in some parts of the mountains is expected to be over 2 feet, which will help with the drought, but by no means end it. March and April are considered to be the snowiest months in Colorado, although not so much in recent years, and so everyone is excited about this May storm. The television weather forecasters are positively giddy about it. And Denver Public Schools has canceled classes for today, although to be honest, I think that might be going a bit overboard. The University of Denver, seen in the photograph above that I took from my living room window yesterday afternoon, has also canceled classes for today. As the former Finance Manager of the DU Bookstore, I do have to admit that I just loved snow days - what a joy to wake up to - and so I guess I can't begrudge anyone getting a day off from work or school today. Enjoy!

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Today is Cinco de Mayo, the 5th of May, the holiday that celebrates Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. This is not a big holiday in Mexico, mainly just celebrated in the City of Puebla, but it was also observed beginning in the 1860s by Latinos in California, Nevada, Oregon, and Texas. The Chicano movement began celebrating Cinco de Mayo in the second half of the twentieth century, and the holiday gained nationwide popularity beyond the Mexican American community in the 1980s due to advertising by beer, wine and tequila companies. Here in Denver, the largest Cinco de Mayo celebration in the state took place around Civic Center Park this past weekend. There were three stages featuring music and other entertainment, lots of artisans selling merchandise, and many food booths, as seen in the photograph on the left.

Most of Civic Center Park is currently undergoing a major restoration, and so this year the festival took place almost entirely on the streets surrounding the park, which seemed to work out just fine. But since all the big Cinco de Mayo celebrations took place this past weekend, are there any other celebratory events taking place today, the actual holiday? Definitely. It is a tradition here in Denver for many in the Hispanic community to get in their cars and cruise down Federal Boulevard, waving Mexican flags out the windows, honking horns, blasting loud music, etc. Once, a number of years ago, I somehow wound up driving down Federal on Cinco de Mayo. As I recall, you could only go south on this street, and all the cross streets were blocked off, forcing you to continue down Federal for what seemed like miles in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Tonight, 3 to 5 inches of snow is forecast, so who knows what the turnout will be? Wish I could be there, but as they say about the rodeo, once is interesting, twice is a mistake.

The May Mutt Of The Month

I took the photograph above of the May Mutt of the Month not at this past Sunday's Furry Scurry, but at the Jensen Beach Florida St. Patrick's Day Parade 7 weeks ago (there has been a significant backlog of Mutts of the Month lately). My sister Susan and I were waiting for the parade to begin when this huge dog and its owner walked past us, drawing attention from one and all. Most if not all restaurants in Florida do not allow dogs inside their establishments, but I bet that if this guy had brought his dog into the Mulligan's on the corner and insisted the dog stay, they would make an exception. "No problem - looks like a service dog to me." And by the way, the crowd seen in the background of the photograph were hanging out at Lures Riverfront Restaurant. I have never gone there, but whenever I drive past, it always seems to have a huge crowd at their outdoor bar. There aren't that many stools in front of the bar, but nobody seems to mind just standing around with their drinks and chatting. All I can say is that they must have one hell of a happy hour. I definitely plan to stop in there one of these days. Hopefully that dog won't be around when I do.

The 33rd Annual Furry Scurry!

Yesterday morning the 33rd Annual Furry Scurry took place in Denver's Washington Park. This is an event organized by and which benefits Humane Colorado and starts with a 2-mile dog-walk through the park, "followed up with fun, food trucks, the Flealess Market and more." Last year I was late getting to this event and missed the start of the walk. And so this year I made sure I left plenty of time to walk to the event from my condo, thus allowing me to take the photograph above right after the dog-walk started. Last year organizers estimated around 12,000 people and 5,000 dogs were in attendance, making this one of the largest dog-walks in the country. I suspect yesterday's event was just as well attended, all for the benefit of the cats, dogs, horses, and other pets in the care of Humane Colorado (formerly known as the Humane Society of Colorado). Definitely worth getting up a little earlier on a Saturday morning to attend. 

It's The First Saturday In May! Time For The Kentucky Derby!

The 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby takes place this afternoon at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. This is, of course, the most prestigious horserace of the year, the start of the run for the Triple Crown. And here in Denver, people will be dressing up and heading to the bars in Lower Downtown (LoDo) to watch the race and show off their attire. But if you want to do it in style, you can attend the Denver Derby Party, which organizers say is the largest Derby party west of Kentucky. It will be taking place at McGregor Square, just across the street from Coors Field, and will feature a huge stadium screen, live entertainment with DJs, a fashion contest, and unlimited food and drinks, all for $150 a ticket. If it wasn't for prior commitments, I would be there in a flash. In any case, when I think of the Kentucky Derby, I always think of Hunter S. Thompson and his sports article titled "The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved." Thompson was sent to cover the Kentucky Derby for Scanlan's Monthly back in 1970 along with illustrator Ralph Steadman. Facing a deadline without a coherent story, thanks to a week of partying, a desperate Thompson typed up his notes and produced a wild, first-person narrative that marked the start of gonzo journalism. He sent the story in, waited for his journalism career to end, and was surprised when he started getting rave reviews for his new style of writing, getting personally involved in the story. It wound up changing his life. He became a successful and famous writer but also wound up creating a persona and image that would stay with him for the rest of his life, a role he could never stop playing even if he had wanted. The sometimes-high price of fame.

Plane Travel, Jury Duty, And Women's Soccer - All Tied Together, Of Course

My sister Susan and I flew back to Denver from Florida Tuesday, arriving home via Uber around 6:30 P.M. After a dinner at Spanky's, just to the west of the University of Denver campus, we began unpacking and doing all the other stuff you do after returning home after nine weeks. Unfortunately, I had to get up at 5:15 the following morning to report for jury duty downtown. I know many people feel jury duty is a civic responsibility and are proud to serve, but all I thought about was being assigned to a murder trial and spending days - or weeks - listening to testimony. Meanwhile, sitting in the jury room, waiting for things to get started, we were all treated to a DVD of what to expect while serving as a juror, narrated by Ed Sardella, a well-known Denver television news anchor who retired back in 2001. Talk about a bit of nostalgia. Thankfully, my juror number wasn't called for the first trial, and after a while, the head jury person came in and announced that the second and only other trial that day was being postponed and we were all free to go. I rushed out of there before they could change their minds and headed back to the light rail station and home. While waiting for the connecting train at Broadway Station, I took the photograph above showing the future stadium location for the Denver Summit FC, a National Women's Soccer League expansion franchise. The Summit played their inaugural home opener at Empower Field, home of the Denver Broncos, this past March, and drew 63,004 fans, a record turnout for the league. And so, I guess women's soccer might have a chance to catch on here. Unfortunately, that future stadium location is cursed. Originally the site of the Gates Rubber Factory, it was torn down to make way for a mixed-use development, but the project was canceled when the Great Recession began in 2007, and the site has been vacant ever since. And will that soccer stadium actually be built? Time will tell. I was tempted to call and tell team management about the curse but decided the hell with it. Back in Chicago, both the White Sox and Cubs have dealt with curses for decades, and so why should the Denver Summit get off scot free? And no, I am not bitter.