A Look Back on Chicago...

(David trying to touch the clouds from the plane.)

David and I had a wonderful time in Chicago, although the trip was short (3 nights, 2 full days). Our first impressions were good -- we look forward to spending more time there, hopefully in the warmer months. Everyone we encountered seemed very nice and easily conversational, from the hotel staff to theater staff to restaurant staff to the dancers and actors we saw... Chicago seemed like a city where its inhabitants were happy.

A bit of musing about Chicago (a week later...):

ON W CHICAGO CENTER:
This was our first time staying at a W Hotel... and I must confess, I was at once excited and nervous about the prospect of staying in the W Chicago Center. Why? Because I looked up the hotel on Trip Advisor. The wonderful thing about Trip Advisor is that it is informative -- the site is laden with reviews from real people. The terrible thing about Trip Advisor is that it could inspire a certain amount of alarm, fear and dread, should there be one or two extremely negative and skeptical reviews about a hotel. Even more terrible thing about Trip Advisor is when one checks out one's hotel on it when one has no option of changing hotels -- the situation we were in in Chicago, and, of course, in which we generally find ourselves. (Since the general manager arranges our accommodations.) The Trip Advisor reviews of W Chicago Center were mixed -- some people liked it, others did not. One review by a newlywed couple, in particular, described in great detail how their computers AND their computer bags were stolen from their locked room. It was an "insider job." This reviews instilled terrific anxiety in us as we considered the safety of David's brand new Powerbook Mac -- not to mention his new, gorgeous Crumpler backpack (of which he is very proud).

Fortunately, we found the W Chicago Center lovely. Our room was spacious, with a comfortable bed and a nice view onto Chicago. David marveled at the flat screen TV, while I made sure to take home all the Bliss Spa products that were complimentary in our bathroom (there is a Bliss Spa Salon in the hotel). While the club-like elevators were somewhat strange (lit like a club with house dance music pumping within it at all hours), we enjoyed the lobby lounge bar as well as the Whiskey Bar... hey, what's not to like about a hotel that makes drinking at all hours tremendously easy? We fell in love with the margaritas at the W... toasty tequila flavor very present in a light, refreshing fresh lime juice and triple sec concoction. The staff were nice, too, and that there was a little boutique in the hotel didn't hurt (David bought a cute tee shirt)... so all in all, we enjoyed our first W Hotel experience.

(Also, we returned to NY with David's computer AND backpack safely with us.)

ON FOOD IN CHICAGO:
We arrived late on Easter Sunday, which meant a lot of restaurants were closed or had closed early. Eleanor, David and I rushed to a slightly out-of-the-way Tex Mex restaurant called Coobah, which was good, although not excellent and without frills. It was interesting to take a car journey out of where we were staying, which is in the city but in a business-y area, to what seemed more like a residential neighborhood. Although it was not our shining culinary experience of Chicago, it was a mellow, first night dining experience.

(David & Tomoko at Blackbird)

The second night, David and I went for a romantic dinner at Blackbird, which was wonderful. We had a beautiful bottle of wine recommended by our very thoughtful and sweet waiter -- a Central Coast white wine, 2004 Treana from Mer Soleil Vineyard. It was just to our taste -- fruity, medium-bodied blend of Viognier and some others, with a surprisingly clean dry finish. Some nights after a long day of casting, there is nothing better than sitting down together for a relaxing, long meal sharing a lovely bottle of wine (I suppose this situation is lovely most days, but it is indeed very nice after seeing one actor/dancer after another and having to be very focused). The food was excellent and innovative, and the dessert (a chocolate mousse with a paper thin wafer underneath) delicious. We had a fantastic time, and befriended our waiter, who turned out to be a real pro in the Chicago restaurant industry. He gave us his contacts at other restaurants we'd read about ("Ask to be seated in the area with Rex (the waiter)," he'd say), and wished us our speedy return to Chicago. (Blackbird's sister restaurant, Avec, is next door. It's a wine bar restaurant with a nice selection of wines. We went there post-dinner and saw our waiter there again, had a nice chat (he was there post-work with his colleagues). Lovely lovely man. We liked Avec for its wine, but we did not like the bright-bright lighting -- we like prefer to drink wines at a counter with a more dim lighting.)

On the third and last night, we ate at the restaurant in our hotel with Eleanor. Eleanor and David ate red-wine braised short-ribs and I had a rib-eye steak with garlic crust. All meat dishes were excellent, and we had a great time. It was a lovely way to cap off our first casting trip to the Windy City.

ON CASTING IN CHICAGO:
We spent our first day of casting seeing dancers from the Joffrey Ballet as well as dancers from other dance companies. Ballet dancers at the Joffrey level are basically certified to be non-human, I have come to understand. I have never seen a girl leap so high, leg kick so readily or feet point so perfectly. It was an exciting day. The treat -- for everyone -- came when Cynthia Rhodes, the original Penny from the film, stopped by to say "Hello." She is gorgeous, radiant, and absolutely generous and warm. David was over-the-moon thrilled to meet her, and ardently wished that she would take up the idea of demonstrating the mambo with him... but alas, she was too modest ("Oh, I'd step on your toes!" she said). I must confess, I did not expect to be starstruck -- I was just intent on making sure David got to meet her when she arrived, as he was in the other room -- but I was awe-struck by her brilliant person. She is beautiful and sui generis.

I also took a couple of photos of David in action teaching the dancing. (Cynthia Rhodes, by the way, whispered to me while watching David teach the mambo, "He is totally adorable!" This comment, of course, brought a wide smile to David's face when I told him.)

ON OUR TRIP BACK TO NEW YORK:
Our flight to Chicago was easy and smooth, and we even arrived about 20 minutes early. Unfortunately, our trip back to New York did not go as well. Because of the weather (snow starting to fall in Chicago), we sat on the tarmac for 5 hours. A machine had to be brought to our plane to defrost it entirely, which is not exactly a comfort-inspiring event. The defrosting process was a funny one, as the plane basically gets doused with pink-ish liquid that is eerily reminiscent of Pepto Bismal. We did have a lovely flight back into New York, however, and flew directly over the city and by Central Park, which allowed me to take some interesting bird's eye photos of New York.
TM