Truly it is the city of broad shoulders and narrow intralung airways.
I guess I'm used to smoker's houses, but how much of a hardship is a smoking hotel room? You can smell it when you walk in, but five minutes later you can't tell, and it's not like being in a room where someone was smoking a day ago is going to make you smell like smoke when you leave.
I have sinus problems that make breathing at night problematic to begin with. I'm hesitant to book a smoking room for fear it might make it worse.
I'm actually expecting to pop up with secondhand-smoke lung cancer one of these days, from all those rides in the back of a VW Beetle with the windows rolled up and a pack's worth of cigarette smoke replacing all the air in the car. And if I do, boy am I going to guilt-trip my parents, hard.
And, as I mentioned in the other thread, if anyone can give me tips on neighborhoods to stay in in Chicago, that would be really helpful. We'd be doing the typical touristy stuff (museums, parks, etc.). If you know of somewhere a bit off the beaten path but convenient to transit that would take us to the attractions, that would be good.
5: What bothers you bothers you. I was just thinking that maybe you could think of it as an opportunity for a cheap room, rather than getting stuck with a smoking room.
I also buy bananas when they sell them cheap because they have too many brown spots, though, so don't listen to me.
We've had my brother and sister-in-law stay at the Talbot, on Delaware. But they are smokers. My wife and I stayed in the Indigo this summer to celebrate our anniversary. These places are the sorts you have in mind, I think, North side but south of Lincoln Park. Aircrew stay in the Indigo.
I find smoking rooms pretty disgusting, but this is also the time to wheel out your Mary Douglas 101 examples of dirt as matter out of place within a system of social classification. Start with the pillow and its contents.
Dude, *I* find smoking rooms gross and I smoke.
Stop smoking, dammit. Rawr.
I have sinus problems that make breathing at night problematic to begin with
We've been over this, Becks. NETI POT!
Oh, and maybe they mean these rooms are smokin'....laydeez.
I am totally useless for hotels in Chicago. When my family came in for my graduation I put my dad and brother up in the Swissotel (the only one in North America, weirdly), but only because it was the one I booked off Hotwire without knowing what it was.
The other thing a lot of websites have, as I discovered, is hotel rooms that you can't cancel on. Chicago is weird.
Oh, and don't be tempted by a deal at the Congress hotel 'cause apparently they have bad employment practices or something and people have been picketing for like ever.
yeah, be careful - i booked my parents and sister a hotel room in chicago that was clearly nonsmoking, but turned out to be...smoking. it stunk, and the only reason they didn't mind was that they loved chicago so much. other than that, it was a nice hotel, in a a good location (ie in my neighborhood of lakeview, which i and they loved, and is convenient to the belmont stop, which hits the red, purple and brown lines, about 20 minutes to downtown proper). it was the best western hawthorne terrace hotel. they seemed happy with it, besides the smoking thing.
I might bail on Chicago and go somewhere else instead. There must be something huge going on in the city the weekend I was going to go (October 27) -- almost all the rooms are booked (including the hotel Catherine just recommended) and everything left is super expensive. The rooms in Wicker Park are going for $240 a night. Anyone in Chicago know what it could be?
speaking of travel questions, does anyone know any decent places to eat (lunch or dinner) near around 700 F St NW in DC?
Oh yeah the Best Western Hawthorne Terrace! I sat in their little front patio a couple weeks ago while on a walk with a friend who lives around there. That'd be a good option.
Because I am a total food dork and yes, read Kitchen Confidential and also Anthony Bourdain's cookbook, I want to eat at Les Halles DC on my next trip to DC (in a couple weeks). Does this make me totally lame? Also, it's right by my hotel.
there's an antiwar protest that I kept trying to convince people to go to. somehow, I doubt that's it.
katherine - zatinya or ten penh off the top of my head. the latter especially. depends also on how much money you want to spend, what you're looking for, etc.
m. leblanc, re les halles - it's a good spot, but it probably won't blow your mind foodwise. but it's nice.
Well, the few times I've tried to book something it's been a pain in the ass like that. But I don't know what's going on.
hey, I think I've been to Zatinya & I really liked it! wow, I really don't my dc geography.
I'm coming to town tomorrow, btw. Would be great to have dinner or a drink with people but it's for oral argument preparation so I have to be at my boss's beck and call.
All Chicagolanders, visitors and native, should eat at Mario's in Blue Island to prove they're down with the gente.
Holy shit, I just found out I passed the bar exam. Woooooooooooooooooooooo
Dude! Not that there was a smidgen of doubt about it, but dude! Or should I say, Esq.!
Yay LeBlanc! Next time some jackass threatens to sue me, I'll bug you about it, 'kay?
Now I'm never going to be able to go to sleep.
Yay m. leblanc!
Also, I was coming here to suggest the Hawthorne Terrace Best Western, but I see that's already been done in 21. It's a really fun neighborhood, I'm around there a lot these days. Good (medium-priced) restaurants all the way down that street, the gay bars and more decent restaurants just a block or two west on Halsted, the red line is only a half-mile walk away, and there are two bus lines express to downtown that stop only a block or two east of there (on Sheridan, right by the lake shore).
You're not supposed to, Madame Lawyer.
Wanna finish my brief for me? You're a lawyer. I just need a couple of pages on aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty under NY law.
Actually, I'm not officially a lawyer until they approve my whole character and fitness doodad thingy, which I will celebrate again when they do. And then, you know, I have to get sworn in. But still.
Also, I got my 711 license in the mail (license so law graduates can practice before they're officially sworn in), so I predict that my boss will have me in court, like, um, day after tomorrow. Every day, it's all "did you get your 711 yet?"
As a non-lawyer, I'm amused that it's called a 711.
Well it's just called that in Illinois, because the rule that permits it is rule 711 of the Illinois Supreme Court rules. I don't know what other states call it.
Finally, quick note if you haven't been to Chicago in a year or so: Wicker Park has changed. Totally changed, scarily so. It's basically Lincoln Park now, only with slightly less soul. I guess Myopic Books is still there, as is Reckless Records. Virtually no other storefront around Milwaukee, North or Damen has stayed open though, including Filter (which closed its doors to much dismay only a month or two ago, and will be replaced by a Bank of America).
No neighborhood has really replaced it, as Westtown/Ukranian Village has already gone freakishly upscale while the Logan Square, Pilsen and Near West Side art communities and awesome coffee shops and general cool stuff are too spread out for walking purposes. This is why hipsters all bike nowadays.
New York doesn't have it -- you're useless until your whole character and fitness thing is done.
it's just called that in Illinois, because you get it down at the convenience store. the rule that permits it is rule 711 of the Illinois Supreme Court rules
Not to interrupt the wooo, but when I travel, I carry plenty of frankincense and myrrh, in case of funky hotel rooms. They'll easily disperse any other smell within 30 min, and after a while your body will associate them with sleep, and your bed will become extra comfortable. Of course, you'll walk around smelling like an Orthodox church, but there are worse things to smell like.
Also, wooooo(etc . . .)
It's the "character and fitness" thing that makes me giggle. I wish there were some standard like that in academia.
It's the high standards of the profession that explains why everyone trusts lawyers so much.
So, any damn miscreant can run around teaching undergrads, no questions asked?
when I travel, I carry plenty of frankincense and myrrh
I think you're about 2,000 years late, FM, but if you want to gift Jesus McQueen, he might give you some wine or salvation or something.
"Character and fitness" gets you into undergrad, doesn't it (in a sense)?
52: only kind of, man. Only kind of.
50: It takes a miscreant to put up with 'em.
51: I was trying to make a dumb joke. Why I thought the number of people who have a)read this thread and b)participated in an eastern orthodox easter vigil exceeded one escapes me at the moment. The point is, if you can associate a reproducible smell with slumber, you have vanquished insomnia.
There's no way of specifying that you require a non-smoking room?
You know, it was kinda heart-warming doing the whole character & fitness thing. Me and my friends all listed each other as references, and when I got all the forms, I realized that when I was answering "yes" to the question "do you consider this person of the highest trust and confidence?", it was actually true. Not that there aren't a lot of unfit lawyers with no character, but there really are a lot who take their responsibility very seriously.
You know one thing that's crazy about the character and fitness thing: you can't have any bad debt. Any debts that are in collection have to be paid off or have you making regular payments. Pain in the ass, but it makes people (i.e. me) get their shit together, and I think that's awesome.
27: katherine, email me if you end up having time for a drink or whatever.
Is this the late-night thread for random hits? Into the Wild is awesome. Sean Penn and Spike Lee are the only two serious American filmmakers.
58: Sounds like getting a security clearance.
As for Chicago, I visit there frequently, and the beaten path has a lot to recommend it. Millennium Park is beautiful, Lou Malnadi's is delicious, and even a vegetarian like me must recommend the hot dogs. Also I had dinner at a very tasty and hip restaurant called Lula Cafe. Ira Glass likes it. Also my Gramma Diane is hell of funny.
The rooms in Wicker Park are going for $240 a night.
Wicker Park is a hip neighborhood.
M. Leblanc- Jealous! So much longer to wait.
58: The idea is, if you are going to be handling large hunks of client funds, they don't want you to have any real urgent temptation hanging over your head.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/30/fashion/30commenters.html?ref=style
66: Do they keep checking every so often?
Re: 20. Katherine, I'm not a local, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but it happens that I spent several months working every day in that very block and eating every meal at nearby restaurants, so here are my thoughts:
First of all, the area is dominated by the Verizon Center, so many of the nearby choices are chains. A few places I liked
Two tapas places on 7th St. The better of the two for my taste is Jaleo, on 7th & F (approximately)
There is a Five Guys Burgers on H, at about 8th, always worth a try if you like burgers.
Mexican place (Dona Maria? Casa Maria?) on F between 6th and 7th, good for East Coast standards, excellent made-at-the-table guacamole
Chinatown is one block away on G St, though the Chinese places struck me as uniformly dismal.
Katherine, there's plenty of food around there: Chinatown centers on H between 7th and 5th, so you can walk that way, and there's a Mexican place at 7th and F that makes an excellent fresh guacamole (and a bunch of other things). I don't actually know the names of many restaurants: we call them by names like 'bus station Thai' (for the excellent Thai place in the restored former Greyhound station on NY Ave), 'the new fish place,' and the like. On Friday, I ate at 'the new French place by the skating rink.' Better than Les Halles, I think, although I only eat at LH maybe 2 or 3 times a year, so it's tough to compare. There's a pizza place on 7th, just up from F, that's kind of been the spot for youngish Gitmo lawyers, but I don't know if anything is planned this week. The pizza is pretty good, for DC I guess.
Catherine's suggestions are, unsurprisingly, excellent.
KR-pwned, which means I get put in a burlap sack, or something.
I think the Mongolian barb place in Chinatown is OK -- that's about the only place we walk to from 14th. All descriptions of restaurants in DC ought to have the qualifier for DC appended, as in 'pretty good, for DC.' People don't come here for the food.
I've an Illinois Character & Fitness story. Even more than twenty years ago, the Cook County (Chicago & near-in suburbs) process was very bureaucratic, and although the part about people who've known you for a few years and unpaid parking tickets is the same everywhere in the state, it was convenient for me to be admitted in Lake County, then a much smaller bar and where I was living, where the examination was by one guy at his convenience.
Fun interview. He was very tall, with ms—two canes—and joked on meeting me about the presumptive good character of the very tall. I replied with an anecdote from Galbraith's Ambassador's Journal about how he and Charles de Gaulle had had a conversation about the same thing, the punch line of which was "We must be ruthless with those who are too short."
And then to brass tacks, about how the temptation to commingle client funds and "borrow" them usually started, how often really good people had got caught up in it, and that the only way to avoid heartbreaking results—he told stories—was to open special escrow accounts every time. Although very informal, also very thorough and charming.
DC doesn't have a 711. They take a long time to process waivers, too, so we always have people with 'not admitted in DC' on their business cards. Montana doesn't have 711 either, but they grade fast: I got my results in early September, and was sworn on October 8.
Boo. I'm sorry I'm out of town. Would have liked to meet Katherine.
Cpngratulations M.Leblanc.
Somewhat related to the last couple of comments, I love the phrase pro hoc viche.
67: Yuck! The NYT on commenting? It's only a matter of time before we're a "trend" article, guys. Remember that you don't have to tell them anything.
Yay leblanc. My sister and I stayed in a smoking room in Meridian, Mississippi on our cross-country drive this summer, because it was the only one on the ground floor and we didn't want to have to haul all our luggage upstairs. That's not exactly Chicago, though.
Why the Rocket Man shit in 67? Is that relevant at all? Gawd, if there's one thing more annoying than the NYT on politics, it's the NYT on the internet.
Hi teo!
The funeral's at 9, so I'm just popping in briefly while I wait for my sister to pick me up.
67, 79: The Times is here? Bring it on, you pitiful motherfuckers!
I don't want to derail the thread, though. Carry on.
You're not doing the shoveling, are you?
Hey, you and your mother and sister all take care of each other, okay?
Zatinya is great, Kuma's Corner in Roscoe Village in Chicago is great, and the Times managed to quote someone in their stupid MeFi piece whom I find offputting.
Jaleo is also pretty good, although I mostly went to their suburban location and the mothership may be better. And I hope Teo and the Filos are holding up okay.
Re 20, etc. I didn't ask whether Katherine was dining out on her own nickel or not, but if you're on an expense account and you're on good terms with your expense controllers, there is a surprisingly good restaurant in the Park Hyatt hotel at 24th and M called the Blue Duck Tavern. It has a super-chic decor that is wildly at odds with the style of cuisine, which is Alice Waters to the max ("sliced hand cured Virginia ham from hogs raised by Mr. Hayseed on Mail Pouch Farm, fed entirely with Tidewater peanut hulls"--that kind of thing.)
If you, don't particularly care for what passes for innovative cuisine, and can get excited about, say, a really well executed side dish of turnips sauteed in butter, then this is the place to go. A lot of places preach "let the quality of the ingredients shine through," but this place really does it.
People don't come here for the food.
Very true. However, it is worth pointing out that D.C. is notably strong on Ethiopian food. Keep in mind, though, that you need to go with a group of like-minded people, because the experience doesn't really work right for dining solo, or even dining as a couple.
it is worth pointing out that D.C. is notably strong on Ethiopian food
I heard that from Matt F. when we had dinner together last year. The idea of a separate Greektown, more-or-less just for big busy restaurants, and Greek domination of "legacy" eateries such as delis and corner diners, plus ubiquitous serious Greek cooking in every part of Chicago and its suburbs, seemed like a novelty to him. I had assumed it would be true of every big city, but maybe not.
I used to know a disgruntled Greek-American who said he could find the Greeks in any city in America by looking for Formica countertops.
Jaleo, Zaytinya, and the places that face Jaleo on 7th seconded. Isn't the Chicago Marathon that weekend? I just stayed in the loop for 110/night (weekend) through priceline, which worked great.
Secondhand smoke kills about 4000/year in the US. Driving kills 40,000/year. Light up occasionally and drive 10% less for risk-neutral enjoyment.
43: It gives me a weird little frisson to hear that Wicker Park is finally, finally played out--that is, I remember when we considered it to be played out, which was when Wax Trax moved in, about 1993.
Before that, there was Hothouse Studios and a jazz place and the horrible, unbearable Earwax (or was that right after?) and Myopic was closer to the blue line, and Quimby's, where I spent a hell of a lot of money. (Hands up for my first Love and Rockets comic! Hurray!) And a fantastic burrito place right across the street from a nice Polish bakery, facilitating many a pleasant lunch in the park amongst the winos and overgrown shrubbery. Then Myopic moved maybe a half mile further out and a fancy shoe store (where I bought possibly the worst pair of shoes of my life, stupidly) moved in, and all of the sudden there were all these little yuppie shops and the place whose name escapes me where there were shows--run by what, Lithuanians? Poles?--closed.
Also, the Autonomous Zone was there for a while, right around '93-'96, which was its heyday, as far as I can tell.
Ah, all the neighborhoods I've loved before...
Which just goes to show you that aestheticizing politics always ends in tears.
Better living through chemistry update:
I found myself frighteningly in accord with this post from LB and this one from Katherine last Friday, so I took inspiration from the the various posters suggesting pharmacological solutions to their productivity woes (Adderall, Modafinil, etc.).
Over the weekend, I visited Dr. Feelgood, who dutifully gave me prescriptions for Prozac and Modafinil. I haven't filled the scrip for the latter yet, because it costs about $500 a bottle and I would rather wait until I can go to Canada and get it for cheap. I have started taking the Prozac. Supposedly it takes about 2 weeks to fully take effect, which is consoling, because I still found myself reading Unfogged this morning when I really ought to be focusing on other things. I will check back in with a presidential status report once I've had a chance to try out the Provigil (Modafinil).
Hopefully, drugging myself will prove easier than admitting to myself that I've taken a dreadful wrong turn in my career and need to find another job.
the Chinese places struck me as uniformly dismal
It's no S.F., but there are a couple of decent places in Chinatown. Tony Cheng's is pretty good, and they're very accomodating; they always make me spinach in garlic even though it's not on the menu. And Burma is very good, not to mention rather timely.
Not in the neighborhood, but a place everyone should try is Afghan Grill in Woodley Park, on Calvert just on the west side of the Duke Ellington bridge. On the slightly pricey side for those on a freelance budget, but wonderful food.
(And I disagree about Ethiopian food not working solo or in a couple. I go to Ethiopian restaurants with 1 other person all the time.)
James Garfield:
If I can offer some relatively informed advice, I would suggest two things:
1. give it time
2. if you are questioning the benefit, ask people who are around you regularly whether they see an improvement. Sometimes, the patient doesnt feel improvement, but friends and family see a huge improvement.
good luck.
OT: Could NCProsecutor drop me a line?
Are you sure the room has been used for tobacco smoking, or meat-smoking? This is Chicago, after all. Don't shy away from the delicious possibilities.
Saiselgy has had a number of threads about the best options in DC's Chinatown. Chinatown Express and Full Kee come up a lot, and I've enjoyed meals at both. The latter is probably a little better, but Chinatown Express has a guy making noodles acrobatically in the front window.
If you don't mind feeling a little Republican, District Chophouse really isn't a bad option. They usually have some excellent microbrews on tap, and the prices are pretty reasonable for a place that's built around steak.
Clyde's is also surprisingly non-awful; I mean, it's still sort of awful, given that it's corporate and polished and tries to make you think you've just stopped for a bite to eat between shooting grouse and going to see the Wizards. But it punches above its weight in terms of service and polished dark wood. The food's fine, too.
Your Highness (you were before TR, weren't you?):
Also, there is a significant %age of people who simply don't benefit from Prozac- I've recently encountered this at a close remove. In which case, don't be discouraged, a. it's not your fault, b. there are other products.
James G.,
Lexapro and lamictal can also help with energy and focus.
From an earlier thread.
My heavily medicated two cents:
ADD, depression, whatever -- the psychiatrist matters; find a really good one. I've had previous ones who were perfectly competent and would change my dose a little here and there, but now I have a fabulous one. I'm on a 3-drug cocktail, the result of almost 2 years of tweaking, that not only keeps me out of depression but also makes me more able to focus and gives me more energy to tackle some of those things on my impossibly long to-do list. I fucking love modern chemistry.
if you are questioning the benefit, ask people who are around you regularly whether they see an improvement. Sometimes, the patient doesnt feel improvement, but friends and family see a huge improvement.
This is a lesson I have previously learned, from both perspectives (the one taking the treatment and the one interacting with the person taking the treatment). Sound advice, in any event.
When I insisted that a previous regimen wasn't doing anything for me, Dr. Feelgood said that my history of recreational drug use may have led me to expect too much from pharmaceuticals. "It won't make you feel happy all the time. It's like taking an aspirin. If you've got a fever, aspirin will lower it, but if you don't have a fever, it won't lower your body temperature below normal."
8: brown spots are helpful, but a cloud of fruit flies is the surest sign that a banana is finally ripe enough to eat
If you like fancy Italian, Tosca's pre-theatre menu is a fantastic deal, and right around where Katherine will be. Have to eat between 5 and 7 though.
Re my 59: I dunno any contact info for K except for this thread (assuming her linked email of a@b.com is not, you know, a real one). So if others have gotten in touch re dinner, feel free to drop me a line at above linked mail.
For my money (and I'm a vegetarian, so I'm sure I'm missing a few things), the best things in DC restaurants are:
* Zaytinya
* the brunch at José Andrés' other restaurant, Cafe Atlantico
* Ethiopian food (I was partial to Meskerem in Adams Morgan, which is I think a somewhat unusual choice; people usually argue about Dukem, Axum, and Etete)
* the Burmese food at Mandalay, outside the city limits in Silver Spring (an easy walk from the S.S. Red Line station); it's the ultimate in strip-mall ethnic eateries, imho
Meat-eaters may have steakhouse preferences, think Vidalia is good, have fond memories of bleary-eyed drunken consumption of half-smokes at Ben's Chili Bowl, etc.
Also, the Autonomous Zone was there for a while, right around '93-'96, which was its heyday, as far as I can tell.
Well, it was a temporary Autonomous Zone. Didn't you read the manifesto?
A bit of advice for the non-smoker stuck in a smoking room. As a former smoker, the first time I stayed in a smoking room, I had a hell of a time due to the smell of the pillows. The next time I stayed in a hotel and got stuck in a smoking room, I simply asked for fresh clean pillows, and it was a dramatic difference in my happiness level.
the Burmese food at Mandalay, outside the city limits in Silver Spring (an easy walk from the S.S. Red Line station); it's the ultimate in strip-mall ethnic eateries, imho
You know I ate here on your rec, thought it was indeed excellent for the East Coast, but there are numerous strip-mall type Asian places in San Francisco that are as good or better. (Well, SF doesn't really have so many strip malls, but if we're talking unassuming and moderately priced with lots of linoleum, you know).
there are numerous strip-mall type Asian places in San Francisco that are as good or better.
But are they Burmese? I thought not. Those monks are dying for democracy and to bring you delicious food, Marcus. The least you could do is pretend to be grateful. (You'll find, alas, that East Asian food in DC is not anywhere near as good as that of the Bay Area.)
I found a place in Chicago, y'all! WOO! I bypassed whatever crazy thing is going on with the hotel market that weekend by finding an apartment rental. The location sounds good (Chicago Avenue and North State Street). And non-smoking!
Aaaaand I just booked my flight using miles. Woo! That makes this all much more doable.
Let me know if my imagination corresponds to reality.
That's one thing that sucks about living in New York. The Field Museum's big exhibit right now is one traveling from the Museum of Natural History, which I already saw.
With Mandalay, too, certain items are the extra extra good ones, I think. The green papaya salad and the vedana beans with onions, in particular.
Yes, having access to everything before anybody else is truly a curse.
I was ungrateful. It really is very good. My good impression of SF is partially because I diligently sought out the best bargain Asian places there, and found quite a few.
Also, smoke from my neighbors leaks into my place (the walls are full of weird holes) and makes my apartment the equivalent of a once-smoking hotel room...not quite enough active smoke to make it like a smoker's there, but enough to give that lingering stale smoke edge. I have no idea what to do. You can't tell people they can't smoke in their very own apartment.
You're not doing the shoveling, are you?
We did the thing where whoever wants to lines up and tosses a hand- or shovelful of dirt into the grave. It's both a Jewish and a Navajo custom, which was nice because there were roughly equal numbers of Jews and Navajos at the graveside service.
Oh my, this got my dander up. I just spent a week in a supposedly 'smoke free' room in Istanbul that reeked so profoundly of smoke that my chest seized up every time I walked into it. On the other hand, it had a great view of the bosphorous. I was worried if I made a stink they'd stick me in the basement.
I was worried if I made a stink
In that room, who would have noticed?
I meant the old custom, which has made a comeback, of the male relatives filling it up to level. I haven't seen it either, although it's described in Roth's Everyman. The cemetery scenes in that book are very evocative of experiences and impressions I've had.
In that room, who would have noticed?
That was certainly true of my intestinal troubles, though the housekeeping staff probably wondered why I needed two new rolls of tp every day.
In defense of Turkey's cuisine and cleanliness, I feel obliged to point out that my stomach problems were acquired in Hungary.