travel: October 2007 Archives

One quick mention: Aaron did me the favor Saturday eve. of lugging me around (I took the train into Chicago instead of driving) to visit Intelligentsia Coffee on Broadway St. to pick up some long overdue Black Cat Espresso. On the way, he asked if I liked tea. I said sure, depends on quality, etc. but usually, yes. He suggested we stop at Argo Tea on Broadway - two or three stores north of Intelligentsia. I am extremely glad he made the recommendation. If you are a borderline tea lover or simply enjoy a good cup of tea, I can't more highly recommend this place. The service was great, but just as important, the tea was absolutely fantastic. I enjoyed a second brew of their Earl Grey with cream and vanilla mix as we left. (Yes, I imagine die-hard tea fans are just as fanatical as coffee junkies, like myself. You mustn't destroy the taste of a fine cup of tea with pollutants like milk and sugar. Sorry, I don't buy into that. The underlying flavor of the base - whether coffee or tea - will shine through, and good is still good; and bad is certainly bad.) If you're near any of their stores and are on the edge as to whether you would consider yourself a fine connoisseur of tea, they will do a good job of making you a tea snob. Now I can't wait for my next trip to Chicago and may even use visiting their store as an excuse to go and learn more about the fine art of brewing [good] tea.

This is a scene from a cab as Jeff and I headed back to his place from dinner at the Signature Room at the John Hancock Building. I was doing my best to focus and steady the camera, but alas, we were moving at a good clip ourselves and there is only so much you can do to steady your hand in the back of a cab. A few details to notice:
- Different tires on all four wheels. For whatever reason, the driver could not make up her mind as to whether or not to pass us and we saw her and her passenger from both sides.
- This is the classic car you saw in our high school parking lot back in the day.
- Imagine this car speeding up and slowing down every few hundred yards. Both driver and passenger looked intently forward as if every moment was going to slip away and ruin there chance at making it to a big meeting.
Perhaps you had to be there...