Monthly Archives: September 2011

I first wrote about Hyde Park here when I toured the neighborhood earlier in the summer. Since then I’ve ridden through the area during the Active Transportation Alliance Four Star bike ride, but I had never truly experienced the neighborhood, until last week. After attending a training conference on Local First Chicago, a co-worker graciously showed me the “real” Hyde Park through a delicious lunch at Z & H, a local café, 57th Street Books, an underground bookstore and the University of Chicago campus – gorgeous in the autumn sun and filled with students.

While it pales in comparison to Fashion Week in New York City, the smaller, and infinitely more tame fashion show hosted by the West Lawn and Archer Heights Chambers of Commerce last week was equally entertaining. Held at the Mayfield Banquet Facility in the Archer Heights neighborhood on the southwest side of Chicago, the venue was perfectly appropriate for the evening.

Check out the video below to hear from the director of the West Lawn and Archer Heights Chambers of Commerce.

Even better? All fashions modeled, all jewelry on display and all raffle prizes were from local shops and small businesses. All in all? A perfect tribute to these southwest neighborhoods and their merchants. Unfortunately, I was at the worst angle for snapping shots of the models and had to focus on the banquet hall itself instead.

On Saturday Josh and I trekked downtown and headed to Soldier Field to see the Badgers defeat the NIU Huskies, 49-7. There were easily more Wisconsin fans in the Windy City and the only good thing about Northern? Their mascot is awfully cute (reminds me of Frasier!) – they even had a real Husky on the field at one point. Their fans on the other hand? Not so nice. But really, the fact that the UW is far superior on every count is all that matters. And in the end, the weather couldn’t have been more perfect for a day in the city.

Our attempt at “artsy.”

Gorgeous old church on Michigan Avenue.

The quaint little garden we stopped at for Chicago-style hotdogs after the Badger bar we tried to get to had a line around the corner. $11 for two meals? Not.Too.Bad.

Obligatory Soldier Field pic.

Hello, spaceship.

Although the stadium was tricky to navigate, some of the architecture was pretty darn neat.

Our seats were awesome.

We’ve known it for years, but Ginger is a HUGE fan of Lenny Kravitz. So much so that she sings along to his well-known and classic tune, “Fly Away.” Gets me every time.

This summer has been the summer of zucchinis. That may be because it has been the only vegetable to grow from my plot, but it has allowed for some delicious recipes. This past weekend I tried a slight variation on my standard zucchini bread and opted instead for zucchini cake. While they tasted awfully similar, the cake allowed for frosting. #winning.