December Part 1: Winter in Evanston

Week of December 1: Books, Books, Books & Holiday Activities

Mr. E and I both attended the History Book Club at EPL on Monday evening. The group's selection was part one of Victor Klemperer's memoir I Will Bear Witness: A Diary of the Nazi Years 1933-1941. More than 20 people showed up for the discussion, which was quite a large group! The book was a challenging read at times, both for its subject matter and its densely detailed style, and we enjoyed hearing the responses and perspectives of Jeff, the library staff who facilitated the conversation, along with the other attendees.

On Tuesday evening, I went to Books & Bites, an annual activity for the WCE at local bookstore Bookends & Beginnings. The WCE provided snacks, and the store was open just for our group to browse after hearing gift recommendations from the store's owner. I of course couldn't help purchasing some cat-themed items along with several of the "Blind Date Books" as gifts for my Sac book club.

The next evening, I was back at EPL for my Better Off Read book group, and we discussed the intriguing novel Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xóchitl González. I really love this book group, and the library staff facilitator, Bridgett, always has great ice-breaker intro questions along with interesting prompts for discussion. 

Thursday evening was our first holiday activity of the week, a performance of the Charlie Brown Christmas album by the Chris White Trio at the Evanston History Center. Some sweets and winter beverages were available, including a yummy holiday snack mix with peppermint yogurt-covered nuggets and pretzels. We enjoyed the performance, although I had a tough time with some of the longer improvisational solos. I know that's a traditional part of jazz music, but it all started to sound the same to me at a certain point and made some of the songs unnecessarily long. After the concert, we went to the Homestead Room because there was a special offering of a complementary cocktail with any appetizer or entree for people who had attended the concert. Unfortunately, the staff at the restaurant and bar were completely unaware of this offer and totally unprepared for a sudden influx of people at 8:30pm. Once we realized how long it would take to get any service, we decided to just pay for the cocktails and skip the food.

Throughout the week, we really enjoyed having all of our holiday decorations, including some new spiral trees lights, the window clings, and our cat-proof hanging ornaments on the overhead light fixtures.

On Saturday afternoon, we went to the Duke It Out! Nutcracker at the Music Institute of Chicago. This was a fun and family-friendly short version of the second act of the Nutcracker with each of the scenes presented first with the classical Tchaikovsky music and then with the contemporary Duke Ellington jazz arrangement. The dance styles also alternate between more classical and more contemporary, with a variety of local dance companies participating. We enjoyed the show, but it really made me crave a full professional performance of The Nutcracker!

Next up in the evening on Saturday was the community tree lighting at Fountain Square, followed by a splurge dinner at the high-end restaurant Alcove and a holiday concert at St. Mark's Episcopal Church.

We wrapped up our week with an afternoon performance of Six at the CIBC Theatre on Sunday and post-show afternoon tea at Russian Tea Time Restaurant with Mr. E's mom.

Since the temperatures stayed cold, the snow and ice lingered all week, and I got some really good wintery photos during my morning walks!

Week of December 8: More Holiday Activities, Return to Sac

On Tuesday evening, I had a Community Outreach Committee meeting at the WCE and then returned on Wednesday evening for the annual Holiday Dinner. This year's theme was Northwoods Winter, so there was a lot of flannel in the room! I enjoyed the event and was pleasantly surprised by how much of the food I was able to eat, given my dietary restrictions. 

Unfortunately, I had started to get a scratchy throat that afternoon, which turned into a nasty full-fledged cold on Thursday that lingered for a full week. This meant I wasn't able to attend my Mystery Book Club on Thursday evening or the Evanston Latinos Gala that same night. Luckily, Mr. E wasn't sick, so he went to the Gala and enjoyed the food offerings and community award presentations. I'm glad at least one of us could be there to support the organization and the Latine/x community!

The shorter days were brightened a bit by our holiday lights and the holiday decorations throughout the common areas of our building.

On Saturday morning, we went out for our final Le Peep brunch of 2025, braving the VERY cold temperature and wind along the way. Earlier in the week, we had passed out Whole Foods gift cards to all of the apartment staff since we knew we'd be heading back to Sac on Saturday afternoon. After taking down our holiday decorations and doing other prep for the relocation (packing, cleaning, laundry, etc.), we still had enough time to go check out the ice rink at the Arrington Lagoon, which was open for the first time of the season. Not many skaters today!!!

We got picked up by Norshore Cab at 5:30pm for our trip to the airport, which was surprisingly quiet, so we had plenty of time to enjoy the United Club for a bit as we waited for our flight. We had opted for First Class seats this time because the price was quite reasonable, and it was nice to have some extra space, although we were a bit disappointed to see that the kitty carriers didn't fit very well due to the type of plane we were in (my flight with Louis in October was obviously a different kind of equipment, because his carrier fit just fine under the seat when we got upgraded to First Class). Unfortunately, we were delayed by about 30 minutes and then of course had to wait at least 30 minutes for our checked bag in Sac, so we didn't get home to Q Street until after midnight. *yawn*

Sunday morning was my Sac book club, so I picked up fruit on my way there since of course we had nothing in the house after being gone for three months. It was nice to reconnect and enjoy all of M's amazing holiday decorations. Mr. E took care of grocery shopping and other errands once I got home while I worked on putting up our own decorations. We want to enjoy them as much as we can before the end of the month!

It's nice to be in Sac to reconnect with friends, although I think we both miss Evanston and really feel more at home there now. I certainly don't miss the frigid temperatures, but I'll be glad to return at the end of February to enjoy the tail end of winter and the arrival of Spring.

 

November: Nesting in Evanston (Part 2)

Week of Nov. 17: Wine & Food & Theatre

We celebrated the annual Nouveau Beaujolais release at Le Tour on Thursday evening, managing to squeeze in at the bar to enjoy our complementary glasses of wine. Mr. E also ordered a burger and frites while I focused on the Happy Hour pricing for oysters. As usual, we got a dozen of the mollusks, but when we were halfway finished, I noticed that there was an odd number remaining, meaning that we were served only 11 of the 12. We alerted the server, and she returned to the kitchen to resolve the issue. When she came back, she presented us with the missing oyster plus an extra "apology oyster" to make a nice baker's dozen total. I certainly didn't complain about having the surplus offering!

I took the day off on Friday for some intensive homework time as the end of the semester is getting close. Mr. E and I finally tried out Cafe International at the Rotary Building for breakfast and were pretty pleased with the options and especially with the pricing. It reminded both of us of a very nice hotel breakfast buffet, including made-to-order omelets (I got egg whites and veggies) but with prices more similar to the cafeteria at one of the CA state agencies or at the Intel campus in Folsom. I ended up taking half of my omelet home since the portion size was quite generous. And the triangular hash browns were another good find -- crispy enough and no onions!

Friday afternoon, I headed to the WCE for my 3-5pm volunteer shift to help with vendor move-in for the annual Holiday Bazaar. There were fewer than 10 vendors who arrived later in the day, so I was done by 4:30pm, giving me plenty of time to come home for a bit before Mr. E and I returned to the Clubhouse for the opening evening of the Bazaar. We sponsored the event this year, and that included tickets to the opening, so we were able to enjoy the light bites and wine as we browsed the various artisans. We indulged with several holiday baking purchases, including an apple cake, white chocolate ginger cookies, tart cherry cookies, ginger snaps, mini holiday truffles, and a specialty hot chocolate mix. 

On Sunday, we met up with M & L for an early brunch at the locally famous Walker Bros. Original Pancake House. I tried the blue crab benedict and nibbled on some of Mr. E's mini Dutch baby pancake with fruit on top. Our afternoon activity was the play Among the Dead as part of our DIY mini-season subscription to the Wirtz Performing Arts Center on the Northwestern University campus. We didn't know anything about the show, and we were both totally engaged and impressed by the script, the staging, and the performances. We wrapped up the evening with Happy Hour at Prairie Moon. I really enjoyed their new spinach and mushroom quesadilla HH offering, but I have to admit that their oysters just aren't as tasty as the ones at Le Tour!

Week of Nov. 24: No Classes! Blood Donation, Thanksgiving, Weekend Change of Plans

I didn't have any classes this week for NYU, LTCC, or CASA. It felt a bit odd to have so much free time! Mr. E took Wednesday off to get ready for all of his holiday cooking plans. Unfortunately, he had a challenge with picking up the rental car, which threw off his timing for the day. Luckily, he was able to borrow M's car to do his errands and for us to go to our Vitalant blood donation appointments in the late afternoon. Unfortunately, I got deferred due to a low hemoglobin, despite trying two finger sticks. Darn! Mr. E was able to complete his donation, and we took care of the final grocery shopping as well. We figured out the swap-out with M's car and the rental before we headed home for the evening.

We started out Thanksgiving Day by walking the Evanston Flying Turkey 5K. The weather was chilly but sunny with minimal wind, so we just bundled up to enjoy the stroll. We had a late brunch at home afterwards and then relaxed for a bit before heading to Mr. E's mom's in the early afternoon, since she was hosting the family gathering for the holiday this year. Originally, we were all going to go to Montreal, but Mr. E's sister's work schedule had changed several weeks ago, making an out of town trip more challenging, so we decided to just stay local instead. 

Mr. E settled into his mom's kitchen to begin all of his prep, and I headed down to the awesome geodesic domed pool for a swim. By the time I was done, L & M and G & L had arrived and were munching on the appetizers and chatting. I did a quick errand at Mariano's and then joined the group to visit and enjoy the food. We sat down to dinner around 5:45pm to enjoy the offerings from Mr. E (steak, oven-baked asparagus with parmesan cheese, sauteed mushrooms, and roasted fingerling potatoes) and his mom (beet and green bean salad, cocktail shrimp, and other parts of the appetizers that joined the main meal). We finished up with the pumpkin pie that Mr. E had ordered from Bennisons and then headed home to Evanston (with lots of leftovers!) around 7:30pm.

Our plan for the rest of the weekend was a trip to Madison, including a tour of Taliesin on Saturday afternoon and meet-ups with friends P and S on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. However, due to the winter storm warnings, all of the Taliesin tours for Saturday were cancelled! Luckily, on Friday morning, I saw the phone call and email notifications before we started the drive, right when were just about done with our packing. So then we decided to just cancel the entire road trip, especially once I called the hotel and they were kind enough to waive the usual cancellation policy so that we didn't have any charge at all. Now what to do with the weekend??!!

We had already planned to visit the Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum and make a stop by the See's Candies holiday pop-up shop at Old Orchard Center on our way to Madison, so we figured we could still keep those plans. Unfortunately, when we looked up the directions for the Museum, we saw that it was closed on Friday. D'oh! We did brave the traffic to get to See's for my lollipop re-stock to tide me over for the next couple of weeks. Later in the afternoon, we played three games of pool in our building's Community Den [aka game room] and then tried out the Corner Bistro bar at the Orrington Hilton (Bourbon Bee for Mr. E, Smokey Negroni for me), and finished up the evening with takeout from Joy Yee and streaming of Agatha Christie's Crooked House.

On Saturday, we navigated through the snowy roads to visit the Museum, which was offering free admission for Small Business Saturday. We both really enjoyed the permanent and special exhibitions, and we procured a turtle magnet and purple hummingbird fleece blanket at the small gift shop. On our way home, we stopped by the Oakton Community Center for the C.A.R.E. Faire to support the shelter where L volunteers. The cookie walk was definitely the best part! We ended up with 1.75 pounds of a variety of cookies, all homemade by volunteers. Yum! Once we got home, Mr. E fit in a short workout downstairs while I had a nice long talk with A. Then we braved the snow to walk to the AMC Theatre for the 3:30pm showing of Wicked for Good. We were surprised that the theatre was so full, given the ongoing snowy weather and road conditions!

Sunday was a very leisurely day, with no specific time commitments. After brunch at home, I took down and put away the Thanksgiving decorations and pulled out the Christmas decor to get started on the next holiday. A bit later, on our way out to do some errands, we almost got stuck in the snow at the top of the parking ramp! Luckily, I noticed a snow shovel nearby, so Mr. E was able to shovel out the stuck front tires of the rental car, and we continued on our way. We stopped by M's to drop off his big pot that Mr. E had borrowed for the sous-vide steak on Thanksgiving and then found some great holiday lights at Home Depot. Nice to have the rental car for some of these farther-away errands! Stops at our usual nearby Binny's, Jewel, and Trader Joe's rounded out the afternoon. The rest of the day included more holiday decorating, computer stuff, and our weekly international film viewing. 

And that's a wrap for November! 

 

November: Nesting in Evanston (Part 1)

Week of Nov. 3: Museum, Friends, First Snow of the Season

I went to a really interesting artist's talk at the Block Museum on Wednesday evening. The session was to present some of the most recent pieces acquired through the Block Museum Student Associates program. The works are by Chitra Ganesh, and she was there in person to have a conversation with a Northwestern Professor. 

 

I have to admit that I'm not really a fan of the work itself, but it was fascinating to hear about her process and her inspiration and why the BMSA cohort recommended her pieces for acquisition for the Museum's permanent collection.

On Friday evening, Mr. E and I decided to try out the Hibachi tables at Todoroki, one of our favorite spots for takeout. So fun! The chef was able to accommodate my allium allergy, so I ordered scallops and shrimp as my protein while Mr. E opted for steak and salmon. At the table behind us was a group of about 10 boys celebrating a birthday party. They were probably in the 8-10 year old range and were quite rambunctious! But that's just because they were having so much fun with the chef, so we just decided to enjoy their raucous energy while they finished their meal and then enjoyed the tranquility just as much (if not more) after their departure.

After brunch on Saturday morning, Mr. E and I headed to the Evanston History Center for their Open House so that we could visit the reFashioning History exhibit and see the new works in context with their inspiration. It was fun to see some of the new designs up close, especially in comparison with the older fashions and how they related to each other. All about pleats!

We had planned to go to a show on Sunday afternoon, but as I was looking for our confirmation email, I discovered that I hadn't ever bought the tickets. Oops! So we had several unexpectedly extra free hours that afternoon before walking to M&L's townhome for dinner of homemade pizza prefaced with an extensive charcuterie & cheese plate. M drove us home, so we managed to avoid any of the incoming snowy weather in the forecast.

Week of Nov. 10: Snow, Community Service, History Center Events, Mystery Book Club, Art, Translators Meet-Up, Family Dinner, Dance

The week started off with some lovely snowfall from the first storm of the season! 

We both had Tuesday off for Veteran's Day so enjoyed a later breakfast together at our favorite Le Peep. I spent the rest of the day doing homework since I knew the weekend would have limited time for me to study. In the evening, I attended my first in-person Community Outreach Committee meeting at the Woman's Club, and it was so nice to meet some other members and learn more about all of the Committee's activities.

On Wednesday, I went to the Noyes Cultural Arts Center to hear talk about the history of theatre in Evanston. It's really amazing how this small city has had such an oversized impact on theater in this area and how Northwestern has served as such a pipeline and connector for a variety of theatre professionals. I also discovered that walking to the Noyes Center doesn't take nearly as long as I thought, which is great to know for future cultural offerings at the multi-purpose facility.

Thursday was my Mystery Book Club at the library. This month's selection was Murder on the Red River by Marcie Rendon. I enjoyed the book and the discussion with the group, but I'm not sure that I'm interested enough to continue the series.

The next evening, Mr. E joined me for a gathering at the Evanston History Center to celebrate the launch of the Downtown Evanston History Tour. Everyone who participated in the tour and logged points before November 1st was eligible to win prizes and attend the celebration. I procured a bag and a sticker and a fabulous book about the unique "hidden" double houses of Evanston. We enjoyed the food offerings of empanadas (bean, pulled pork) and arepas (cheese, chicken) from La Cocinata and macarons from Coralie. 

Saturday was a full day of activities, beginning with my volunteering at the Woman's Club to help assemble culturally appropriate hair kits for Avery's Helpful Hair Kits, one of the recipients of the WCE community grants program. What an amazing organization! It was founded three years ago by a young girl named Avery, who was only 8 years old at the time. The purpose is to provide youth in foster care with products that are appropriate for their hair type and texture. Avery, her mom, and one of her friends were there to talk about the organization and help get everything organized. We had enough volunteers that we were finished in less than an hour! I got to reconnect with J, another WCE member whom I'd first met at the info session and then again at the Art Tour, and I also met several other members, quite a few who are relatively new to WCE, just as I am.

 

While I was at the WCE, Mr. E welcomed a crew to steam clean our rugs. We had moved a bunch of things out of the master bedroom and closet and office earlier in the morning to prepare for the cleaning. 

In the early afternoon, we took the CTA to the Driehaus Museum to see the Tiffany Lamps: Beyond the Shade exhibit. Such beautiful artistry and craftsmanship!

My favorite was definitely the Nautilus lamp. Seeing so many examples collected all in one place was almost overwhelming! Other noteworthy items on display included paintings by Mary Cassat and other Art Deco works.

After we finished up at the Museum (including a poster purchase at the shop), we walked south so that I could meet up with folks from the Chicago Area Translator's Association (CHICATA) at Miller's Pub while Mr. E headed to his mom's to spend time with her. I joined them later at Minghin for dinner, and then Mr. E and I grabbed a Lyft to return to Evanston.

Our final activity of the weekend was the Sunday afternoon performance of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's Fall Series. The show was at the Steppenwolf Theatre again this year, which is an easy CTA ride for us. This time around, all of the pieces were new to us. Each piece was unique, enthralling, and totally captivating. This is such an amazing company! I'm so thrilled that we're able to attend their performances on a regular basis now!