A Coyote strolled through the Loop yesterday and decided to take a break at the local Quiznos. I am somewhat disappointed that Patel didn’t at least throw the little guy some processed turkey. From the Trib article coyotes in Chicago are not all that uncommon; one was even found on my street.

Are you f’n kidding me? “Monday, hell begins” is a quote from the CTA Chairwoman Carole Brown. North main-line ‘L’ service will be reduced from four to three track operation effectively placing fewer trains in service and increasing wait times by double.

What pisses me off the most is the complete lack of compassion the CTA has shown their loyal riders; handing out flyers that say “Leave early, Leave late, Alternate”. This is a complete F U from the CTA to the Chicago Metro public.

What this really boils down to is Frank Kruesi’s, President of the CTA, childish temper tantrum from not receiving city funding on his first proposal to update the crumbling public transit infrastructure. Basically this baby is engaging in a big, public ‘I will show you’ paroxysm with Mayor Daley.

Basically my time spent commuting to and from work is going to suck donkey balls. Thanks Frank, d-bag.

Iron Chef America featured Chef Graham Elliot Bowles vs. Iron Chef Bobby Flay recently on the Food Network. Chef Bowles hails from the Peninsula Hotel restaurant Avenues. I have not watched many episodes of the American version of the dramatic and humorous cooking show but since Bowles is a Chicago boy I felt compelled to tune in. The ingredient de jour was Chocolate; not an easy flavor to combine with other foods and remain creative across the five courses.

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Last night we visited Buddy Guy’s Legends on the south side of Chi-town to watch a show by the harmonica toting Charlie Musselwhite. The show was fantastic with the exception of two individuals that could not figure out the sound board. The feedback was pretty terrible at times. Charlie made it a strong point informing the two to cut his harmonica out of the monitors.

Unfortunately the club has lost its lease and will have to move by June 07. The owner of the building where Legends operates, Columbia College, wants to use the space for a student center. Over the years Legends has played host to numerous iconic musicians. Signed paraphernalia line the walls included a large painting of a blues Mount Rushmore with Robert Johnson, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and B.B. King. I hope their new home is as fun as the old.

To hijack Chicagoist’s content in consecutive posts would be terrible. So here is their explanation of how Chicago’s prevailing professional football team become known as the Bears.

The team our city’s rooting for this coming Sunday was named after another Chicago sports legacy, the Cubs. In 1921, home base for this team in the newly formed American Professional Football Association (now known as the ubiquitous NFL) was in fact Wrigley Field (known then as Cub Park). The former Decatur Staley’s, founded in 1920 when the league itself first formed, and sponsored by the A. E. Staley Company (a starch manufacturer), had just moved to Chicago as the Chicago Staley’s.

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Ever since moving to Chicago I have many times pondered the correct abbreviation for the elevated train. Chicagoist sheds some light on the subject.

We guess it really depends on who you ask. There’s really no doubt on what the CTA’s stance is on the subject, and we suppose they would have final say in the matter. But that doesn’t mean we don’t think their convention is a little bizarre. And it also doesn’t mean that people in Chicago don’t have very personal and definite opinions as to what they think our venerable system of elevated trains should be called, CTA be damned.

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Chicago got hit by a major storm last night. I believe a storm that intense could only be the work of a supercell. The hail was hitting the roof so hard I thought for sure the skylight was going to crack. I wonder how much pressure it takes to break the glass in a skylight? Something for the Mythbusters to determine I imagine.

The duck liver delicacy is banned in Chicago as of today. Many restaurants that normally do not serve foie gras were adding it to their menus going as far as deep-dish foie gras pizza at Connie’s Pizza’s on Archer Avenue.

“We’ve never served foie gras in 20 years,” said Grant DePorter, president of Harry Caray’s. “But this ordinance is making Chicago into a national joke, at least in food circles. That’s why we’re doing it.”

While I am all for the animals, there is not room in our political system for legislation to determine what is appropriate for me to eat, less the humans of course. This city ordinance illustrates who we, the citizens of Chicago, have voted into Alderman office and how easily their pathetic brains are persuaded. I just hope some serious campaign donations were at play.

Update: Michael Ruhlman rants entensively on the subject at hand and check out Bourdain’s comment.

It does not surprise me in the least that the CTA would produce 3000 signs with Belmont spelled incorrectly.

Count down to a New Brown has reopened two of the first stations to be rehabed. Notice the note on this image of another CTA mistake in signage.

Update: Too bad the CTA does not put this kind of effort into their stations.

I was not sure if it was the summer heat warping time in my head but the CTA trains have appeared to be crawling lately. I am glad to report it was not my head; the trains are moving more slowly this summer season. Worse yet, the fact that the Countdown to a new Brown is really going to screw commute times up when construction affects the rails at Fullerton. And worse yet, the close of the Diversey stop is really going to piss me off when in the dead of winter I am required to walk to another, more distant station. Hopefully this Brown Line capacity expansion will actually improve efficiency and it is not justified by the CTA spending money so their budget does not get cut.

New photos posted to my Flickr account. First the wife headed off to a Kelly Clarkson concert which appears to have turned into a complete debacle. I, fortunately, could not be persuaded to attend the concert.

The fireworks and skyline photos are from Monroe Harbor. We enjoyed the 49th Annual Venetian Night boat tour from our friend’s new boat picked up that day.

McDonalds gets creative with breakfast promotion in Wrigleyville.

We hit the town Saturday night with some old colleague’s. First stop of the night, dinner at The Blue Agave on N. State Street. While the main Tex-Mex entrées were nothing to write home about the Margaritas and guacamole were incredible. The loud bustling Latin affair was comfortable with the large bay doors open and breeze flowing through to carry the humid air away. Service was pleasant especially when she informed us that pitchers of Margaritas were no longer available due to drunken fiascoes that typically followed. Reminded me of El Vaqueros in Columbus, suspended ceiling clowns and all. When you have a hankering for tequila the selection will not disappoint at this restaurant.