One of Chicago's most important homes is on the market. Mayflower Place, as it's known, is a 24,500-square-foot house situated on the shores of Lake Michigan. A true mansion, the house has been the site of society balls, European royal visits, and a lot of heartbreak.
Read on to see the house and learn more about its wild past.
With Rock of Ages opening on Friday, I got to thinking about some of the more recent movie adaptations of musicals — those from 1980 on (sorry, Grease). Though there are purists who will always prefer Broadway, a lot of shows have inspired entertaining, sometimes even award-worthy, movies, like Hairspray, Chicago, and Dreamgirls. Click through to see all the movies and let us know if we forgot to mention your favorite!
I'm not much of a German food aficionado, but a few years ago, I read a New Yorker article about Germany's "king of cakes" that's been forged in my mind ever since. In the story, Mimi Sheraton embarks on a fervid quest for baumkuchen, a ringed, hollow cake that's made on a spit with layer after painstaking layer of batter, then iced with a coating of chocolate or sugar.
Photo: Susannah Chen
Her pursuit of the dying art led her to Lutz Café and Pastry Shop, which she proclaimed to be "the closest to Kreutzkamm's famous German bakery that I have found." When I was in Chicago last weekend, I made a trip to Lutz to see what the hype was all about.
Despite the busy street it's on, the Germanic bakery was quiet and unassuming, which allowed all of its baked goods to speak for themselves. Of course, I made a beeline for the baumkuchen. While Lutz makes its cakes on the premises, I wasn't able to see the rare spit machine in action. But I did admire the whole baumkuchen, over a foot tall, in their completed state; the sugar-glazed and chocolate-coated versions were treelike in stature.
Source: Flickr User RuckSackKruemel
But it was cutting into a cross-sectioned slice that truly revealed the cake's intricate construction: crepe-thin layer after crepe-thin layer formed delicate concentric circles, not unlike a California redwood. The composition factored into the texture of the baumkuchen, which was both springy and dense. Its flavor — mildly sweet vanilla with a almond aftertaste — called for a cup of coffee. As I left Chicago, I prepared to mourn my new breakfast ritual — that is, until I learned that Lutz ships across America, even overnight.
Have you ever tried baumkuchen?
Winter isn't exactly the most popular time to take a trip to Chicago, affectionately known as the Windy City — actually for its political blowhards, but it could also be for those frigid Winter winds. But if you're willing to bundle your family up, braving the elements can be a ton of fun. Plus, during the colder months, you'll find great deals on hotels with prime locations — we're talking less than $100 for a room right on the Mag Mile, a nickname for Michigan Avenue. If shopping little girls' favorite doll store ever, seeing the stars (and dolphins and the city from 1,353 feet up), and ice skating with a view sounds like a trip your family would love, then Chicago is the place for you. Keep clicking to see Chicago's finest kid-friendly spots.
I'm excited to present a post from one of my favorite sites, Stylelist Home!
Chicago was once known for architecture giants like Frank Lloyd Wright and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, but now a days people tend to think of midwestern design as conservative and safe. However, with pages full of vibrant, colorful and inventive interiors, Chicago Spaces: Inspiring Interiors should put those rumors to rest for good. The book is a retrospective of the favored interiors from the magazine Chicago Home & Garden and features work by both the area's top interior designers (hello, Nate Berkus) as well as talented homeowners. These amazing spaces display endless amounts of creativity in a personal, not showy, manner.
For a peek into these beautiful homes, check out this slideshow.
Here's a post from Nancy from the Lovely Little Vignettes group.
My friends Kevin and Joy recently got married at Architectural Artifacts in Chicago, an incredible 80,000-square-foot store/event space specializing in antiques, found objects, architectural salvage, and all sorts of other treasures. As a shopper, I highly recommend it, but it was also an awesome place to have a wedding. I helped with the centerpieces, and the store let us pluck from the inventory to create these found-object arrangements. I couldn't resist buying one of the pieces, an antique mold for making doll heads. Click through to see the awesome space and decor.
Graham Elliot Bowles is just one of America's celebrity chefs with a sandwich obsession. Between the Bread visits Chicago and stops into his new-ish eatery, Grahamwich.
Like chefs Tom Colicchio and Dennis Leary before him, Graham Elliot Bowles has a sandwich side project. Last fall, the Michelin-starred owner of Graham Elliot opened Grahamwich in downtown Chicago, so when I visited my peeps at PopSugar Chicago last week, we had our lunch meeting over sammies — or should I say "grahamies"? Though not as avant garde as No. 7 Sub, Grahamwich gives nostalgic favorites a modern, quirky twist. Click through to see what we ate.
Want more? Start following Between the Bread for more sandwich deliciousness, then get crackin' on your own food blog. You may even wind up featured here.
The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is holding its second Month at the Museum contest, which has one winner living in the museum for 30 days. From Oct. 19-Nov. 17, 2011, the winner will live, sleep, and breathe the museum, exploring its hidden world and sharing it with the public. Based on the blog and video from last year's winner Kate McGroarty, her 30 days made for incredible memories and, of course, lots of science exploring. We looked back at Kate's experience and found four highlights that would entice us to enter the contest:
When the residency is up, the winner will also receive $10,000 and can keep the laptop and digital camera used to document the museum experience. Applications are due July 22. Click through for photos of the Museum of Science and Industry, and a peek at the winner's living quarters.
Locals may disagree this time of year, but nothing sounds more romantic than the Windy City. It's America high on elegance and innovation. Stroll its boulevards, take in its views, and linger long into its boozy nights with our tips for taking a romantic trip to Chicago.
