Prangster in Chicago

Smoque + Blackhawks = Chicago

March 3, 2010: Sliced brisket, coleslaw and fries at Smoque followed by my very first ice hockey game.

Last night in Chicago

Dinner was incredible pizza and salad at Great Lake with BYOB Kirin. Then a latte at 8pm to fight off the sleepies so I could stay up and watch Mel Gibson's Apocalypto. (I was ready to cover my eyes the entire time.) After that, it was post-medal analysis of the women's figure skating before bed. 

The night before was good too. A late lunch at David Burke Primehouse. Then another intense Mel Gibson movie called Edge of Darkness. It was like film noir. I think it just came out. I have to warn you though, one of the most shocking things about the movie is Mel's full-blown forehead creases and crazy neck skin. And there are close-ups.

The photo above looks extra delicious cause it was taken with my new camera! It's a Ricoh CX2 and I think I love it.

Staying hydrated

Yep, Tommy Lee Jones is still inexplicably the very serious face of Boss coffees in Japan.

The smug smile-a-thon

On the left: Helen Chen, industrial designer. On the right: Janice Chen Chow, interior designer. So smug.

At A to Z Cafe, the coffee shop and restaurant of Yoshitomo Nara. I had an great green tea latte there. Pricey, but great. Janice has to order cake everywhere she goes, so she got a slice of caramel sponge cake that was tasty. Tasty, but pricey.

Waiting again. This time for Maisen tonkatsu (fried pork cutlets!) in Harajuku.

One word: artists.

More from the album

Amazing store interiors. Schoolgirls eating packed lunches at Ueno park. Cute bikes. Blue skies. Clean architecture.

Cheap meals in Tokyo and Harbs, Harbs, Harbs

This bowl of rice with salmon came with a teapot of hot broth, which you're supposed to pour over the rice to make a soupy rice dish.

Chabuya ramen noodles at Mist in Omotesando Hills are always good. I ordered dipping noodles this time.

Shabu shabu lunch at Hanamon in the Tokyo metro station underground. Knowing the address is worthless. I tried to find it for ages and only came across it by accident, which made me both happy and annoyed. But I love beef (in moderation), so I got over it.

Cakes at Harbs! The bottom one is the Queen of Cakes. Out of all the meals we had in Tokyo, the afternoon tea at Harbs was one of the most expensive. That's really messed up because all we had there were tea and slices of cake. We are total grandmas. But seriously, doesn't that cake look amazing? Yessssss.

Meiji Shrine

I first went to the Meiji Shrine by Shinjuku Station with Janice back in 2006 but we were distracted by this amazing traditional wedding procession. This time, I paid attention to the details.

Failed rescue mission

I was in Tokyo for 10 days and just got back to Taipei last night. On one of those days, I happened to wander into a loud, neon-lit gaming venue. They had those games you always find at fairs and stuff, where you control a weak crane as it feebly attempts to knock a prize down -- be it chocolates or a keyring with an action figure on it -- and it's always a stupid waste of money. I was looking at all the fools trying to win the stupid chocolates and thinking, it's never going to work! You're all fools!

But then I saw this munchkin sitting in one of the machines. He looked like he'd fit right in with my other bears even though he has stumpy yellow feet that are smaller than his ears. I also like that he's so serious looking. I figured the least I can do is part with 100 yen to try to win his freedom.

Except that crane arm is so dumb and worthless it didn't even reach the little guy's head! In this photo you see the stupid crane hitting his forehead. D'oh. Look at the crease in his brow. So heartbreaking.

I felt so bad I took a goodbye photo to remember him by. Who knows how long he'll be locked in there for? Bye little dude. Take it easy in there.

On my lap, in the car

Oh yeahhhh, it's In'n'Out drive-thru combo number 3. Diet Coke's in the cupholder. Flimsy paper placemat's on my lap.

5 hours in Milwaukee

Hey, Milwaukee? You're funny. Not funny haha, but more funny weird. Like that stuffed animal orchestra. That was hilarious and a bit odd. And at Leon's Frozen Custard, where I decided against a frozen custard and had a soft serve cone instead, only to be told that the soft serve is frozen custard...what the hell, Milwaukee? The funniest thing though, was when we were getting back in the car and a local lady walking along the footpath said hello to me, so I smiled at her then got in the car and closed the door. I put on my seatbelt and was ready to head to the next snack location. Except I looked out the window and she was still standing next to the car, still talking to me. So I rolled down my window and she asked if we're having a fun day, if we're from Illinois, if we're staying late or heading back now. I shot back a round of one-word answers: yes, yes, later. It was suspiciously friendly behavior from her, right? Then she mentioned that she was also heading to Illinois to visit family and I thought, "A-ha! She wants a ride to Chicago! No eye contact!" But moments later she wished us a fun night in her funny accent, waved goodbye and walked off all chipper. After I rolled the window back up I realized the woman was just being crazy nice. And I remembered that sometimes America is crazy nice. And I'm sometimes a bit of a jerk.

Otherwise, Milwaukee is also delicious. Good beer, good cheese, good ice cream, good pizza, good brownies. And on the way back to Chicago, there's an outlet mall where I got a pair of $390 shoes for $47. But that wasn't funny haha either. That was funny mua-hahahaha!