Many, many moons ago, a man I was seeing burned me a 311 CD because I hated them. I was loud about not liking them, and he wanted to expose me to the whole vibe. And he did. I had just moved from a very small town in Michigan to a relatively medium-sized college town…
Category: Chicago food
One Second
Location: Map Room in Bucktown, Chicago
The Discontent of Comfort
Just a few weeks left in 2025, and this memoir is writing itself with all my hilarious, ludicrous adventures this year: making friends who show up time after time, the dates that remind me of my growth in saying goodbye, those who cheer me on while watching my ranting dishwasher issue videos, people who send…
Long days & longer nights
Navigating through a very chaotic month in Chicago has forced me to tap back into resilience mode; saying no more, speaking my truth, asking for more, taking a long (or short) pause, and understanding we are only as good as how we show up for ourselves. My friends are my lifeline, my love life, my…
Mercury in Retrograde
I don’t typically choose my topics or themes ahead of time; I don’t make many set plans when I’m solo. My roommate wrote me a birthday poem once, and in it, she said, “she knows the plans best made, probably made before her,” and that is how I live my life. I let fate guide…
Nature’s Bounty
With community gardens & farmer’s markets bustling all over the city, my picture roll was flooded with flowers, fruits, and veggies for consumption & discussion. Now, don’t be ridiculous; I didn’t forget the libations. There are so many fizzy margaritas out in Chicago! I’ve never seen so much club soda being mixed with it before,…
A Midwest Bayou
I’ve been a long-time researcher of vampire origins. I have no idea when this happened, maybe Kristy Swanson in Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Maybe Anne Rice’s “The Vampire Chronicles”? I made my friends play the Twilight DVD strategy game – Team Edward. My very favorite movie(s) is the Underworld series, and it led me down…
Meat me in the city, I’ll be wearing blue
Burgers, sliders, yes, I’m familiar… but a Meatball Martini? What is this phenomenon you speak of? First, a well-done simple smashburger vs. a large two-patty stacked egg monster is just fine by me, depending on time and my outfit because I will engage with it like a date on Bumble. Isn’t it really a first…
Excellence happens within a seedy bun
When I stepped out into the Wicker Park neighborhood for the first time in the Fall of 2023, I was on a mission. I wanted needed to find a Chicago dog. It’s tradition, if not a mandatory passage into the food mecca of the windy city. This past year I was able to make it…
Wandering in Chicago
I arrived in Chicago in April 2024 with my car packed to the brim, never looking back in the rearview mirror of my life in Colorado. Here we are a full year later, full of wandering, eating, concerts, and settling into a cadence of wonder and curiosity in the best city in the world! How…
CULINARY ADVENTURES WITH A WANDERING WINO 