You should help save this restaurant: Col-Ubas in Andersonville

Had a nice dinner last night at Col-Ubas, and posted my review on Yelp.

From Beverly Hills to Milwaukee

img src:Beverly Wilshire

Was traveling for work Sunday through yesterday, including stays at hotels I hadn't been in previously: the Beverly Wilshire and the Ambassador. Have added my reviews of both on Yelp.

A few new reviews on Yelp

Had a chance to enter some thoughts over on Yelp covering recent visits to Schuba's, Taste of Peru and Carol's Pub.
Image source: Planet99.com

Don't sleep on Rap School

Image source: VH1.com

Just was thinking about Rap School and wanted to recognize. Nothing more than that.

Give this Mexican red a shot: Casa Pedro DomecqCabernet Sauvignon XA

mexican wine label, originally uploaded by sindlinger.

I am far from being a wine connoisseur, and I recognize the impact that time and place can have on one's perceptions of how good something really is [good company, on vacation, etc. ... this is the best wine ever!]. That said, Judy and I had this with one dinner on vacation and we enjoyed it. Pleasant enough. Made a mental note to try and grab a couple of bottles to bring home, but never made the trip to a store. Now I don't see it available online for US delivery. If you see it around and are feeling cRaZy, give this Mexican red a shot.

Duck magnets for 10 pesos

duck magnet on table, originally uploaded by sindlinger.

If you are going to be sitting down to dinner at one of the many outside tables in Condesa you are virtually guaranteed to be approached a couple of times during your meal by folks walking by with miscellaneous goods to sell. These vendors run the gamut. Men selling cell phone holsters. Men selling phone cards. An old guy selling toy violins. Etc.

Then there are the little kids - maybe 5 years old, but maybe not quite. You see them one moment sitting on a corner with a woman who appears to be in her twenties [his mother?] and a younger child [his brother?]. The woman looks like she could be pregnant again. They are eating now, but their wares are at their side, and they'll find you soon. When they do, you see the boy has a platter of magnetic ducks. 10 pesos each. About $0.91. We ended up with 2. One white, one blue.

Chicago Pedway - Understand the Tradeoffs

While the pedway can be a nice option on crazy cold days [I actually used it today due to the not so cold but still annoying sub-freezing temps we have here on the 7th of April], there are definitely some tradeoffs involved. Here are some reviews covering these tradeoffs, including mine.

Eating tips for your next trip thru DFW airport on American

Had a not so great experience in the DFW airport on our way to Mexico City. Found a great looking food court, but not until after we had battled with the foul-mooded admirals club bartender/wench. Fuller recounting here

Some old, some new and all colorful

orange bldg & multi colored beetle, originally uploaded by sindlinger.

Two things hit me immediately as our taxi took us from the airport to the hotel. One was the use of color everywhere, the other was the tension between things in decay and things being renovated. This theme was consistent through most of the places we visited, resulting in a series of visually interesting contrasts.

Everything had a sense of energy or progress. It was as if the ongoing, relentless ebb and flow of the city's daily activities were made visible and represented in the external appearances of the buildings, the cars, the signs.

This isn't unlike other cities we have been to [e.g., Lima or Buenos Aires], but we didn't spend enough time in Lima to see if it was something that is widespread, and our sense of Buenos Aires was that it was maybe more common in a couple of neighborhoods [Palermo Viejo, La Boca]. In Mexico City, it seemed to be pervasive - at least through every part we saw.

Mexico City Vacation

taxis verdes, originally uploaded by sindlinger.

Now that I'm back in Chicago and semi dug out from / caught up with the work issues I missed while away, I will start capturing some of the things Judy and I did during spring break.

Some top line thoughts:

* Had a great time. Never felt threatened, despite how many people asked us if we were crazy for choosing to vacation in such a notoriously dangerous city.

* Met an unofficial guide who wound up taking us around parts of the city on 3 different days.

* Enjoyed some good food.

* Found the Condesa df to be really inconsistent and somewhat disappointing nevermind what the NYTimes says [more on that later], though the neighborhood was great.

* Will definitely consider going back b/c there are a lot of things we didn't have a chance to do in 5 days.

And, most of our pictures are up.