30 Days and a Hot Dog

Today, I have officially been in Chicago over a month and I severely bruised my pelvis. The two have more in common than the non-CTA traveler would expect.

Today as i airily jammed my CTA 30 day pass into the entry gate, I ceased to notice the defeating no-entry blinking light. I tried to continued my jovial jaunt through the gate only to have the bar rudely interrupt my pelvis making me realize that a) those bars are really inconveniently placed and b) my 30 day CTA pass had run its course. I have been living in Chicago for 30 days...or actually 31 days. I have been a Chicagoan for 31 whole freaking fantastic and fabulously freezing days.

And then the second major realization of my day hit me: I have not eaten a chicago style hot dog in any of those 30 days. This is huge considering on my previous trips down to Chicago, I had at least one hot dog a day and in one fateful day 3 dogs. But since permanently moving to this hot dog haven of a city, I have been distracted by other gloriously buzzing neon signs: gyros, italian beef not to mention indian, thai, mexican and any other country you care to put up in blinking yellow bulbs.

As any Chicago foodie will tell you, this is the place to be for unassuming but truly taste bud blooming appetizers, entrees and desserts. It is easy to get lost in the mass of five star restaurants and forget the simplistic beauty of a chicago style hot dog.

Luckily my girls are always up for a hotdog on a Wednesday night so we headed to Portillo's, not my favorite hot dog joint but a convenient local in River North. Of course i got a dog with everything on it- including some extra sport peppers I rescued from E's tray. It was gone within 5 minutes, as i have learned the chicago dog is best inhaled not savored.

One of the best 5 minutes of my 30 days in Chicago along with the sunset EL rides, Thursday nights at the Art Institute and spontaneous drag queen runway shows down Halsted at 4 a.m.

I swear there is nothing wrong enough in my life that can't be cured by a chicago style hot dog in eaten in my new home.