The Curious Peach

There’s no place like home.

bythesidewalk:

“But when I go to Chicago, I know I’m home.” Hank Sauer

The work of Vivian Maier has long captivated us at the Peach.  As soon as we heard of this exceptional street photographer, who was active in Chicago in the 1950s onward, we were smitten with her amazingly prolific body of work.  Though she has only achieved recognition after her death, the story of the nanny with the uncanny ability to capture the essence of subjects in one shot has been lodged stubbornly in our brains.  

Since seeing the Chicago Cultural Center’s exhibition, “Finding Vivian Maier”, last year, we’ve wanted to gobble up all the work that we can find!  Which is why we’re beyond excited that Corbett vs. Dempsey will be hosting a display of her photographs from June 29 through July 21!  See you there…

-Jessie

Sarah and I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Chicago Design Museum in its current temporary home, a repurposed stove factory in Humboldt Park.  Intrigued by their pop-up museum premise, we went to see for ourselves how well they achieved their goal of creating a more intimate space than typically found in traditional brick-and-mortar museums.  We must say that we were truly wowed by the beautiful space and the varied work selected for the graphic design-focused exhibitions.  We were both charmed by a collection of whimsical hand-painted signage inspired by the fluorescent signs dotting colorful local grocery stores, designed by a series of artists specially for CHIDM.  Particularly of note were the movingly dramatic textural essays of New York artist Debbie Millman, which artfully bridged the gap between everyday objects and true design.  A snippet of her pieces is pictured above, but the entire essay, displayed similarly, was truly a heartbreaking work.  Beautifully written and constructed, her work was by far the most compelling section of the wonderfully open gallery space.  

And in case you were wondering, they won high marks for their desired intimacy with an incredibly cheerful and knowledgeable curator of sorts available to answer all of our questions, and even offer us beverages!  Highly worth a trip, if you can make it before the Museum closes its doors on June 30th.  We can’t wait to see what they do next…

-Jessie

It’s practically written in the CarefulPeach employee handbook that every Peach shall have a favorite cocktail of choice.  And you’ll find when it comes to matters like booze, we don’t mess around.

Back during Chicago’s freak March heat wave (oh, Midwestern weather, you crazy so-and-so), I saw the light and converted to Bloody Maryianism after a visit to the Silver Cloud, and ever since, my favorite savory cocktail and I have been skipping hand-in-hand together in newly coupled bliss.  

On the list of Bloody Marys I have loved, though, one particular beauty stands out in my memory.  My boyfriend and I recently found ourselves on a picturesque trip to Madison, Wisconsin for a little weekend getaway.  We trekked from our AirBnb-rented apartment (hey Kyle!  Thanks for renting us your digs!) to the Weary Traveler Freehouse, a highly recommended haunt just down the street, setting of on a quest to find brunch-appropriate beverages to start our vacation day off right.  

What we found therein did not disappoint.  God bless Bob, namesake of the Bob’s Bad Breath Burger, for leading us to one of the gastronomical highlights of our gluttonous weekend out of town.  Their perfectly mixed, just spicy enough Bloody Mary (served with an optional beer chaser) made for a heavenly way to enjoy a leisurely brunch, intermittently snacking on their massive garnish comprised of briny cocktail onions, olives, dill pickle spears, and the proverbial cherry on top: a pickled Brussels sprout.  If you’re serious about your breakfast cocktails (or your burgers.  Or your perfectly marinated spicy steak and eggs.  Or your beer.), the Weary Traveler will make you one happy camper.

-Jess

Full disclosure: I did not have the foresight to photograph my Bloody Marys because I drank them all.  This Bloody Mary belongs to someone else, but I’m sure it was good too.