I had a great sleep, curled up among a variety of pillows on the comfortable Sheraton bed and woke at my usual 6 am time, full of energy. I decided to have a leisurely breakfast and then go down to the Link cafe and take care of my on-line check-in for tomorrow before heading over to the conference centre.. This is a terrific feature that the Sheraton has - they don't charge for Internet access using the computers in their Link Cafe. Unusually for me, I did not bring my laptop on this trip, so I forgot to check wether wireless Internet access using one's own laptop is also free.
Anyway it was simple to check in with United on line and print my boarding pass. Then I decided to check my email - and found an urgent message sent late yesterday with an apology for the late notification, telling me that I should be at the opening of the Plenary Session for the morning, as a short presentation of the CSCC award winners would be made and we were supposed to be there to stand and be acknowledged. Hmmm. I looked at my watch. It was 9. 20. I had missed it. Oops.
For our Monday night dinner, my friend chose Perennial on North Lincoln Avenue. We were delighted that it was open as it appears that, in the same way that most theatres are dark on Monday nights, many restaurants here chose not to open on Mondays.
We decided against ordering a bottle of wine as I wanted white wine and my friend wanted red so instead we each ordered a glass of wine. I chose the Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier from California and she ordered a Babich Pinot Noir from New Zealand.
Chicago Burger Company
301 E N Water St
Chicago
Ph: 312-464-1000
Normally I wouldn't really bother to write up a burger cafe but I was so pleasantly surprised by my riverside lunch that I thought it warranted some comments.
This was Day 3 of my Chicago 2009 visit. I had checked into the Sheraton Hotel and was wandering around the area. The Chicago Burger Company Cafe is located on the river side of the hotel, with tables on a patio, and more tables down on the river walk itself.
When I found myself a table next to the water's edge, I noted that the place was quite busy but I was in no hurry and wanted to enjoy a relaxing meal outside. The burger menu offers a the ability to design your own burger. You start with a choice of four basic burgers for $9.00; beef, turkey, salmon or veggie. Then you can pick one cheese out of 4 for a dollar, and two free toppings. I picked Gorgonzola blue cheese, guacamole and caramelized onions. The burger comes with tomato, lettuce, red onions and pickle and is served on a corn dusted bun. Fries are extra.
On Day two in Chicago, exploring Visual Arts and Culinary Arts, we chose to wander around Millenium Park and visit the Art Institute. Before beginning our exploration of the new modern wing galleries of the Institute, we visited the new restaurant, Terzo Piano, a 160 seat restaurant with indoor dining and al fresco dining on a terrace that overlooks Millennium Park. The restaurant which opened in May 2009 when the Institute opened its Modern Wing, was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, for whom the restaurant is named.
As I noted in my Chicago Diary 2009, this visit to Chicago is brief, essentially only four nights, so we wasted no time before setting out to sample some great food. The first restaurant my friends chose for me to check out was a Japanese cuisine and sushi restaurant, Takashi, in Bucktown on Chicago's North side. The restaurant takes its name from chef Takashi Yagihashi.
Wednesday July 22nd, Day 4: Conference time
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