Segway Tour of Chicago

One of the most fun ways to see Chicago and its wonderful parks and architecture is by hopping on one of the various Segway tours around town. I had the pleasure of joining Timmie Cortina, the owner and operator of Absolute Segway Tours and her daughter Brit for an incredibly fun tour of Grant Park, Museum Campus and the lake front. I am still amazed at what a fun and easy way of jetting around the city the Segways are.
Even though I was a little nervous about using one of these convenient people movers, with a little training and encouragement by the instructors, I learned that these machines were incredibly easy to use and maneuver. Lean forward to move forward, Lean back to stop. It’s just that easy. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes because although you won’t be walking, you will be standing for the entire two and a half hours.
After the introduction to use of the Segway we were on our way. Heading around Millenium Park to Grant Park, we took a nice spin over to Buckingham Fountain. There is a Bobtail Ice Cream stand there with some of the best ice cream in Chicago, so of course we had to stop. Butter pecan. Wow. We then headed toward Soldier Field and took a quick lap around the mixture of old and new architecture stopping briefly for a history of Meigs Field the old airstrip.
Museum campus was next, even knowing a lot of the Chicago History, I learned several interesting facts about the Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium. The crowds were huge due to a free day at the aquarium, but Brit got us into single file and lead us through without incident.
We then had the ride back along the water front, across Lake Shore Drive to Grant Park stopping briefly as art student Brit explained some of the uniqueness of the Art Institute of Chicago, another beautiful and fascinating building.
Two hours had gone by in a flash and I wasn’t ready to relinquish the Segway, but I had to get to work. I look forward to the next time I can cruise around with Timmie and Brit. One fun way to see one amazing city.

Italian Gelato

I had the chance to enjoy a cup of freshly made Italian gelato the other night in Lakeview. Located about five miles north of the hotel and about a fifteen minute walk from Wrigley Field is the gelateria Paciugo. After living in Italy for a couple of years, Paciugo is the same freshly made gelato that I devoured daily in Milano and Florence. There are so many different choices that it is hard to decide, but a $5 cup will allow you to sample three different flavors at once. Make sure you ask for a sample of a couple of different flavors before you make that final decision. Paciugo has over 200 flavors that it rotates so you can go again and again and never have the same combination twice. They offer a selection of soy-based and sugar free gelato so everyone can enjoy the bit of heaven called Paciugo.

Italian gelato is usually divided into cream flavors and fruit flavors and Paciugo creates a variety of both. You can stick with the traditional flavors like amaretto or strawberry or try a walk on the adventurous side with a bite of vanilla lavender or lime cilantro. The last time I was there, I chose the traditional stracciatella (chocolate chip made with Italian chocolate) and S’mores, yes, the campfire favorite deliciously made into ice cream. With so many flavors, it is really hard just to pick two or three to enjoy. A larger cup allows up to five choices.

Only a short walk from the Cubs game or after the Blueman Group, Paciugo is a good way to end the evening or a good way to start a night of roaming through the Lakeview or Wrigleyville neighborhood bars and restaurants.

MARTINI BAR AND MUSIC!

Welcome to our hotel! When you walk into the lobby of the Knickerbocker Hotel you are walking into history. Our boutique 306 room hotel was built in 1927. Along with the history we have a Great Bar in the Lobby and to go with it, Great Bartenders!

The Martini Bar is so perfectly named for it offers 40 plus Martini choices. Try getting through the list on a long weekend. Ok, you will no doubt need more than a long weekend. But, you sure will have a great time trying. If you are coming in Tuesday through Saturday you will get a chance to hear our great house piano player Chad. Not only does he play the piano extremely well, he has a great sense of humor and will take requests from the guests. But, he does have his house standards that always go along great with a House Libations and Conversations!

Almost forgot! The Bartenders! How could I do that? They make the Martini Bar. Now let’s start with David. David knows everything about sports. He is a Sox’s fan with great enthusiasm! But, he does love the rest of the Chicago teams as well. He is great fun and gets the bar going with stories and sports. I am at the Concierge Desk and in the evenings I always find myself laughing. Because I can hear him with his guests gabbing up a storm! Then there is Steve! He is great to tell you where to dine. Hey, Steve this is our job! The Concierge! All kidding aside, Steve is a great wealth of information and makes a Great Martini. Just ask him which one is his favorite to drink. He will tell you, he has had them all. Lastly there is Mora he has been working at the hotel for 22 years. That is right! 22 YEARS! Mora is quiet but nice as pie and makes a fantastic Bloody Mary. Perfectly suited for a morning pick you up! Stop by and see him for a perfect fixer.

To sum it up! Stop by our Martini Bar and have a Shaken or Stirred, I like mine shaken extra cold!

Hope to see you soon!
Sheryl, Paul & Jeff

Flirt Cupcakes

Have you ever had the craving for something sweet, but didn’t feel like running out for it? Well, Flirt Cupcakes could be your answer. Flirt Cupcakes is the first mobile gourmet cupcake vendor to roam around Chicago offering locals and visitors incredibly mouth-watering treats.

How do people know where this decadent deliverer will be? That is the joy of social media. You can follow the Flirt Cupcake mobile on Facebook and Twitter. Daily, an update about the whereabouts of the Flirt Mobile is posted to Facebook and frequent updates throughout the day keep devoted followers and sweets lovers satisfied. Occasionally, there will be the opportunity for fans to pick the next location through mobile voting.

After enjoying a savory dinner at Emilio’s Tapas the other night, I was fortunate enough to run into the Flirt Cupcake mobile bakery and topped the night off with the moistest, most flavorful cupcake. The signature Flirt. Delicious! So get out your mobile trackers and find this moving palate pleaser.

Enjoy!

Jeff