following the cardinals vs cubs weekend and the fact that i visited 2 weekends in July. i'm going to do a little city comparison for me...
city food traditions
STL ted drewes-my body isn't necessarily used to all the dairy and sweets i consumed over one of the weekends (it didn't really know what to do), but i still enjoyed it anyway. but ted drewes is so fun. it's such a fun tradition at any time, but especially after a cards game or muny show it's packed!
gus' pretzels - these are just so good. for full disclosure i should mention my tiny obsession with pretzels. i think these are the pretzels they used to sell at stop lights in st. louis when i was little and sometimes mom would get them for us as a special treat. they don't sell them at stop lights anymore, but they're still delicious.
dad's cookies - i don't know much about this one, besides these are the cookies they use for ice cream sandwiches at ted drewes and mom gets reminiscent when she has one.
CHI so chicago has the chicago hot dog, deep dish pizza, italian beef, garrett popcorn... so none of these really strike my fancy to be honest. sorry. i know i can get a veggie hot dog. but i like ketchup, which would make it not a chicago hot dog. i like thin crust and with italian beef, i'm out of luck.
with that said, i find it much easier to eat (as a vegetarian) in chicago. there are always a couple options for vegetarians, no matter where i eat in chicago. in st. louis sometimes i need to be a bit more creative. which is fine, when i visit, it keeps me on my toes, but i wouldn't want to do it all the time.
don't worry. i have examples.
we went out to this cute little restaurant in ste. gen (st. gemme beauvais), it's a bed and breakfast that serves dinner friday & saturday nights. dad made a reservation for all of us and had to tell them then that i'm a vegetarian so they cooked me a special meal. it was delicious, by the way.
then in st. louis i was at a small buffet when the people behind me started making fun of my sandwich. seriously. i told them it's just veggies and cheese as they remarked how gross it was. as they continued i just ignored them. karen was standing off to the side and asked me what they all said. i was mildly annoyed. i think eating meat is rather disgusting (i know i'm in the minority), but i don't say anything to you. so leave me alone. in chicago i would say it's more widely accepted.
in ste. gen (where i grew up and my parents still live) every night i say there are the "sounds of the country." i mentioned it every night and everyone paused and said, "oh, yeah." when you're used to it, you don't notice it. i'm used to cars and ambulances, etc. not crickets. i notice.
one thing i really enjoy is seeing the stars. last night during my bike ride home (while listening to the paul mccartney concert) i looked up at the sky. no stars. not one. it's funny to talk to people who grew up in the city and they talk about when they really saw the stars. i'm lucky i grew up with it and visit it pretty often.
STL you drive. there isn't much of a question. things are more spread out. i don't like driving.
as i was complaining about my knee hurting after driving, karen: "you're telling me you hurt after driving a little bit, but after running 8 miles you don't hurt at all?" yes
CHI yes, people drive. Hence, the traffic. but there are so many more options. people walk around their neighborhoods. there are buses, bike lanes, the lakefront path, the el, cabs, etc.
STL the winter isn't as severe as chicago. i really, strongly dislike winters in chicago. and talking to my family in stl doesn't help. this goes both ways though. CHI the summers in chicago are usually more comfortable. while talking to my dad a couple weeks ago, when chicago was under a heat warning for the week, i said it was hot. he was nicely trying to tell me it's not hot in chicago. then i told him the temperature and he said, "i guess that is pretty warm." yeah. but i will never say it's humid here in chicago. st. louis wins that one every time.
another thing that keeps me on my toes when i go to my parents is running into people. you never know who you can run into. i'm not very good about staying up on what people are doing via facebook so sometimes it's difficult to even remember who people are (especially ones who are younger than me-you change when you grow up). karen is much better at knowing what people are up to so she always fills me in... afterwards. so i've usually already made a fool of myself. oh well. i do what i can.
we joke about how long a trip to the grocery store will take. not because we're undecided. socializing happens everywhere, but especially the grocery store.
yeah, i run into people sometimes in chicago, but rarely.
so they both have wonderful parts. i wish i could just pick my favorite parts from each... and i didn't mention, but you already know this. i DO love the cardinals.
p.s. i have lots to share with you from a busy day yesterday... stay tuned this week
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