The Chicago Traveler

Time-Out Chicago reveals the results of its most recent sex survey. Find out the favorite sex toys among both women and men.
The MenuPages Blog examines why restaurant critic Pat Bruno recently visited Erwin—a good, but old, restaurant. And then goes on to giggle at the Falling Baker.
GB Drive-Thru interviews Michael Nagrant on how he was involved in writing the new cookbook, Alinea.
The GB Book Club reminds you that you can bring all your used and unwanted books to Open Book’s Great American Book Drive this Sunday.
Did you know October is National Pretzel Month? Centerstage offers some options on where to …read more

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Chicago has plenty of upscale restaurants, but let’s face it, the Windy City is best known for its greasy comfort foods: Italian beefs, hot dogs, burgers, gyros, etc. Grease Freak is a website full of photographs of Chicago-style food—“edible and not”—rated on their taste, presentation, and restaurant ambience.
Start stocking up on napkins now.
Photo credit: GreaseFreak.com
http://www.greasefreak.com/

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Today is Blog Action Day, an annual nonprofit event wherein bloggers, podcasters, and videocasters from around the world post about the same issue on the same day. The online event aims to raise awareness on a global level.
This year, online media members are discussing the complex issue of poverty. Obviously, there is no simple answer to this worldwide problem, but Blog Action Day enables thousands of people to openly give their own perspectives, creating discussion, ideas, and hopefully real-life action.
Here in Chicago, a city with numerous resources, there are plenty of ways to get involved in the effort to end …read more

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October is the month of Halloween, bringing with it all things scary and sometimes sinful. Time-Out Chicago features seven strolls through Chicago that are based on the famous seven deadly sins.
Feeling gluttonous? Indulge in delicious treats while ambling through Oak Park. Got to have it all? Take your greedy little self downtown through the shops, the banks, and the skyscrapers. And you sex-driven folks (call me!) can visit some of Chicago’s former and current adult-minded locations in River North.
For the complete list of TOC’s seven sinful strolls, click here.
Photo credit: (c/o Flickr) ♥♥peppersmom♥♥

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When Sarah Palin first entered the Presidential race as John McCain’s candidate for vice-president, very few people had any idea who she was. In their hunt for information about her and her political views, many reporters, bloggers, and pundits have criticized her for her lack of interviews and media exposure. Now, she’s getting plenty of exposure in a Chicago bar.
The Old Town Ale House is a dive bar in the Old Town neighborhood that is well-known for its hundreds of adult-themed paintings of bar regulars and famous Chicagoans. Its most recent addition is a portrait of Sarah Palin… nude.
The four-foot-tall …read more

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This weekend, anyone and everyone’s been talking about the Chicago Gourmet, the inaugural “celebration of food and wine.” Andrew Huff of Drive-Thru attended the Opening Gala, which was a hit; however, the high cost may have kept more than a few people away. According to the MenuPages Blog, the upscale festival could have used a few more cheese and crackers and a little less wine. Zef Frank at Time-Out Chicago was impressed by neither the food nor the vintages. Their opinions may fall on deaf ears, however; the Chicago Tribune interviewed a few top Chicago chefs, none of which were …read more

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Want to hit up one of the “best” bars in Chicago this weekend? Esquire has unveiled its long list of the 239 best bars in the United States (plus a couple in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands). Twelve of these are from the Chicagoland area.
The ratings appear to be fluctuating as readers continually give their own input. When the folks at MenuPages Blog checked out the website, according to them, there were no Chicago businesses in the top ten. But as of yesterday afternoon, there were at least two (Hideout and Duke of Perth). And the scores have changed …read more

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Michael Nagrant has posted a long, thought-out list of “Best”s in Chicago at Serious Eats.
Do you want More cupcakes? The folks at MenuPages Blog and Chicago Bites sure do.
It’s apple season! Drive-Thru recommends stocking up on delicious apple cider.
Much to everyone’s surprise, the final Red Line slow zone repairs were completed about a month ahead of schedule, according to the CTA Tattler.
Time-Out Chicago reviews the latest episode of Project Runway.
The CTA is in big economic trouble. An editorial at the Chicago Tribune blames Governor Rod Blagojevich: after offering free rides to the city’s veterans and elderly, he cut the state …read more

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Last week, I read an article at the MenuPages Blog on the behavior of adults reacting to the behavior of kids in restaurants:
Here’s the thing. Kid-related eye-rolling is acceptable only when:1) They’re crying and their parents are calmly eating/chatting/cellphoning2) They’re tearing up the joint while their parents smile proudly3) Their parent(s) run you off the sidewalk with immense strollers3) There’re so many of them you lose count
Now, I’m not a parent, but I did grow up with two little brothers and have done more than my fair share of babysitting. I know what a loud, uncontrollable irritation kids can be. …read more

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My brothers and I all had different interests that usually kept us busy. However, there were always dreaded lapses of boredom. And of course, whenever we were bored, we did what brothers do: we fought.
The Chicago Tribune recently featured an article that listed a number of activities that will help keep boys entertained and may just keep their parents sane. For example, your boys might be at that stage where all things “gross” are “cool,” so stop by the International Museum of Surgical Science. Kids are bound to learn something amidst all the “nasty” exhibits of the human body.
Many boys …read more

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