Sushi on the River

I went with my friend, Sarah, to see David Sedaris last night at the Auditorium Theatre. His reading of essays was fantastic, and I think we laughed for the entire 2-hour show. In fact, his books and writings are so laugh-out-loud funny, that while reading them on the subway I've actually embarassed myself by laughing so hard and trying to hold it in. And I'm not a shy guy. If you are unfamiliar with David Sedaris, you must be sure and check him out!

We had a few hours to kill before the show, so we decided to have a picnic on the fly. Our picnic came to life at Jewel where we picked up deli sushi, a cheese platter, crackers, and a sweet for each of us.



If you don't know Sarah or I, cheese is Primary Weakness number one in our lives. Every meal should consist of at least one variety of cheese, and lots of it. No, I'm not from Wisconsin. Neither is she, but she did go to school there, so maybe she is by default. At any rate, we walked down State Street with our dinner in plastic bags in search of a place to sit and eat our meal. Ah, the Chicago River Walk! I have only recently become accustomed to using this linear space, as it's a relatively new endeavor on the part of the City. Much of the entire Downtown riverfront has an endless lineup of restaurants, park benches, sculpture, and a continuous ballustrade providing a fabulous amenity that we, the people of Chicago, can use for anything from an office respite to a fancy dinner. Or, in our case, a picnic on the fly. We descended the stairs on the west side of State/Wacker, and were instantly greeted with a heavy smell of urine. Delicious. How that scent gets so incredibly pungent and concentrated in a breezy, outdoor space is beyond me. I was not hanging around to find out more. We hurried back up to the street level, and decided to try the other side of State Street. Here, we found just the opposite of where we had just been. A delightful Vietnam Veteran's memorial for Chicago Veterans was waiting for us at the bottom of the ramp. I'd heard about this space, but never had the chance to check it out until now! It turned out being the perfect place to have our little picnic, and to enjoy the lights of the skyline from a different angle than ever before. There is plenty of room to accomodate the large throngs at lunchtime, and it's amphitheatre-like granite steps are great for just sitting, or for sitting and eating.



Anyone who lives here, or even is only visiting should definitely check the Memorial out. It is sure to provide some great photo opportunities, or just remove you from the street noise that is Downtown Chicago. Now, if only they had a little sushi joint adjacent...