I had dinner tonight at a Thai place. Mind you, the dish was good, but that’s not the reason for the reverence. You see, to get into the restaurant, I had to go through the front door that leads to the Chicago Reader. Yes, that one. The House of Cecil. I stood in awe in front of the locked inner door leading to the Sactum Sanctorum, where Cecil must sit on padded cushions, smoking a Hooka and nonchalantly sending His Minions off on errands and effortlessly pronouncing utter truths for us mere mortals. I was expecting to see something on the restaurant menu like “Cecil’s Special” but no such luck. Still, I have to wonder of the Reader staff eats there often. They don’t even have to go outside. Ah, it was worth the walk, after doing laps around McCormick Center.
And as long as I’m here, I gotta say I’m impressed with Chicago. It is really really clean. I see guys hosing down the sidewalks in the morning, and there isn’t any trash even deep in the bowels of Wacker Drive. And the Busway that leads from Wacker to McCormick Center? Pure genius. Love the architecture, the shops, the food. I’m coming back for vacation next year, and bringing the family.
Vlad/Igor