Chicago Free Museum Week

Field Museum, one of my favorite. Home of Sue the T-Rex

You guys, October 1 to 7 is Free Museum Week for Illinois Resident, with different days for different museums And there are special discounts too! Mark your calendar and go get cultured!

Adler Planetarium
Free days: Oct. 5, 6 and 7 (for Illinois residents only)
Discounts: $10 off new memberships

Art Institute Chicago
Free day: Oct. 1, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. (for Illinois residents only)
Discounts: $10 off new memberships

Chicago History Museum
Discounts: $4 off admission, 20% off café and store, 20% off membership

The DuSable Museum of African American History
Discounts: 2-for-1 admission, 10% off store, half off memberships

The Field Museum
Free day: Oct. 4 (for Illinois residents only)

Lincoln Park Zooj
Always free!
Discounts: 10% off memberships

MCA Chicago
Free day: Oct. 6 (for Illinois residents only)
Discount: bring a receipt from another museum visited during Museum Week and receive 50% off an adult admission ticket

Museum of Science and Industry
Free day: Oct. 5 and 6 (for Illinois residents only)
Discount: $20 off

National Museum of Mexican Art
Always free!
Discount: 15% off at the museum shop

National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture
Always free!

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Free day: Oct. 1 (for Illinois residents only)
Discounts: Oct. 2-7 you can bring a receipt from your visit to another museum during Museum Week and get $5 off an adult ticket, 10% off gift shop, $15 off new 1-year membership, $25 off new 2-year membership

Shedd Aquarium
Free days: Oct. 5 and 6 (for Illinois residents only)

Virgin Hotels Chicago x BucketFeet Artist in Residence Collective Launch-Nina Palomba

Fifth Star Awards at Millenium Park

Wednesday, September 16, 2015 at 7pm • Millennium Park • FREE Admission

The 2nd Annual Fifth Star Awards will celebrate Chicago’s creativity while honoring exemplary Chicago artists and arts institutions who have made significant contributions in arts and culture. The event features tribute videos and live performances.

I'm seeing a lot of big names here, including Sandra Cisneros, Norm Winer, The Joffrey Ballet, Steppenwolf and more!

More details here.

Go to the Movies for Free and See Everest

Are you planning on watching Everest when it opens on Sept 18? It currently holds an 8 out of 10 stars on IMBD. Does that entice you to see it? What if I say you can see it earlier? And for free? Thanks to AMEX you can (Oh Boy, I do love the credit card perks!)

How?

Click here. You have to do this fast, as it tends to sell out quickly! (As of this posting, it is still available.)
Use code 8882583741.
Show up at theater and enjoy this awesome movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Kiera Knightly.

See you there!

September 16, 2015
AMC River East, Chicago
7pm

The Magnificient Mile Shopping Festival this Labor Day Weekend

Many years ago, there used to be this thing call National Fashion's Night Out. It happened in early September, right before New York's Fashion Week. It was a night where all the stores would throw these amazing parties, and I have fond memories of mall-hopping from one end of Michigan Avenue to the other, collecting drinks, food, and amazing swag bags along the way. But then, in 2013, FNO went on hiatus and haven't been back since.

Fortunately, Chicago has a pretty similar alternative. The Magnificient Mile Shopping Festival is happening over Labor Day weekend, Sept 4-7, 2015. The fest is open to all and includes a 5k race, yoga in the court, performances by Cirque du Soleil (Sat, 12pm) and other performers, discounts and perks at shops on the mile, and the biggest of all, a Magnificient Mile Pop-up. I'm really looking forward to the Pop-up; Nordstrom will have a set-up where we can screenprint our own free tote bags, refresh and recharge with beauty samples, and pose in their photobooth. I think I went to something similar last year, but this year's event seem bigger and better than ever. I can't wait!

You guys should check it out too!

Grand Opening of the Rapha Pop Up Store in Chicago

There are several events happening in honor of the Rapha Chicago Pop-Up Shop.at 2130 N Halsted St, Chicago IL, 60614.

These events have a little something for everyone, from the Cross Vegas Viewing Party and Friends of Big Marsh Fundraiser, to the design talk 5×5: Intervals on Design, Women’s Brunch or City Architecture Tour.

My favorite thing? Free beer from Half Acre Brewery.

Starts 9/3/15 at 6 PM for their Grand Opening Party. See you there?

RSVP

Win Free Tix to Icona Pop at ATT Michigan Ave Chicago Samsung Galaxy Note 5 / Galaxy S6 edge+ Launch Event

I need a new phone. And I want to see Icona Pop.

I love how the ATT Flagship Chicago store always hold amazing events. They transform their space from more than just a store to a cool place to hang out. I've had some fun times in there, listening to Ne-Yo and Fifth Harmony. Now they're giving out tickets to Icona Pop! I'll sure be there!

Saturday, July 22nd 2015
600 North Michigan Avenue
10 am – 6 pm

https://www.facebook.com/events/1685865181645944/

Free Food Chicago: Bar Toma Free Pizza

Last time I went to Bar Toma, it was winter and I had their hot chocolate and it was delcious. I've never tried their pizza, but the pizza smells were amazing. Lucky for me, and you, they're giving out FREE PIZZAS on Aug. 19-20 (4-5:30 p.m) and Aug. 21 (12-1pm)! 

Let's go eat pizzas! 

https://www.facebook.com/BarTomaChicago/photos/a.288541184514425.62425.210823315619546/886402598061611/?type=1&theater

The Guide to Eating Well for Less #1: Morton's National Filet Mignon Day = $1 Steak Sliders

Let's start a new blog series! We're going to call it "The Guide to Eating Well for Less". And each time I find an amazing food deal, YOU will hear all about it. Excited? Ok, let's start!

Did you know that August 13th is National Filet Mignon Day? Although I feel like every day is a National something Day, this one is especially awesome because...Morton's Steakhouse Filet Mignon Sliders are only $1! There's a maximun of 12 per person and it's available only at the bar, but isn't eating at the bar better anyways? Service is quicker at least, since the bartender is always there to be flagged down and that's why I love it. Morton's Steakhouse is nationalwide, and for us Chicagoan, the place to go is on East Wacker St downtown. It's available open to close, so when you're feeling hungry, take a walk down there.

Source: Morton's Facebook page (link here)

Ramenfest 2014 at Urban Belly

A week and a half ago, on November 18, 2014, I was invited by my bestie to attend the first ever Ramenfest taking place at UrbanBelly, and presented by UrbanBelly's Head Chef Bill Kim. She won those tickets from a facebook contest, so if anyone ever tells me social media is useless, then that person isn't doing it right. It was an amazing good time, and I can't wait until next year event!

We arrived a few minutes after start time, and was astounded to find a long line out the door! So many people are eager to eat RAMEN! Once entered, we were given a voting ballot as well as a complimentary drink voucher. I opted to try the new Marz Brewing What the Pho Porter. I heard about it a few weeks prior at the Tastes Talk event, and have been eager to try it ever since. It was a collaboration between the brewery and Bill Kim, and had essense of Pho spices in it, so it was a guarantee good time! I actually had 2 cups, and the first taste was very mild and more like a normal porter. However, after eating many, many bowls of ramen, my second cup was a lot different. I can defiintely taste the pho spices in this one and I liked it. I'm not sure if this is due to the ramen tastings, or because the first cup was from draft and the second was from the bottle, but either way, I'd defintely get another bottle of this whenever I can.

Anyway, moving onto the ramen (cuz that's what we're here for, right?) 27 restaurants showed up to this Ramenfest. The first one we tried was from Acadia, and we immediately love it! It tastes very traditional, with broth that were so full-bodied, and porkbellies that were so tender that it melted in our mouth! It actually won the Chef's choice award!

Another favorite of mine was the Honey Butter Fried Chicken Ramen, which included a whole chicken wing in each tasting cup. I loved that restaurant to begin with, but this chicken was different. It was crunchy, honeyed, and reminiscent of Korean-style chicken, which has a soft spot in my heart. It's my absolute favorite chicken.

A few restaurants showed up with cold-noodle ramen, and that didn't appeal to me much. Another dislikes were the ones that steered too far off the path, like the pastrami ramen and the cabbage ramen. Those flavors just didn't go well with noodles.

Big thanks to Nico Osteria for bringing variety and having the most fun table. They provided wine to pair with their ramen, as well as cups of Pistachio Gelato and Snow Maiden Sake Affogato, to allow us a break from all the ramen slurpings. 

Overall, we ate 10 different tastings in the first hour because we went a little nuts. After calming down a little, we paced ourselves and only had room for another 5 tastes or so. There was defintely a lot of ramen! Each tasting bowls were about 4-5 scoops, so 15 bowls was a tremendous feat! I wonder if anyone actually finished all 27 bowls...

Pigging out at Ramenfest 2014

We left there full to the brim, but already dreaming of next year's event. Check here for more pictures of the event, courtesy of Raney Images, and consider going next year, like I am!

Bordeaux Wine Match Making Party

I am a huge wine drinker. Especially from a huge glass. But even with all that I drink, I still have a lot of things I don't know about wine. That's why when I was invited to a Bordeaux wine tasting event, (brought to me by the Bordeaux wine council financed by the European Union), I was eager to go.

We arrived at the Posh Gold Coast Public Hotel and queue up outside the Library Bar. Once checked in, we were assigned our wine profile - predetermined by an online questionaire we submitted at the pre-registration. I was assigned table #5, which was mostly red blends. Apparently, my wine profile is Elegant. That's completely true. I like a little bit of everything. We were each given 4 drink tickets, so I quickly grabbed my first glass of wine and then went to catch up with friends. 

Yes, I did like the red blend a lot. No, I do not remember what their name, year, descriptions are. How do people keep up with that? Thank god for pictures to help me memoralize it.

I drank my 4 glasses, then headed over to the sweet whites and tasted 3 more small glasses. I love sweets, but I must remember that I do not like honey in my wine. It doesn't taste like a honey-pot like you would imagine, but more like a thicker cough syrup. yuck.

I'm not sure who the caterers were, but the food was pretty good too. They had a table of cheese and charcuterie, nuts and fruits. Being passed around the room were samosas, empanadas, coconut shrimps, lamb skewers, burgers, hot dogs and truffle balls. OMG THOSE TRUFFLE BALLS WERE AMAZING!! Thanks for dinner, Bordeaux! 

Swag swag Swag

Oh, and there was a prize wheel too! With plenty of prizes to be won, if you can answer a wine question correctly. I had no problem answering a true or false q about whether Bordeaux was own by big corporation (False, by the way), but I only won a pair of sunglasses. With all the other items on the table, I was pretty un-enthused by my glasses. I have about 2 dozens at home. Thankfully, the nice folks allowed me to trade it in for a cooler bag. Now, if only I can figure out how the cooler bag works...But first, a nap. Because these 4-5ish glasses of wine is defeating me.

Craft Beer Week and Craft Beer Cruise (Many weeks later)

Disclaimer: This post was originally drafted at the end of May, but then, life happens....

It was just waiting for me to add pictures, and then hit post. I finally did it!

A Nice Glass of Rev Brew Loganberry

Chicago Craft Beer Week is a 10-Day excuse to drink as much beer as we possibly can. But it's good beer, so it's ok, right? There are so many events to choose from, that at first glance, I was overwhelmed with all the options. Eventually, I settled on some things that I wanted to try out. Last weekend, I attended the Laguinitas Beer Circus, which was a blend of circus acts, punk bands, and of course free-flowing beer. We drank until we knocked out on the grass, and then we got up and drank some more.

We also visited a new-to-us bar - Northdown Cafe and Tavern, in Lakeview. They ran a Craft Beer Week Special and I just had to try the Candi Crushables, which were only $4. It was very sweet, so the name on the lable wasn't a lie. The BF tried Firebird, which left a very smoky taste in my mouth. Pretty wierd- coming from a beer. Overall, I was glad we made that visit. Discovering new things are always exciting!

Another thing I wanted to check out was the Chicago Craft Beer Cruise on The Mystic Blue Boat at Navy Pier. I didn't think I could make it, but at the last second, I entered a twitter retweet contest, and Mystic Blue awarded me with 2 tickets! Thanks, guys! You are so NICE!!

On arrival, I was given 8 sample tickets for me and my BFF. I immedately went to work on sampling the beers. On the first level, there were 6-7 tables from different breweries, and 4 more tables were on the second floor.Although I arrived at 5:45pm and left at 8pm,  it felt like I was only there for 10 minutes. Aside from the beer, there were buffet tables of food and the amazing city view to distract me.

I love this view of Chicago From the Lake

Before I knew it, I had only 4 minutes left before last call, and I still had 5 more beers to try. I didn't want to miss out on any so I ran and grabbed as many beers as I could. The BFF sat at the table while I made 2 trips to pick up these beers. So, good news is I tried them all. Bad news is, I knew which cup was my favorite, but the cups weren't labeled, so I didn't know which breweries it was from. *womp womp* Overall, I had a great time, but wish it was a little longer. Oh, and also a little warmer! But that feeling of beingon the water is just incredibly wonderful and I wish I could do that everday!

DishCrawl in South Loop Chicago

Chicago is a great city to live in if you're a foodie. Just last week, Michelin awarded 25 Chicago's establishments with Michelin Stars - the most ever in the city's history. There are so many good restaurants here that even if I have a favorite, I have a hard time revisited them again, because there's always another new one to try. 

I do tend to stay in the same handful of neighborhoods when I'm eating out. Downtown is for the afterwork dinners. West Loop is for the "treat-yourself" upscale dining. River North is the fun vibe to take out-of-towner who yearns for the bar/club scene. Albany Park is for diverse food - literally can find any ethnic dishes here. Wicker Park/Logan Square is the up-and-coming places/chef. Lakeview/Lincoln Park is the newish places that you have to visit asap or it will close next time you visit.

And then there is South Loop. I hardly ever spend any time in South Loop. In my mind, it's more residential than it is a culinary destination. Thank God for Dishcrawl! 

Dishcrawl is a Food Adventure company who's tagline is "Make Life Delcious. It is like a Bar Crawl, but for food. They partnered with a handful of restaurants, all within walking distance to each other, and lead a tour through small bites, appetizers, entrees. Dishcrawl is a great way to discover dining in a new area. It completely changed MY mind about South Loop! Check them out in your area: http://dishcrawl.com . Tickets go for around $45 but last week, I was invited to a special complimentary Dishcrawl, co-sponsored by OneMedical, a great healthcare service here in Chicago. The theme that night was healthy eating, and it was a delicious healthy night.

Follow below for my Dishcrawl Journey:

I arrived to the first location, City Tavern, half an hour late since I had a previous engagement that same night. The event was to start at 6:30pm and when I got there at 7pm, about 70 people were just milling about on the 2 floors of City Tavern. I quickly and easily checked in and went around to talk with various people I knew in the crowd. I gathered that we were divided into several different groups, and I was placed in the gray group. A few friends were in the green group - the designated group with dietary restriction like vegetarian or non-pork eaters, and tried to convince me to switch, but I'm glad I didn't. (More on why later...) I had fun chit-chatting with people, but I was highly disappointed I didn't get to try any food at City Tavern. Apparently, there were some salami chips and cheese puffs being passed around, but none of it reached me nor my other friends. I feel bad for the people that were there for an hour with no food!

Finally, after half an hour of no eating, we part ways to our respective group's next restaurant. Mine was at Flo & Santos, a Italian place that had the best smelling pizza. Unfortunately, there were to be no pizza for us. We sat down and was immediately served a plate of salad, pierogis and sauerkraut. I'm not the biggest fan of sauerkraut, but I ate the whole plate since it was so amazing. I have to come back again for their pizza.

Last stop was at Weather Mark Tavern. They had an incredibly spread for us here. They certainly did not want us to leave here hungry! I had several sticks of bacon-wrapped potatoes that was just heavenly! I followed that down with stuffed chicken roulade topped with grilled onion. Lastly, I had a giant heaping of candied walnut salad which is my favorite kind of salad. Well, anything with the word candy in it is good. I must have gotten up for the bacon-potatoe skewers 3 times. We all ate until we were in pain, and then tried to put down some more.

As you can see, I had a delicious time just like I expected. But that's because I'm very open-minded about what I eat. My friends, however, can't eat pork for religious reasons, and did not have such a great time. They had notified the Dishcrawl coordinators of their restriction, and was under the impression that the group they were in would accommodate. However, they told me that on their second stop, everything that came out were pork. They got quite frustrated and ended up leaving halfway into their crawl to grab a pizza nearby. So, I was very glad I didn't go with their group. However, I was disappointed that Dishcrawl didn't do a better job at placing them in the right group. Had they gone with my group, they would have been fine. So in that end, if you go on a Dishcrawl, check and check again that the menu would be ok for you before you buy a ticket!

BirchBoxMan Presents: Delivery Man!

Today after a very hectic day of work (nothing new there) I ran over to the AMC 600 North Michigan theater in Chicago and attended a movie screening, which I love to do and used to do all the time. However, this past summer was quite hectic, and I hardly sat in front of the big screen.

But, I'm back! Those movie theaters better watch out for me!

Normally, during a movie screening, I like to arrive an hour ahead of start time. But tonight, I was running late from work, and on my walk over, I bumped into a former coworker and chit-chatted for a bit. So I arrived 15 minutes before start time. Thankfully, my friend was already there and she had snagged us seats 3rd row in. Pretty decent seat for a free screening...

The screening itself was great. The movie was Delivery Man, starring Vince Vaughn. He's one of my favorite actor. He's so funny, and so lovable. The movie comes out November 22, 2013, so if you want a feel-good outing, check it out. However, if you want to stay in, I recommend watching Starbuck , which is the original movie that Vince's remake is based off of. I, myself, saw Starbuck a few days ago on Netflix, and I thought it was a very cute, very well made. After watching Delivery Man, I can say that both movies are EXACTLY the same, just in different languages (Starbuck is French-Canadian).

I saw the trailer for Delivery Man first and the whole basis of one sperm donor with 533 offsprings truly intrigued me. I thought this would be a comedy since it starred Vince Vaughn. But while browsing Netflix, I came across Starbuck and gave it a try. It was very emotional and dramatic. Did anyone else shed a tear or 2? I always love a movie with a good ending.

Another good ending for tonight was that since this screening was sponsored by BirchBox Man, everyone in the audience received either a Birchbox for Men or Birchbox for Women box. Birchbox is a subscription-based beauty box that arrive in the mail. Check them out: http://www.birchbox.com/

Having received a Glossybox (another subscription-based box) just yesterday, I can't help but compare the two. My Birchbox had 4 small sample-size items, whereas my Glossybox were full-sized. Birchbox paled in comparison, however, I love freebies and I would never turn away any, regardless of size.


This is what I got:

From left to right:
Beauty Protector Daily Shampoo and Conditioner
Folle de Joie eau de parfum
eyeko London Black Magic Mascara

I can't wait to try it out and let you know how it is. On a side note, I found out on instagram that the DC screening had eyeliner instead of the mascara and additionally have lipglosses. Not fair! Even before I found this out, I told my friend that I am completely overloaded with mascaras, and was hoping for some eyeliner. Oh well, guess I should clean my bathroom and see if I have an extra stick of eyeliner hiding somewhere.