a much needed picnic

We've been waiting f o r e v e r for even the tiniest inkling of summer (or spring...I will take anything that's not frozen and cloudy at this point) to show up in Chicago. I've unpacked and re-packed my winter clothes so many times it's laughable (or cry-able because that's what I do now every time I have to pull my #$%& sweaters out from under the bed and cast sad puppy eyes towards all the summer dresses patiently lined up in my closet).

But Monday.

Oh, Monday.

Monday was beautiful. And warm. So very warm. It was weather that required, nay, demanded a picnic. And winter in Chicago has turned us into quite dutiful soldiers when it comes to obeying the weather.

So we picnicked. The following photos were rather hastily taken as the art direction of lunch quickly fell victim to the eating of lunch. I have no regrets.

Black bean, corn and jicama (apparently the 'j' is silent??) salad which was delectable.

 Two kinds of cheese from the odds-and-ends 'little cheeses' basket at Whole Foods. Humbolt Fog is amazing for the record.

 And of course a Parisian starch to act as a vessel for the above accouterments.

 A little discovery: Cas Cal is a soda with a terribly boring and nondescript name but a GREAT taste. They make 4 flavors and since the soda is fermented in a process similar to beer it has a much more interesting flavor than most other sodas. It is excellent and I would highly recommend trying it out.

Cherries are about to be in season. The world rejoices.

Laziness. Also, happiness.

Cheers to relaxing sunny days.

architectural artifacts part 1

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, we spent numerous hours combing through the treasures at Architectural Artifacts this past weekend. As we walked through the space, I was compulsively photographing, desperate not to miss any of the interesting things that were packed into every available square inch.

I often leave my camera behind when I go out as it frustrates me to realize I've spent an entire meaningful event frantically looking through the viewfinder for the best shots. Times like these mean that I come away with nice frameable images, but very little memory of the actual event. In high school I photographed everything, in college next to nothing. Now I am working to find a balance. Consider this post a step towards that goal.

And now I give you...old stuff!

 The walls of the entryway are covered in drafting and architectural drawings. I got so drawn into the lovely minutiae of the work that I almost forgot there was an entire warehouse space left to be explored.

 There was a whole bathtub filled with vintage slides. I love how slide film is like a little window into a moment in time.

 Lots of vintage agricultural paraphernalia from Argentina (?!) of all places.

Am I ever a sucker for antique glass doorknobs. It's a good thing that all our doors already have the standard issues don't-change-a-thing-or-you-lose-your-security-deposit door handles or I would have been shelling out some serious cash for door bling.

 Want want want want want.

Old litho printing plate. I've been trying and failing to figure out why thousands of firemen needed to be printed.

 Had I been in possession of the thousands of dollars of disposable income which I am sure this sign costs, then I would have had the coolest bathroom in the history of bathrooms. Alas. It was not so.

And of course it could not be a true vintage emporium without selling a plethora of vintage seltzer bottles that cruelly no longer work. Ah well.

Tomorrow I'll share the rest of the photos along with what we

were able to affiord 

bought!

the week in tumblrs 5.23.11

This weekend was spectacular. The weather, which until Friday, had been cold and dreary lightened its mood and we had 2.5 days of warmth and sun and...in other words, spring.

I've lived in Chicago for almost three years now and still love visiting the Bean. The way it captures the skyline is just breathtaking (it's also thebestplace to people watch) The funny thing is that I never think to go unless people are visiting. We made sure to take advantage of this delightful tourist attraction while my sister was here. You can almost see our photo there behind all the handprints.

On Saturday we explored a mecca for lovers of old things. Architectural Artifacts is floors upon floors of  antique goodness. I have a whole post coming up about it later this week, but this photo was taken of a cast iron bathtub filled with vintage slides.

We did get caught in one impromptu rainstorm so we ducked into Spacca Napoli - a little pizzeria in Ravenswood that serves delicious and fresh thin crust pizzas. Everything that we tried was wonderful and we will definitely be going back.

Bookshelves are no joke in our apartment as we (okay, I) may or may not have a (slight) book accruing habit. These are various type specimen books with gorgeous inspiration.

hooray!

My sister

(see also: patient photography subject)

is on her way to Chicago as I type this. There will be much shopping, eating of pizza, watching of Bridesmaids taking of pictures and catching up of life. It's hard having my only sibling so far away, but these visits make it better.