Q-Tips Reviews

CHINATOWN TOUR – Take the Red Line, CTA buses: 21,24, 62 or a Water Taxi
( www.chicagowaatertaxi.com ), or car to Cermack and ENJOY!

Q-Tips say: This tour was with a Groupon coupon. Mrs. Q says: DO NOT go with Groupon for the Chinatown Walking Tour – it is a waste of your hard earned money.

The Q went two years ago on their own walking tour after stopping at the:
Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, 21687 S. China Place – www.chicagochinatown.org
Get yourself a FREE brochure which includes all the sightseeing stops, a detailed map of all the sights and stops and a explanation of each one. Also many restaurants you can choose from for Lunch, Dim Sum, or Dinner.
Mrs. Q says: A must see is the Chinese American Museum of Chicago – there is a small fee but worth every penny.

The Chinese American Museum of Chicago tells the story of how the Chinese came from the EAST and WEST COASTS because of discrimination and abuse to settle in the inner city of Chicago because Chicago is where they were accepted & then moved to the present location.  How the Family Associations (no, not gangs) formed.  Then the Q’s were off to the:  Buddhist Temple. Buddhism was brought to China from India around 200 AD and began to flourish due to the decline of the Han Dynasty and its strict Confucian beliefs.  The basis of Buddhism preaches that suffering is inherent in life and one can only be liberated from it by mental and moral self-purification.

CHICAGOLAND GHOSTS by Dylan Clearfield

Mrs. Q says: Ever wonder if the Museum, Restaurant, Watering hole-pub, Church or perhaps the town in Ill that you live in has ghosts? This book covers it all and sometimes with humor. Mrs. Q says: Yes, even in Berwyn at 1941 Ridgeland a story of a gohsts of a Green Bay Packer fan in Ill.

The Hundred Foot Journey – In “The Hundred-Foot Journey,” Hassan Kadam (Manish Dayal) is a culinary ingénue with the gastronomic equivalent of perfect pitch. Displaced from their native India, the Kadam family, led by Papa (Om Puri), settles in the quaint village of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val in the south of France. Filled with charm, it is both picturesque and elegant – the ideal place to settle down and open an Indian restaurant, the Maison Mumbai. That is, until the chilly chef proprietress of Le Saule Pleureur, a Michelin starred, classical French restaurant run by Madame Mallory (Academy Award (R)-winner Helen Mirren), gets wind of it. Her icy protests against the new Indian restaurant a hundred feet from her own, escalate to all out war between the two establishments – until Hassan’s passion for French haute cuisine and for Mme. Mallory’s enchanting sous chef, Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon), combine with his mysteriously delicious talent to weave magic between their two cultures and imbue Saint-Antonin with the flavors of life that even Mme. Mallory cannot ignore. At first Mme. Mallory’s culinary rival, she eventually recognizes Hassan’s gift as a chef and takes him under her wing.

Q-Tips say: A cute story but a tad long and slow at times but nothing special. Mrs. Q says: RENT IT! Even tho it has humor, and is cute, you can get the same enjoyment from a rental. Helen Mirren is Helen Mirren – good actress, does not look her age (wonder why), and the outcome of the movie is just what one would expect. RENT IT!

DRIEHAUS MUSEUM – 40 East Erie Street, Chicago, IL, 312 482 8933, ext. 21 or email info@driehausmuseum.org.

Q-Tips say: Loved it. Go see it, you will be awed by the beauty and splendor of the exhibit.
Mrs Q has only one word to say, which is rare for her: AWESOME! We did our own walking tour with the audio cassette which is an additional $5.00 pp. Lots of walking and some stairs but there is an elevator. $20 Adult, $12.50 Senior (65+), $10 Student with valid I.D., $10 Youth (6-12 years) Children five years and younger are free. The daily tour schedule with a docent is: Best of Both: Tiffany & Museum Highlights – 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Richard H. Driehaus Museum immerses visitors in one of the grandest residential buildings of 19th-century Chicago, the Gilded Age home of banker Samuel Mayo Nickerson. Philanthropist Richard H. Driehaus founded the museum on April 1, 2003 with a vision to influence today’s built environment by preserving and promoting architecture and design of the past. To realize his vision, Mr. Driehaus commissioned a five-year restoration effort to preserve the structure and its magnificent interiors. Today the galleries feature surviving furnishings paired with elegant, historically-appropriate pieces from the Driehaus Collection of Fine and Decorative Arts, including important works by such celebrated designers as Herter Brothers and Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Today, the Museum is a premier example of historic preservation, offering visitors an opportunity to experience through its architecture, interiors, collection, and exhibitions how the prevailing design philosophies of the period were interpreted by artists, architects, and designers at the waning of the 19th-century and the dawn of the 20th-century.

LULLABY explores the power of life, its trans formative moments, and re-connections between loved ones. Estranged from his family, Jonathan discovers his father has decided to take himself off life support in forty-eight hours’ time. During this intensely condensed period, a lifetime of drama plays out. Robert fights a zero sum game to reclaim all that his illness stole from his family. A debate rages on patients’ rights and what it truly means to be free. Jonathan reconciles with his father, reconnects with his mother, sister, and his love and reclaims his voice through two unlikely catalysts – a young, wise-beyond-her-years patient, and a no-nonsense nurse. Through this intensely life affirming prism, an unexpected and powerful journey of love, laughter, and forgiveness unfolds.

Q-Tips say: The Q’s liked it. It was an excellent rental movie- not sure it is in the theaters anymore.

Mrs. Q says: A very moving story about death and dying. A good “reality check” for all. A bit of humor at times. She enjoyed the contrast of the old man dying and the little children fighting to stay alive.
Mrs. Q says: Make sure you have a tissue nearby, you might need it – but see it, you will enjoy.

MOST WANTED MAN – Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman – When a half-Chechen, half-Russian, brutally tortured immigrant turns up in Hamburg’s Islamic community, laying claim to his father’s ill-gotten fortune, both German and US security agencies take a close interest: as the clock ticks down and the stakes rise, the race is on to establish this most wanted man’s true identity – oppressed victim or destruction-bent extremist?

Q-Tips Say: We enjoyed it. A bit long and slow at times but worth seeing the last movie that Hoffman made and good acting by Rachel McAdams.

CHICAGO Walking ARCHITECTURAL TOUR – our tour started at 10 South Dearborn St. Chicago, (312) 350-1131 chicagodetours.com Tour Overview: Step inside magnificent lobbies, corridors, and the underground Pedway system for an in-depth, personal approach to a Chicago architecture walking tour downtown. Available six days a week, the Loop Interior Architecture Walking Tour takes you on a creative route that weaves through buildings and secret short-cuts. Tour guests get to share iPads with archival images like maps, historic photos and documentary video clips while the tour guide shares stories of Chicago history. For the next level of connection with architecture, go inside of the buildings. You will appreciate Chicago architecture from new perspectives. From the interiors, you experience architectural space rather than from the more isolated perspective of a downtown sidewalk. All guests receive the gift of our color-printed map of the Chicago Pedway System and complimentary offers to our favorite local restaurants and businesses in the Loop.

Q-TIPS SAY: A 2 hour tour with a total of a half mile of walking.
Mrs. Q suggests: Getting a Living Social deal or other deals offer 2 for 1 – Otherwise the tour is $26.00 per person – Seniors $24.00 per person. Highlights include the Macy’s building (originally Marshall Fields), Chicago Cultural Centre, the sky church at the Chicago Temple Building, Block 37, stories on the public transportation system and much more. A sample of a local frozen kefir cafe (like frozen yogurt) was also set up which was a nice touch.

COOPER’S RESTAURANT – 1232 W Belmont Ave., Chicago, IL 60657, (773) 929-2667,
cooperschicago.com

Q-TIPS SAY: COOPER’S is a GREAT restaurant across the street from the WIT Theater that serves delicious food and outstanding drinks, super service, and an entire book of “Beers.” They have some free parking in the back and have outdoor seating that is covered. Our weekend guest had the Burgers with awesome hand cut fries. Mr. Q had the BBQ pulled Pork and Onion Soup and Mrs. Q had the Onion Soup and Turkey Panini on Sourdough Bread. Everyone enjoyed their meals immensely. Mrs. Q says: Our first time at Cooper’s but it won’t be our last time.

EVANSTON ETHNIC ARTS FESTIVAL – Centennial Park (Sheridan Rd. Between Clark and Church) FREE
Dates: Sat., July 19-Sun. July 20, Time: 12pm-7pm

New location! Due to construction, the festival has moved just north of Dawes Park to Centennial Park on Sheridan Road between Clark and Church. The lakefront will come alive from noon to 7pm with two stages of continuous world music and dance, up to 140 juried artists, international cuisine, hands-on art activities and more.

Q-Tips say: It is ok – features art from an abundance of countries, family crafts activities, international cuisine, and live music, dance. Experience the colors, sounds, and aromas of world cultures. You can learn folk-dance, experience new ethnic foods and also some of the usual food offered at this type of Festival. Mrs. Q says: She enjoyed watching the different dances from other countries by the costumed performers. The Q’s shared a sausage called “Cevapcici” Mr. Q liked it with onions and a special sauce they make, but it was a tad too spicy for the “Little Woman.”

What is CEVAPCICI?? The casing-less sausages known as cevapcici or cevaps found their way into Eastern Europe via the Ottoman Empire, which picked them up from Arabic cultures around Persia.

Today, there are different versions of cevapcici throughout Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia. Some use pork and lamb, others use pork, lamb and beef, and yet others omit the pork entirely.

Originally, they were skewered and grilled over an open fire. Nowadays, most cooks grill, broil or pan fry them. They make great appetizers and sandwiches on lepinje (Serbian Flatbread).