Chicago: Food

Since there are tons of places to eat, we did a little research to narrow our options based on where we would be going. We didn't hit all of the places we planned for, but we did make it to a few. Sorry, but for some reason, we didn't take any photos while we were eating. So I've thrown a few other random photos in from this trip to Chicago for those who are more visual.


Downtown: Tulips were abundant

We ate Chicago-style hot dogs ("The Dog") with fries at Hot Doug's (they have a wide variety of options, though; check out their menu). Apparently, this place is really popular. Despite the fact that it was mid-afternoon, rainy, chilly, and the restaurant is sort of away from the main attractions, the line weaved around the block (and there wasn't much shelter for those outside). It was good, though. And Doug, the owner, was very nice. They closed at 4pm that day (it was a Friday), but they still served those who were standing in line before closing time.

The next day, we ate deep-dish pizza at Lou Malnati's. Both the food and service were good, but we also want to try other pizza places in the future, since there are so many in Chicago.


View from Shedd Aquarium



 
Alexis and I ate lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. at the Navy Pier on the day we had to go home (Ed left early for work), since I had never eaten there. I got the "Bucket of Boat Trash", which was really good. We also split a dessert of cinnamon bread pudding (a la mode), to celebrate our birthdays. We highly recommend it! I'm going to try to make the bread pudding some time, though. And we totally passed the pop quiz our waiter gave us on Forrest Gump trivia.


Navy Pier

We also gave grubhub a try (a food delivery web site) one night for dinner at the hotel. It worked really well for us. They even delivered to our room door. We ordered Chinese and they didn't skimp on the portion sizes! We also ordered smoothies (from the Chinese place) because they had odd flavors (we tried cantaloupe).
So, Ed and I have officially checked off "eat pizza and hot dogs in Chicago" from our 2011 goals. Okay, so that was more of a sub-goal ("Do" Chicago), but whatever. It counts as part of the "doing Chicago" experience. And that officially wraps up the series of Chicago posts for this trip!

Chicago: Courtyard Marriott O'Hare

So, remember how we went into Chicago back in May when Alexis was visiting? Well, this and one other post about that trip didn't get published for some reason. I'll post the other one next (hint: food). Like I said, we're catching up.

Anyway, here's our review of the hotel we stayed at while we were on our weekend trip to Chicago: The Courtyard Marriott O'Hare.


Courtyard Marriott O'Hare

 Pros

• We got a really good rate for the three nights we stayed (about $85/night), considering it's the Chicago area. And it was way cheaper than anything in town.
• They gave us a room when we showed up a couple of hours earlier than check-in time, so we didn't have to wait.
• Breakfast came with our stay, and the options were anything from a la carte items (e.g., container of yogurt, fruit) to a hot, cooked meal, for no extra charge.
• There was free shuttle service to O'Hare, which we used each day so we could get to and from the train station (which is at O'Hare). It ran every half hour to and from O'Hare.
• They held our bags (for free) after checking out so we didn't have to lug them around town until it was time to go to the airport (Alexis flew and Jennifer took the bus home).

Cons

• It's a little far from attractions, so the train ride is pretty long (took us 45 min. to an hour-ish, then a bus or two).
• The roads surrounding the hotel were under construction and virtually unwalkable (no sidewalks, lots of construction fences) and we didn't want to drive and pay for parking (which is why we used the shuttle).
• Our room didn't have a refrigerator, but it would've been nice to have one so we didn't have to eat out for every meal except breakfast.

The Verdict

We recommend it and would stay there again. If we were going to stay longer, we'd get a room with a refrigerator and/or microwave. We do live close enough that we could've driven to and from each day, but it is much more convenient to stay nearby and not have to drive as much or try to find downtown parking.

Book Review: A Short History of Christianity

(Note: This is Ed's first post!)

Earlier this year, we both read A Short History of Christianity by Stephen Tomkins.

This book is exactly what the title suggests – a short history of Christianity. Tomkins covers Christianity from the early church to today. And he does it in a way that keeps your interest. This book is a quick read at about 250 pages. For those of you proficient in mathematics, that works out to a century of history every 12 pages or so. This may seem like a fast pace, but his purpose is to hit the highlights of Christian history, not dive into every decree, faction, sect, or martyr.

I think Tomkins does a good job at covering the years between the early church and the Reformation. He covers the spread of Christianity and how the Catholic church eventually came to its authority. He covers the political and religious actions and influences of the various popes. I particularly like that he doesn’t play favorites – he tells the good with the bad. Tomkins’ sarcasm comes out at times, making it somewhat difficult to discern what exactly was happening, but that same sarcasm makes the book easier to read.

Overall, the book is very enlightening. I was surprised that the cover has recommendations by both Terry Jones (of Monty Python) and J. I. Packer (a contemporary theologian). Tomkins gives a briefer history than a seminary textbook but still covers the highlights.

Dominican Republic Trip Review

As promised, here is my review of the trip I took to the Dominican Republic in July of 2010. Expectations were, honestly, pretty low after reading some TripAdvisor comments. However, I was willing to give it a guarded chance.

I went for a work trip (a conference at which I was speaking) for four days. I flew into Santo Domingo (Las Americas Int'l. Airport) via Miami, then got shuttled to the town of Boca Chica (about a 20-minute drive). I stayed at the Oasis Hamaca Hotel, which is an all-inclusive resort.

Aerial view of Oasis Hamaca Hotel

The Room: It was huge. I don't know if they gave me a double bed room because they were out of single rooms or if I just paid the single rate for a double bed room. Whatever the case, it was very spacious. The room in the photo below is a pretty good representation of the room I stayed in. There is a bathroom and separate sink area near the door. Oh, and you have to use a card for the power to kick on.


A room similar to the one I stayed in

 Food: The food was pretty good at the buffet, which was semi-outdoors (it was under a pavilion). They had a few exciting items, like cassava and paella, so I tried those (when the paella line wasn't a mile long), but I mostly stuck with rice, beans, and vegetables. I'm sure they had plantain, but I just haven't been able to stomach it since childhood. There were also "restaurants" with themes like Tex-Mex and Italian. I tried the Tex-Mex place. It was alright, but I don't think it was their forte. I really wanted to try the local fare restaurant, but it was packed the whole time.

Beach: The "beach" area was very small (it wasn't much of a beach). And you have to pay to use certain areas of it. I'm not much into beaches, though, so that was negligible to me. I hear, however, that the northern coast of the Dominican Republic is where to go if you want good beaches. I did make it to one of the pools, which was nice (except for the fact that someone needed to take a net to it and there were children in it).


One of the pools

Language: There really wasn't much of a language barrier. Only one time did I have to get someone to translate, and that was conference-related. I did wish I could speak better Spanish, though (I use the term "better" loosely--I have a VERY limited vocabulary and don't know much grammar in Spanish).


The Good

• The hotel staff were overall very nice and courteous.
• No bed bugs (at least, not in the room/bed I used).
• The weather was pretty good.
• The only TV channel I found in English was Fox News, which I was happy with, since I didn't bring a laptop to keep up with what was going on in the world. It was also entertaining watching some Latin-American music videos.
• I didn't get dengue. I consider this a huge success, since mosquitoes love me. I actually only got three mosquito bites.

The Bad

• Ed wasn't there.
• It took FOREVER to get checked in (at least two hours), but that was most likely because of the conference attendees.
• I had a post-trip gastro-intestinal issue, and I'm not sure what I ate that did it. For all I know, it could've been the airport food in Miami.
• It would have been nice to go into Santo Domingo and see some sights, but I didn't really have time.
• The customs process was a little confusing (both entering and leaving the DR).
• I didn't take a camera.

The ???

• I don't know exactly what all I could have been doing if I were only there for recreation. I was mostly inside at conference sessions every day.
• I think there may have been some local/Caribbean celebrities there one night. I don't know for sure, but I was eating at the buffet and suddenly a crowd of girls started screaming and swarming around these two oddly-dressed guys who walked in. So I assumed they must be famous.
• The guy who was coordinating shuttle rides at the airport kept jokingly asking me if I was Jennifer Lopez when I told him my name so he could make sure my ride had been pre-paid. I don't know if that's some sort of common joke or what, but it's actually not the first time. Do I look Hispanic? Or is that just the most clever thing they can think of when I say my name is Jennifer?
   

Cost Breakdown
Airfare round-trip from Raleigh-Durham to Santo Domingo: $525
Hotel stay for three nights (single room rate): $354 (this may have been a conference rate)
Conference registration: $280*
Transportation to/from airport/hotel: included in conference registration (don't know how much)
Postcards: $0.50 each (2/$1)
Stamps: $2.50 EACH!
Tips/Miscellaneous: ? (negligible)
Total: approx. $1200**

*If this was a non-conference trip, one would have to pay for transportation, tips, and maybe a few other odds and ends. Even though this wouldn't be a factor for a non-work-related trip, I included it to make up for any other costs not accounted for otherwise. This may even be a bit higher than necessary, since the only thing they said it covered that wasn't directly conference-related was transportation.
**I tipped a few people, but I don't remember how much. I literally only bought postcards and stamps, for non-essential items (i.e., souvenirs).

The Verdict: Overall, it wasn't bad, but I personally wouldn't spend money to go on a vacation there. In my experience, you get a better "all-inclusive"-type vacation on a cruise. However, if you want to try a new place and like this sort of scene (or maybe you don't have sea legs), the price is pretty reasonable.

Close Enough for Barbecue

That's our new twist on the old saying ("Close enough for government work"), now that we're living where barbecue is a verb and/or a grill. Just for fun, we've included one of our favorite educational videos about barbecue:

We finally found a decent BBQ place: Famous Dave's. They have a combination of different styles of barbecue. It's a chain, but (as far as we know) it's the best we've got up here.

Pros

• They actually serve real sweet tea (i.e., brewed--not from syrup or powder). In the Midwest.
• Their beef brisket is excellent.
• They have the perfect variety of sauces. On the table. In a caddy. That's how you do it.
• They let us sample the sauces (using BBQ-flavored potato chips) while we waited for our food.
• Their "Georgia mustard" sauce is really good. It has just enough vinegar in it to make it interesting.
• They don't refer to vinegar as "sauce".
• They offer mashed sweet potatoes in addition to regular (actual) potatoes.
• The service is great.
• They send coupons via e-mail.
• They totally used the word "hankerin'" on their web site.

Cons

• They have chopped pork--not pulled. Close enough. Tastes the same but doesn't soak up as much sauce.
• No fried okra.
• No hush puppies. But they do have very good (and sweet) cornbread muffins. We'll accept that.

We know where to go now when we get a hankerin' for something a little more southern (i.e., when they send us another coupon).