Tale of Two Cities...

Evidence of the years of ongoing rivalry between Pittsburgh fans and Cleveland diehards -- from a Pittsburghian point of view.

Being highly sports apathetic, these items -- found in the "Hometown Sports" store in Pittsburgh's Station Square -- made me giggle. Plus I've had a lifetime of saturation in Pittsburgh sports. My mom grew up in that area and both my grandfather and uncle were huge Steelers and Pirates fans, as are a number of aunts, uncles and cousins. My dad grew up an hour away along the Ohio River and until recent years was a Steelers fan, as well. I remember owning a Steelers shirt in the 6th grade...and wearing it...in Browns country.

Take heart, however, dear Browns fans -- my dad has defected and now roots for the Dawgs.

Posted in the spirit of the preseason.

May the best team win.

View from the Top

Yesterday morning we took our first ride along the historic Duquesne Incline in Pittsburgh. Even my mom, who was born and raised in the greater Pittsburgh area never had been on the incline.



Being more than a little acrophobic, I'll confess I was nervous. The incline is mighty steep. And the cars are OLD...enough to make me nervous.

But, when we got to the top of Mt. Washington, I was glad I ignored the fact I felt a bit shaky and took in the sights.

What a fabulous view of the city.

Convertible Lust

I have suffered from it...for several years now. Ever since my dad got his BMW i series convertible and let me drive it.

Pay no mind that I have a perfectly decent Honda Element that only has 38K miles on it and is not even 3.5 years old. I'm already plotting...my next car WILL be a convertible.

I simply love the feeling of the wind blowing my hair. The breeze on my face. It's so liberating.

I don't even mind sitting in the small backseat of dad's car...it's all about the ride. And the open air.

Let Your Troubles Roll By...

If you haven't heard of Carbon Leaf, run...or surf pretty darn quickly over to http://www.carbonleaf.com.

Check out this great Virginia-based band. You'll thank me. Their recorded music is great. Their live shows are even better.

This weekend's performance at the Sheffield Garden Walk in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood (smack in the middle of the DePaul University Campus) was the third time I have seen them in 16 months, including a really fabulous show at the Beachland Ballroom on St. Paddy's Day. Ty turned me (and Spice and Karen) onto them, and they have rapidly become one of my favorite bands.

Seeing them at the festival was the main reason our little quartet made the 5.5-hour trek to the Windy City early Saturday a.m. Why miss a show when it wasn't all THAT far away?

While the skies kept threatening to dump rain on us (like the kind we encountered for a good hour along the Indiana Turnpike -- kudos to Spice and her fine driving!), the weather cooperated the entire day. We got to the festival early, got some beverages and milled about until the prior act left the stage. We then headed over to the stage to stake out our spots. No one was there -- so we nabbed front row...much to all of our delight.

As we were standing there killing time, Ty gripped my arm. Hard.

"It's Barry (Privett, the lead singer) ," she cried and pointed to an attractive guy witha modest short haircut wearing a polo shirt. He was setting up the merchandise table.

"Naw...that's not Barry," I said...always the skeptic. "Barry wouldn't cut his hair." But she was right. It was Barry. And Barry did cut his hair.

So began the giddy, immature excitement of being up close to one of our favorite groups of musicians.

We got a lot of great photos from the set, and I'll confess I'm breaking my blog rules big time on this...not only posting after the fact but also posting photos from my regular camera vs. my crappy cameraphone. I can't help it. The cameraphone did not do this event justice. Not one bit.

An Armadillo in My Latte!

Or at least that's what it looks like to me.

I found myself in Chicago again this past weekend -- a roadtrip with Ty, Spice (a former Chicago resident) and Karen. We went to brunch Sunday morning at a great little place on Clark Street in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood called Uncommon Grounds.

We met up with Spice's friends, Peter and Alaina and also were accompanied but a third Chicago denzien, Jamye. When we got to the restaurant, Peter and Alaina were waiting for us. Alaina had a bowl of coffee -- yes...a bowl...in the European sense. A mighty big and luscious caffeinated delight.

Karen and I delightedly seized upon the concept and each ordered a latte in this size. My caramel latte arrived, and as I gazed down in complete and utter admiration, I realized it not only looked delicious and smelled tantilizing. It. Was. Art.

Check it out -- there's a picture in the foam. And each milky coffee beverage served there has something different, apparently (Karen's design reminded us of a single, longstem rose). To me, my foam art looks like an armadillo, although I'm sure someone reading this will see something different. It's a fun spin on the inkblot tests!

Armadillo or whatever...it didn't last long. The caramel latte bowl tasted as good as it looked.

I downed pretty much all of it during the course of our brunch.

The meal itself was also quite delicious...I had the Green City Market Scramble -- asparagus, spring onions, sorrel, asiago cheese -- and shared a side of chicken, apple and sage sausage links with Karen. YUM!

I'm already plotting my next trip back there as there were other menu items that caught my eye. Although Spice wants us to try another place, M. Henry, if we return there together as a group again. Apparently it was too crowded for our group of 7. If it's anything like Uncommon Ground, I'm sure we will have absolutely no complaints!

The Cloud Gate

In Chicago's still relatively new Millennium Park, sits one of the coolest pieces of public art I've ever seen: The Cloud Gate.

This 110-ton elipitical dome with 12-feet arches on two sides leading to an inner chamber is British artist Anish Kapoor's first public outdoor work installed in the United States. Designed with liquid mercury as an inspriation, the structure is forged from a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates. These plates reflect the city's skyline from a myriad of angles, not to mention the clouds, sun and sky above the park.


The inside of this 33-feet tall, 66-feet wide structure is concave...you can climb underneath and peer up inside of it. And when you do, you feel as if you have fallen down into a some strange sort of Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole and when you look up, you see yourself at the top, looking back down upon you.

And...down on the lower portions of it, you can attempt to give yourself a high five, as Evan so deftly demonstrates below.

He's Watching You!

Chicago is a city full of great restaurants.

But when you travel with a picky 9 year old and don't want to have mealtime strife, you make reluctant accommodations even if your borderline foodie sensibilities are screaming to do otherwise. Or it could be a long vacation.

That's why we had dinner at the Mity Nice Grill at Watertower Place Saturday evening. Food wasn't bad but not necessarily thrilling, either...although Scott and I both enjoyed the reuben eggrolls...an interesting, and tasty, twist on a standard appetizer. I tried to eat healthy (maybe that's why my meal wasn't thrilling?) and got the roasted chicken, rice pilaf and broccoli for dinner. Good enough but I bet I would have enjoyed my meal more if I had ordered the signature mac and cheese! I could have ignored cholesterol content for one night...sigh.

Evan loved the place. Chicken tenders. Fries. And even better...a PLACEMAT THAT TURNED INTO A MASK!

Now how creepy is that?!?!

Manpris!

Spotted at the corner of Cedar and Rush streets in Chicago.

Sunday night. Outside the Big Bowl Cafe.


Not sure if the fact manpris simply are out there on the streets is worse than the fact that a dude old enough to be my grandpa is wearing them. With strappy mandals.


Maybe all of the above.


I'll let you be the judge.

iPhone Frenzy

Check out the line of iPhone fans outside the Apple store on Michigan Avenue in Chicago waiting for the iPhone 3G.

It wrapped halfway around the building down the block.

Scott and I are locked into a Sprint contract for two years and aren't willing to pay the $200 per handset to bail on it, so we shall remain iPhone-less...for now.

Although, we're both intrigued with the iPod touch. It makes my aging iPod truly look like a dinosaur

Name that Building...

We have an up-close-and-personal view of one of our country's most famous skyscrapers right outside of our hotel window.

We're going up to the observation deck in it at some point today.

The debate is whether to go up during the day or the evening. Daytime -- miles and miles of sights.

Nighttime...amazing views of sunset and twinkling landscapes.

Kiddie Managment...Vacation Style

Just kidding. :)

Evan took great delight in the fact his rollaway bed at the Westin Michigan Ave has "seatbelts."

And of course begged me to blog it.

Please ignore the squished dark chocolate Raisinet stuck to his sock.

I only noticed myself when I uploaded the pic.

Ewww.

Guilty Pleasure...

Clinton Kelly of TLC's What Not to Wear. A frequent reason why I often stay up too late on Friday nights.

I know he's most likely not all that interested in my demographic -- unless it comes down to making me throw away most of my wardrobe and restyling me, but I can't help it.

He's just so darn cute and appealing.

I wish someone would nominate so I could get razzed by him...and get that $5,000 Bank of America card for new clothes at trendy NYC retail establishments.

The Perfect Shoe?

"These are the shoes I have waited for all my life. I could wear them with anything or nothing."

-- Karen, 12:45 a.m., Friday, July 11, @ Chez Spicer, after a Grey Goose cosmo...or so.

And before the squabbling between she and I began over who was going to steal Spice's most perfect shoes. A common incident between us as we wear the same size.

For those of you who know us well, ask her about the time I sat on the shoe box of really cute flats in Steinmart so she couldn't take them from me...

Holy Crop!

Cheryl and Kate took me out yesterday for an early birthday treat...lunch at a great restaurant in Cleveland's Warehouse District called Crop. It was the perfect distraction for what has shaped up to be an extremely hard (and teary) week.

I've been there before, and every time I visit, I'm amused by the cornbread...in the shape of miniature corncobs. For some reason this just cracks me up.

I've heard other friends, particularly Spice, rave about the balsamic-drizzled popcorn there, but alas! It was no longer on the starters menu. Instead they offered Spring Fling popcorn -- popcorn tossed with onions, peppers, baby spinach, ginger, Asian vinaigrette and sirachi sauce. Initially we turned our noses up at it and then decided to give it a try. My advice is this -- order it. As Cheryl noted, quoting Kate from a previous meal, "It's like a party in my mouth."

It made for the perfect break in a difficult week. Even our server, Chris, provided some comic relief. He came to the table to tell...and show...us how much he loves his job. So much so that he sweat a smiley face on his shirt.

Now that's service!

By Popular Request...

One more photo of Jen -- with her soulmate and husband of four years, Johnny Yanok -- the little brother I never had when I was growing up but am so happy to have now!

Never in my life have I met a couple so perfect for each other. So in tune. So in synch.

They both loved Halloween with a passion -- hence the massive annual party with all the trimmings and cool costumes...where this picture was taken. Evil Alice in Wonderland flashing her best Paris Hilton sneer and the Oompah Loompah, in the sticky, sweaty plastic suit.

I love this picture of them. It cracks me up every time I look at it. I think I need to get prints of it for everyone in the family...

With Love...

Our phone rang at 7:30 a.m. today. My dad. Bearing the news I had been dreading for the past 7-1/2 months. The call I didn't ever want to get.

My stepsister and dear, wonderful friend, Jen, lost her fight with advanced kidney cancer.

She was diagnosed a couple of weeks before Halloween...her favorite holiday. And despite the fear and sadness of learning she had such an illness, she forged ahead and had her annual Halloween party...without sadness but with LOTS of vampire martinis. Complete with icy eyeballs in the middle of the glass.

Jen didn't come into my life until we both were in our 20s when my dad and her mom started dating and then got married. We were only 9 months apart in age. Had the same exact wallet and, this past year, bought each other a variation on the same gift at Christmas. Over the years we grew to be both close friends and true sisters.

Jen was an amazing artist. You can see her work here at www.pixipaint.com. But she was even more of an amazing person. The world lost a treasure today. And it will never be the same without her.

I love you, Jen. And will miss you every day.

Dust Funny...

A few weeks ago, I noticed some dust on Cheryl's desk at the office. I pointed it out, commenting on the cleaning talents of the building's janitorial staff.

Then, being the mature soul that I am, I drew a smiley face in it.

A week passed. And I noticed the face grew some attenaes. Courtesy of Kate.

So I added a bow tie.

Our masterpiece is still there. And we're refusing to let Cheryl dust it away.

That's not her job. Plus...we've become rather attached to the little creature.