My Chicago 2022 experience came as a result of a wedding invitation. The couple met in Chicago and wanted to channel the nostalgic energy of the start of their love story by having their beautiful ceremony there. Family and friends, in support and celebration of the grand affair, flew from all over the country to celebrate the most special occasion. Some came from the couple’s home area of California, some from Trinidad, some from the Philippines, and still some from various places in the south. Still, like me, some came from NYC.
The time came and the ceremony was underway. The air waxed resplendent with a festive mood as the wedding party walked to the tune of the marital pace. Then, the groom walked down the middle aisle en route to becoming a husband. His hair appeared to have been cut into a modified fade. The sides seamlessly flowed into the slightly higher top. The shape up was well lined, complete with indication that the finishing touches included a blade.
The light sideburns flowed thinly down right into clean-shaven well-angled cheeks. With dark bow tie and shoes, the groom sported a white shirt, white pants, and completed the look with a very light creme patterned tuxedo with good size lapels. I won’t share the color of the bowtie and shoes so that I’m not accused of revealing trade secrets. But it all came together for a phenomenal look. From the distance, you can see the finishing touch of the ever-shining gold cuff links.
With everyone in place, the signal is given, the veils are lifted, the audience rise and the bride walks in with a majestic sleeveless flower-patterned gown. With long shiny dark hair styled in an exquisite french twist, her walk ended standing face to face with the groom. Smiles lit all of our faces as we reveled in this most august ceremony. Despite being familiarized with all the pump of the circumstances, the wedding still delivered a sense of newness.
But before I go on, I have to mention what stood out to me prior to this moment. All of it seemed to be like a build-up. All I was getting was good vibes.
A Helping Hand
I arrived at the airport early Tuesday morning for my Chicago flight. It was like all other plane boarding events. There was nothing remarkable about the JFK terminal. It was an uneventful affair. But I did enjoy some no-brand coffee and danish. I couldn’t imagine that I would board the plane without at least tasting some of that terminal breakfast food.
Then, I saw her coming. I can’t explain it but I knew she was from the Caribbean. She stood out mainly because there wasn’t anyone else walking around. After spotting her, I returned my gaze to ice-filled drink that was almost finished in my hands. A few minutes later, the same lady walks by going the opposite direction. This time, she had two boys with her. The boys were bouncing along ahead of her. Her mannerism gave off the impression that she was tired.
I noticed the boys running pass my seating area before I saw who I came to understand as being their mom. However, the gap between when they arrived and when their mother came caused me to believe that there was no connection. I initially thought the parents of the boys were seated somewhere behind because of how carefree and unsupervised they were. You know, sort of thinking the parents give free rein for active boys to bounce around.
Having boarded the plane and then seated, I was attempting to sort out the wifi situation. For some reason, I’ve never got my act together in time for proper wifi connections. Then, two rows ahead of me, I spotted the mom and the two boys trying to get situated. The plane was small with two seats on each side of the aisle. Small planes are definitely not my favorite way of flying. I prefer the larger planes with the idea being that they aren’t as fragile. How true is that? I haven’t looked into the data.
Needless to say, the two boys weren’t being cooperative with mom as she was attempting to get them seated. The situation caused the flow of passengers to stop. To their credit, it appears that everyone was taking it well. Nobody was rushing or showing frustration. If they were thinking anything negative, they did not show it.
The problem continued for a minute or two. The boys were crying and shifting, refusing to be seated. Then, a female black passenger who was seated directly behind the mom and the boys came up with a seating arrangement idea wherein the less problematic boy gets to sit by himself across the aisle from the mom. The more active one was left to sit in the seat next to the mom.
Whereas the boarding ticket had the boys seated next to each other, an idea that perhaps the mom came up with believing they would enjoy each other’s company, the opposite was more effective. The lady that helped was very gentle to the mom. We all sensed that it was going to be only a matter of time before a hot-headed passenger was going to get out of line and share their frustration in a most unattractive manner.
But that never came. Instead, we saw a quick practical thinker rising up to come relieve the congested area. I’m not sure if either or if both of them were Chicagoans. But I do count this as part of my Chicago experience because it was one of those unique moments in time where human love shined bright.
Thin Crust Pizza and Brunch
Thin Crust Pizza. Ok, I know that Chicago is known for deep-dish pizza but that’s not what I tried. The closest pizza to where I was staying was this place called Ginos East Pizzeria. They would not allow me to buy pizza slices so it was either I was going to commit to an entire pie, go somewhere else, or just forgo the whole thing. I was only in Chicago for a short time and the engagements involved food. That meant I couldn’t really eat much. After all, who has the stomach for that?
One side of the thin crust pizza was plain and the other side had pineapple. The pizza was not tasty. I mean, I was not hungry anymore but there was no real appetite to continue eating. I actually had to throw some of it away. I know, wasting food. It wasn’t good. I could have survived and finished the pizza if it wasn’t for how the bottom of the slices were constructed. They had these thin bits of a hard substance that I will have to ask about one day.
While this pizza was a 3/10, I can’t say that it is representative of all of Chicago’s pizza. It would be unfair to generalize to that extent. Add the fact that it wasn’t a deep-dish pizza, it would be best to say that I haven’t really had the Chicago experience with their pizza. But I do know that Gino’s thin crust is not it. I owe the Chicago pizza experience a do-over.
Chicken and Waffles. But the fun did not stop there. I went to a place that I have to give 8/10 on the scoreboard in the category of brunch. In fact, I can confidently give it a 9/10. Despite not having tasted all that there is on the menu, what I tasted was enough to make me expect high quality from everything else that they serve. The place is called Wildberry Pancakes & Cafe.
The place appears to be a favorite in the area. First, it is right next to the Ritz-Carlton. But it is also near the Museum Of Contemporary Art. Down the block is North Michigan ave. If you’ve been to Chicago, you would know that this is where all the shopping happens. All this to say that if the food wasn’t of quality, it probably would not have been able to maintain a business there.
I stay away from doing food reviews because I’m not really a foodie. This is obvious to people that know me because I generally order food that I’ve tasted before. After all, I’m not a big fan of trying something and being left with the feeling that I wasted my taste buds on a bad-tasting meal. But you can’t really go wrong with brunch. Most of the time it’s going to be really good or ok. This time, it was really good.
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Featured Image: Jerry Jacques via Midjourney