Friday, August 28, 2015

Five things I did this summer

Linking up with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney for the Friday Five.


This week's topic: Five things you did this summer.

The topic implies summer is over, which makes me sad. Indeed, this summer has felt like the shortest one, ever. Between June being extremely rainy and cool combined with this week's onset of fall-like temperatures, I feel like summer only lasted about three weeks this year. It's definitely a hint to take full advantage of any good weather remaining!

That being said, let's get to my five things. (If you follow me on Instagram, you'll recognize some of these photos.)

1. Ran the 606
The 606 is a new 2.7-mile elevated bike/pedestrian trail converted from an old railroad line. I went to check it out, armed in my running shoes. Wow! It gives such amazing views of so many different neighborhoods!
Source
It's too bad the path is a little inconvenient to both public transport and to any Divvy bike stations. Otherwise, I would be a regular traverser.

Incidentally - I ran into the Nesquick Bunny.

L to R: Me and the Nesquick bunny

Talk about randomly meeting icons, right? He even gave me a very well-appreciated bottle of chocolate milk! =)

2. Visited Argyle Street and the Argyle Night Market
Argyle Street is the site of a prominantly Vietnamese neighborhood in Chicago. Every Thursday during the summertime, they host an outdoor night market. It's reminiscent of the markets you'll see in Asia, albeit on a much smaller scale.

My friend Rose and I went to check it out one night.

Afterwards, we wandered around the neighborhood taking in the atmosphere. I enjoyed seeing all the beautiful murals adorning the streets.

We stopped at a local Asian bakery, then had dinner at Pho 888. So much delicious food! I've already got recommendations for more Vietnamese favorites to check out in the future.

I absolutely love wandering through Chicago's various ethnic neighborhoods. It's such an incredible way to see the true locals living their lives.

3. Ran the Morton Arboretum
I have heard amazing reviews of the Morton Arboretum in west suburban Lisle. It is reknown for its natural beauty and well-maintained running/biking paths. It plays host to lots of weddings and other special events.

One Saturday, I hopped in the car and made the trek out to experience it for myself.


I logged an enjoyable 10-miler, then had lunch at one of their outdoor seating areas. The premises are ENORMOUS. Despite my lengthy run, I barely scratched the surface of all the Arboretum has to offer.

This is another place to which I wish I lived closer!

4. Went to the Zoo
In June, Adam and I went to an event at the Lincoln Park Zoo called Adults Night Out. It takes place after normal operating hours, and features special animal discussions, concessions, and entertainment.

Unfortunately it rained the whole night we were there (as it did for most of the month of June, really). Therefore, we spent much of the event exploring the indoor exhibits.

I was terrified by the Madagascar hissing cockroach exhibit:

[Shudder]

I hope the zookeepers keep that exhibit well secured. In my worst nightmare, those roaches escape and wander into some radioactive nuclear plant, expanding to 350 times their normal size and eventually taking over the world. (There's probably a sci-fi horror movie depicting the whole storyline in all of its grisly detail.)

Anyways, I digress. The event was a lot of fun and a great way to experience the zoo without all the usual packed crowds.

Since I can't possibly leave you with just that one cockroach picture, here is a much more pleasant image!

Giraffe taking a break between dinnertime bites to gaze at its observers

5. Ate lots of non deep-dish pizza
Neopolitan pizza seems to be a growing movement, even in a city reknown for its deep-dish. As sacrilegious as it may be, I've had fun trying out several different new-to-me joints. These include Pizzeria del Mercato, Spacca Napoli, and Sono Wood Fired.

Spacca Napoli

I'm not even close to being done with my non-deep dish pizza exploration. I still want to try Coalfire, Forno Rosso, and Pizzeria da Nella Cucina Napoletana, amongst many other places.

Yes, I'm going against my prior proclamations of all deep dish, all the time. I will call it expanding my appreciation of the diverse pizza world. =) But I still do think deep dish pizza is the best!

23 comments:

  1. Coalfire! Drool.....so good. How was Pizzeria del Mercato? My Live Grit friend Darryl raves about them but I've never been. Also, if you haven't been to Piece yet you HAVE to go. I dare say it's my favorite pizza in the city. Followed by Coalfire and then Parlor and the BBQ pizza at Old Fifth. Although, there are so many I haven't tried yet!

    I haven't been to the "Arb" yet. So many of my Oak Park running club friends go there to train for Boston but I never managed to make it to a run. From what I hear it's beautiful all year round and a great place to train in the winter, too, because there's hardly any traffic and they keep the roads pretty clear.

    And, while, yes, I'm sure there's a giant cockroach movie, all I can thing of is The Beginning of the End which is my favorite (bad) giant insect movie.

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    1. So you've been to Coalfire! Nice! Pizzeria del Mercato is amazing. Definitely recommended. I have been to Piece and it is fantastic, as well! I really liked that chicken and goat cheese pizza at Old Fifth from Wednesday night. Did you see that a Forno Rosso is opening on Randolph soon? So excited!

      Yes on the Arboretum having very well-maintained roads! They've got lots of clean restroom facilities with drinking fountains along the trails, too. It is so helpful for doing a long run! Then they've got a restaurant on site with a really pretty outdoor patio. It's perfect for refueling afterwards. =)

      I'd never heard of the Beginning of the End until now but you are right - that is exactly the plot that I fear with those cockroaches!!!

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  2. That pizza looks delicious. As I've gotten older, I've gone away from lots of crust on pizza, even though I love crust. I find the thinner crust and less greasy pizza is the best.

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    1. Sadly, I've done the same. I do love bread in general, but I try to go easy on it where possible. The good thing about deep dish is that it isn't necessarily the crust that is the culprit - it's the five pounds of cheese and other fillings. LOL

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  3. My love for the deep dish is unwavering but I do love me some thin crust as well. Bring it on! The 606 looks awesome every time I see it on TV but I'm not even sure where it is. Looks to me like you made the most of what the city has to offer this very short summer. Wah!

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    1. I've definitey learned to appreciate the thin-crust! The only problem is that I could probably eat an entire thin-crust pizza all by myself, whereas with deep dish I am good with a slice and a half or so. The 606 is on Bloomingdale Avenue (1800 N) between Ashland and Ridgeway. It's awesome but not super accessible, unfortunately. You definitely made the most of this very short summer, too!!!

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  4. I love the Morton Arboretum! You should stop back when all the leaves are changing colors. It's amazing. And in the winter they do a festival of lights and sounds (or something like that) where they light up a good portion of the park and have interactive exhibits.

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    1. I can only imagine how gorgeous the Arboretum must be in the fall when all the foliage is in full bloom! They have so many amazing events there, too, which are great for the whole family. It's an amazing place!!!

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  5. L to R: Me and the Nesquick bunny - LOL! Thanks for that clarification. I wasn't sure who was who. ;-)

    Also, I agree with you ... the bug exhibits at zoos gross me out. *hurls*

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    1. LOL, you never know. The Nesquick bunny and I do have some resemblances. You know, we both have two arms, two legs. =)

      Bug exhibits are terrifying. But I was thinking that a cockroach is probably fairly low maintenance (other than keeping it well secured) since those bugs can survive almost anything!!! This is both good and bad!!!

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  6. yuck - that cockroach picture gave me the creeps! lots of fun running this summer!!

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    1. What is it about cockroaches that give us all the heeby-jeebies, right? They are so little yet so terrifying! Blech!!!

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  7. Haha, love that you ran into the Bunny! The zoo is so much fun! We did a race one year at the zoo and got free passes to explore after--it was SO cold so we kept running back into the indoor exhibits haha. At least they are nice, too! Enjoy the rest of your summer!

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    1. Did you do the Run for the Zoo?!?!? If so, I've been eyeing that race for many years but never pulled the trigger on it. How awesome that you got passes to explore afterwards! It is a good thing indeed that there are both indoor and outdoor exhibits. It really keeps the zoo a year-round attraction that way!!!

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  8. Eeewww...those cockroaches! Three weeks of summer does.not.compute. The Nesquick bunny being out on the trail seems a little random.

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    1. The cockroaches are the most terrifying thing ever, aren't they. This has been the shortest and most road-construction-fraught summer, ever. Yes, it was random to run into the bunny but I was so happy to get that cold chocolate milk. =)

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  9. I'm with Holly ^^^ eww to the cockroaches! I was thinking about running the Morton Arboretum and then that pix came up...

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    1. Yes, the cockroaches are absolutely horrifying. I don't know what it is about them but they really give me nightmares. Definitely check out the Morton Arboretum if you get the chance - it's beautiful and the facilities are so well-maintained!!!

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  10. I keep forgetting about the 606! I kind of want to check it out. I want to see how it compares to the High Line in NYC :)
    Ha! I was at Lincoln Park Zoo with a friend earlier this summer and she freaked at the cockroaches! LOL!

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    1. Ooooh, I would love to check out the High Line in NYC sometime!!! That would be an awesome compare-and-contrast opportunity! Putting it on my list for the next time I visit NYC. =)

      I can certainly understand freaking out at the cockroaches!!! I think every single person who passed by the exhibit reacted in some way, shape, or form... some more negatively than others. =D

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  11. I have yet to try Spaca Napoli and I live pretty close to it. I have tried Coalfire and it was awesome! Nice pic of the Morton Arboretum. I used to run their Fall Color 5k every year, but it now lands on the same day as the Chicago Marathon. Womp!

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    1. Ahhh, Pete, I hope you get to try Spacca sometime soon! They have outdoor seating right now while the weather is good, too! I've heard nothing but rave reviews about Coalfire so now I am even more excited to try it hopefully soon.

      Bummer that the Fall Color 5K takes place the same day as the Chicago Marathon! That's some tough race competition!!! Prairie State always takes place on the Saturday of Chicago Marathon weekend, which is tough timing, too. It's hard to go against a World Marathon Major!!!

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  12. Those cockroaches freaked me out too! I've heard good things about the Morton Arboretum. Maybe I'll check it once I am done training for the Chicago Marathon. I'd bet it will look beautiful in the fall.

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