The Chicago Traveler

The current economy may not support lavish travel, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get special treatment. Guests at the Fairmont Hotel can be treated like royalty and customize their own gourmet ice cream.
Made with all-natural ingredients, the decadent dessert is made overnight and can satisfy your unique cravings. So, if you want guacamole-flavored ice cream, the chef can whip up the perfect recipe for you.
This service, which premiered in June of last year, is available daily. For less than $20, you can enjoy a pint of your own signature ice cream, designed exclusively by you for you.
From one luxurious …read more

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• The 44th Annual Chicago International Film Festival begins this weekend, featuring over 100 films from 46 countries. (ends Oct 29)
• More than five dozen vendors from Chicago will sell art, antiques, jewelry, and more at the Fall French Market. The fair also includes French cooking demonstrations and kids’ activities. (Oct 17-19)
• Sixty local and national chefs are featured at the 20th annual Celebrity Chef Ball, including Top Chef: Chicago winner Stephanie Izard, contestant Valerie Bonan, and Top Chef: New York contender Radhika Desai. (Oct 17)
• Oracle Productions holds their third installment of terrifying entertainment, Disturbed III. The audience stands …read more

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• The 11th Annual Chicago Art Open presents drawings, paintings, photographs, and more by nearly 300 artists at Merchandise Mart. (ends Oct 19)
• Several local spas are taking part in the Pretty in Pink Fundraiser and offering fixed-price ($31) massages, facials, and other beauty treatments. Every participating spa and salon has made a donation to Breast Cancer Network of Strength. Be sure to mention “Pretty in Pink” when booking your appointment. (ends Oct 31)
• Want to see something spooky? Take the Chicago Hauntings Ghost Tour, featuring Hull House, the sites of the St Valentine’s Day Massacre and Eastland Disaster, and …read more

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Who doesn’t like pie? Better yet, who doesn’t like free pie?
The mobile Pie Hole restaurant is traveling the country this month, giving away free pie to celebrate the season premiere of ABC’s Pushing Daisies. Today, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, you can stop by for free pie, pie-cutters, spatulas, balloons, and more. Be sure to get there early, as supplies are limited.
For more information, visit PushingDaisiesTour.com or follow them on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/abcpiehole.
Photo credit: (c/o Flickr) www.YoVenice.com

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As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, I make a monthly trip to visit family in southwestern Michigan. The trip usually takes about three hours, and I pass through several small towns along the way. In fact, in that rural area, it is not uncommon for us to visit one town to go grocery shopping, another town for dining out, and yet another to go see a movie! Of course, all the towns are within a few minutes of each other, so driving from town to town is much like driving to different neighborhoods here in Chicago.

One road that we …read more

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• Sip on specially-priced $29 bottles of wine from past leap years (2000 and 2004) at the Leap Year Dinner at Café Matou. (Feb 29)
• Shane Salois of Cream Wine Company and sommelier Rashed Islam lead a tasting of more than 12 champagnes with appetizer pairings at the Leap Year Champagne Seminar at Viet Bistro. (Feb 29)
• At the Leap Year Celebration at Zocalo, get a flan dessert for $2.29 (in honor of the day 2/29) plus half-price appetizers and live music in the bar. (Feb 29)
• The Leap Year Celebration at Café Penelope features buffalo frog legs, “frog’s leap” …read more

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It’s the middle of winter, and that has many of us dreaming of spring and warmer temperatures. Which, of course, means frozen treats!
Scooter’s offers some of the city’s best frozen custard, coming in basic flavors (like chocolate and vanilla) as well as a unique flavor of the day ranging anywhere from strawberry swirl to “Belmont Avenue” (a.k.a. Rocky Road). This dessert really can’t be beat, made fresh daily with less air and ice than plain ol’ ice cream.
The menu also carries sundaes, Italian ices, cookie custard sandwiches, and the popular Concretes—loads of frozen custard combined with candy or flavorings like …read more

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In 1966, two cab drivers and their friend were sick and tired of putting up with Chicago’s rush hour traffic, so they decided to get out of the taxi business and open a pizzeria. Now, over 40 years later, Gino’s East is a legend in Chicago, attracting locals and tourists alike.
The Original Gino’s East on Wells St (just a block away from Hop Haus) is a sight to behold. By the light of chandeliers and candles, you can read the writing on the walls (literally!) while you wait. Every inch of this place is covered in graffiti, all from past …read more

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Feeling retro? Inside Kitsch’n on Roscoe, everything from old advertisements to cheesy toys bring the funkadelic ’60s and ’70s back to life. Customers enjoy classic hits while seated at orange, formica kitchen tables on a linoleum floor. And the bright yellow and lime-green walls add to the cheery atmosphere.
However, you won’t be finding the salad bars and Hamburger Helper that were made popular during that era here. Owner and chef Jon Young takes traditional favorites and gives them a modern touch. The breakfast menu offers items like a low-carb egg scramble or French toast made out of huge bread slices …read more

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