Cheesey

Many of you have lived through hearing about my unfullfilled business ideas ranging from cupcakes to a men's salons. My latest business infatuation is a restaurant. I have always thought it would be great to operate a small eatery. Now, I would not know where to start but the idea sounds great. San Francisco is a food city. It would not be easy. But there is restaurant in NYC I would love to copy and open up here. S'mac. Everybody loves mac 'n cheese and several posh places here have it on its menu. M-n-cheese would be the main attraction here. Love it. The mini cast iron skillets embody comfort food. Prices are modest. It would be a sure fire success. Care to help me start?

Extra Money

With Michelle away until February I gave myself a few goals to meet during that time. One, of course, is to run and bike more. This I am finding hard to achieve due to the weather. I am finding it hard to find the motivation to battle the chill and when I do, I am finding my feet are turning numb...I need to wear two socks.

Where I am succeeding in is finding unique and quick ways to make an extra buck. A quick scan of craigslist is an electronic mine of opportunity. There are numerous odd jobs and tasks people are willing to pay you for. One of them is taking part in focus groups, which are plentiful in SF. Now, to do this I can not tell the company what I really do for a living but that is easy. If I do I will be automatically disqualified. I pulled in $200 thanks to an IBM focus group and $50 for a web site design group. I have another lined up in a two weeks, $50.

Other things in the works include passing out hors d'oeuvres at a posh event, $100 for three hours and being a cycling model for a photo shoot for some marketing group, $75.

While this will not make me rich it is fun and makes life interesting. It makes me want to find some other way to constantly make money instead of my daily 9-5. And heck, who can't use a few extra dollars?

Aloha

I walked into a tiny Hawaiian restaurant for dinner and was greated with a pleasant "Aloha". I had the urge to say aloha back but didn't, feeling my aloha would be less genuine since I am not Hawaiian, don't work there, and really just wanted to grab a quick bite to eat. Plus, I thought is was kitchey and one time only, meant just for me. Then lady said it to every customer who walked in the door. And after I ordered the waitress said "Maholo". Again, I had the urge to say mahalo back but didn't. She was saying this to every customer. Then I got to wondering, in a place with so many countries represented on the menu, this is the only place where they greet everybody in the native language. Yes, I know, Hawaii is not a country, but you get my point. I walk into a Vietnamese restaurant and the staff greets me in English. The Turish place I frequent, they don't speak Turkish. Thai, Pakastani, Russian, Indian, they all greet me in English. Every now and then in a Japanese restaurant they will say "Konbanwa" (good evening) but mostly is it 'hello'.

What seperates Hawaiian from the others? Do they feel adding value in saying these little pleasantries in Hawaiian will make my dining experience any better? I don't think so. The only way you can make Hawaiian dining any better is to give me a real life view of a Hawaiian beach while I am gnawing on my chicken katsu. Aloha.

In my ear

Remember when Napster was first starting?
I have yet to get an iPod or any mp3 player for that matter. My mother is hipper in that category as she has one. Heck, I don't even own my own computer. The internet is revolutionizing how music is distributed and heard, we know this. I recently read an article stating the internet has given new life to the once 'dying' classical music scene. With the internew, new listeners are downloading classical music because it is easy and nobody else has to know it. There is no great risk in downloading something you are not particularly familiar with. Despite my lack of online music prowness, that does not stop an auidofile like myself from enjoying music. Here is what has my ear right now.

1. Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense. This is not something I just stumbled upon but everytime I reach for a CD or LP (yes, that is what I have) I reach for this. 'This Must Be the Place' is as mesmorizing now as it was when I first heard it. 'The less we say about it the better Make it up as we go along Feet on the ground Head in the sky It's ok I know nothing's wrong . . nothing...

2. Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals - Lifeline. The new album is simply brilliant. It is acoustic, it is bluesy, it is Ben Harper at his best.

3. Toby Keith - Big Dog Daddy. I am a sucker for country music. I am not ashamed of my country love. I am not a big fan of his Ford commercials or his try at holiday music, but Toby's no-nonesense style is always fun.

4. Radiohead. Anything and always.

Twice in 1 Year

My feet were on fire, my hips in ached and my knees cringed in pain, but somehow I managed to cross the finish line of my second marathon this year. Once again the best part about it was running it with my good friend Omar. To make it even better Omar and I had our own little cheering section, his parents.

This race is one of the better supported marathons I have run. All along the race course there were people cheering you on, especially the final 4 miles. It sure is an emotional boost having them there. You can't stop running when somebody is cheering you on. The course takes you from the Folsom Dam to the State Capital and running in December you see all the vibrant tree colors.

And talk about a post race score! An All You Can Eat Buffet ...for $4.99! If you are ever in Sacratomato and in the need for a good inexpensive meal, I highly recommend Annabelle's in Old Town.

Halloween Hangover

Yes, that is a pumpkin. Yes, it is real. No I did not create it. I can not even draw a decent stick figure despite being the director of a creative department. Every year at work we have a pumpkin carving contest and every year one of my co-workers puts every other jack-o-lantern to shame.

You can see my lame attempt in the top photo in on the far right, the one with all the junk still inside. It is supposed to be a snake.

Gobble Gobble in Gold Country

Instead of staying home for Thanksgiving, Michelle and I made the trek up to the Gold Country for a little serinity in the Sierra. While we did not find any gold we did find a cozy little cottage called the Dorrington Inn and these nifty A-frames. Dorrington is about three miles up the hill from Calaveras State Park and the Giant Sequoias. Michelle is already tiny but standing next to some of the largest living things in the world she is dwarfed. On the way down we stopped by Columbia and Sonora for some old time fun.

I had not been to Sonora in decades after passing through the town what seemed every weekend with my grandparents when I was growing up. While most of it had not changed much, the red church is still there, the traffic and the number of people around sure did.

Oil Spill = Envionmental Distaster

Wednesday's tanker collision with the Bay Bridge was first reported as no big deal. Well, that is not the case anymore. 58,000 gallons of fuel contaminated the bay and covering birds and marine life in slimey gunk.

At first all the officials were saying it was no big deal, a little fuel was spilled and it was all contained. All contained where? In the Bay? These yellow buoys are lining the beaches to protect the land but nothing is being done to collect the oil out in the water.

Here is the interesting part. While nearly all of those responsible were immediatly tested for drugs and alcohol, it appears the pilot of the ship got off the tanker after it hit the Bay Bridge and was not tested until 22 hours after the incident.

The Hills are Alive

The hills rise like giant bubbles surfacing from an extraterrestrial pond: natural, yet somehow alien.

I was given the chance to go on top of the new California Academy of Sciences to shoot a promotional spot for an upcoming fundraiser. The museum does not open for another year but its roof it already turning heads. It is a living roof.

The green roof, planted with four native ground covers and five local wildflowers, will be a destination in itself. And in some ways, these hills of 1.7 million plants growing in 50,000 biodegradable coconut husk trays comprise the most inspiring element of the whole museum. The seven hills are supposed to represent the seven hills of San Francisco. Undernearth the hills are the museum's planetariums and the like.

Green/living roofs are nothing new but instead of just being a square on top of a building this has design and function (too many to get into).

Friendly Battle

The Tradition. A feebile attempt for aging friends to get together to try and prove they still have some life in them. This year's list of competitions included:

Row, Sham, Bow (Rock, Paper, Scissors)

Catch Tony (George's rodent of a dog)

Air Hockey

Miniature Golf

Basketball Free Throws

Football Toss

Obsticle Course

Frisbee Golf

Fresno State Football - Guess the Score

XBox Home Run Derby

Mini-Hoop

Despite somebody winning for the third straight year it is always great to get together with friends and have a good time. George was this year's host and pulled out all the stops to make it great. Not only is a great reminder of my outstanding athletic abilities it is an even better reminder that I am lucky to have such wonderful friends.

Maybe in 10 years I can afford a place

Good news! Home prices in my area of San Francisco dropped over the year.


District 3
Sep-06 Sep-07
Number of Sales
18 11
Median Selling Price
719,500 688,000
Average DOM
29 35


These are for condos but what the heck.

Magic Flying Paper

I am extremely jealous of people who have cool or unique side talents. Take my friend John Collins. Not only does he have a regular day job he is one of the best paper airplane designers in the country having written a few books on the subject. He recently held court with kids and adults at the Exploratorium.

He turned what he did in the 4th grade into a profitable and fun hobby. All I got out of the fourth grade was a binder filled with stickers.

His designs are amazing, even if some are too darn tough to fold.

Heating up

There is a big tah-do over swiching your old incandescent light bulbs to those new CFL ones. PG&E is giving them away, there are messages everywhere about how much energy they save, and Al Gore probably has one in his pocket at the ready. I too got caught up in the frenzy buying a three pak for only 99-cents a while back. Now though I am not so sure those CFL's are really a-okay.

Those new CFL's are toxic, containing mercury. You break one and you have a toxic clean-up situation on your hands. Sure it is a tiny amout of that nasty stuff but tiny amounts of the quicksilver can add up. You can not dispose of them in an easy way. You have to find a certified CFL disposal center. And dispose of these I will when LED lighting gets cheaper. LED is going to light up your world.

Here in San Francisco and elsewhere there was this big push to turn off your lights for an hour to save energy, showing all how much we can save. Forget turning off your lights for an hour, try stop driving your car less than a mile to do something. Or stop driving at all.

What will be next? A day without flushing the toilet? I am sure some Jimmy Carteresque ideas are already floating around to show us little ways to save energy when nobody addresses the big problem.

Craig Strikes Again

Craigslist has revolutionized the way people sell things to each other. Many believe Craigslist is one of the main reasons causing the downfall of newspapers because they used to make huge profits off of classified ads, not anymore.

http://www.donorschoose.org/homepage/main.html?zone=402

Here is Craig's newest venture, which I feel is brilliant. I am more than cautious giving to charity organizations because a large portion of your donation goes to operating costs and not really helping the cause you care so much about. Here, you can forget the middle person and donate directly to somebody who needs it.

For example, you can do a search for any state, and say find a teacher who is looking to purchase material for class. You can donate directly to that teacher. Now, with anything somebody might try to take advantage of this so you always have to be carefull. But this is darn cool.

Mountain High

There is nothing like a wet one after a race. Here I am with Omar, who finished right behind me, after the Tahoe Half-Marathon. One of these days I will feel confident enough to run the full at the Tahoe altitude.

Chill Out

Global Warming. Too often the debate over global warming and how to solve or control it turns into a nasty dustup, with one side arguing that we're headed for catastrophe and the other maintaining that it's all a hoax. I say that neither is right. It's wrong to deny the obvious: The Earth is warming, and we're causing it. But that's not the whole story, and predictions of impending disaster just don't stack up.

I came across this well writen article in the Washington Post out of Copenhagen. Finally, an argument about global warming I can relate to. Brilliant.

High Priced Neighborhood

What kind of house would you buy for 2.1M? Beach front? Maybe an acre or two of land? How about a nice front yard with a porch and swing? How about the house right next to my partment? I do enjoy living in my neighborhood. I especially enjoy it when a house goes up for sale. It reaffirms my neighborhood as being downright posh, expensive and I will never be able to afford to buy a place here. I could do a lot with 2.1M.

Labor Day

This is the way to spend Labor Day, doing nothing sitting in Golden Gate Park at all.

Jury Duty

I had jury duty this week. I was not picked or even questioned. But the process left me with a few questions.

During the question and answer perior, the voir dire, three potential jurors were dismissed because they could not understand English. They were so inept in their English skills that when the judge dismisse them they just stood there until somebody translated what was said.

Prospective jurors are selected at random from the list of registered voters. In order to be a registered voter you have to be a U.S. citizen. How did these prospective jurors make it? Were they faking their lack of English skill to get out of jury duty? Why did the judge not question them on it?

It all made me wonder.

Korea Day

Everyday in my life is Korea Day but this past Saturday was Korea National Day in San Francisco. The day started at Civic Center Plaza with a parade and ended at Union Square with festivities, food and plenty of fun.

As you can see Korean traditional outfits are very colorful. All Koreans take great pride in these outfits and many are still worn today for special events. It got me thinking what, if any, would be a traditional outfit from the United States? What do Americans wear for ceremnonies or special events. I came up empty. A wedding dress? Cowboy or western attire? Suit and tie?

Historic Hit

Wow! Unbelievable. What are the chances of me attending the game where Barry Bonds hits the record breaking home run? It was pure pandemonium. What luck.

Who cares if the commissioner was not there. That says as much about who Bud Selig is as it does Barry Bonds. Who cares about the steroid cloud over it. Whatever Barry did was completly legal at the time. Do I believe he took some medicinal incentives? Yes. This was a great moment for baseball. Barry is the most dangerous hitter ever in baseball. He changed the game like no other. This is great moment in San Francisco sports history. It will not live up to the 49ers three Super Bowls, but still great.

What makes Barry stand out in my mind is he perserverance. He kept going surrounded by all of this. He just kept going doing what he does best.

The Home Run King.

Chasing History

I thought I might be a part of history last night. A lot of people seem to be thinking that Barry is going to hit the big dinger this home stand. I sure do, others think it is going to take a while. I went to the Giants game hoping Barry Bonds would crush a few home runs. He didn't and is still two away from tying Hank Aaron for the all-time record, three away from breaking that record. I have another chance to possibly see history on Friday (if he doesn't do it by then).

So all the press is here and the demand for tickets is skyrocketing. Barry is slumping despite hitting two dingers in Chicago. Anyone who's been following all things Barry knows that whenever he gets close to some record, he gets all slump-y, probably due to all the hype and pressure surrounding him and so it takes him awhile to get to the big number. All of which has many guessing when and where he breaks the record and the speculation that Barry and the Giants so want this record broken at home that they'll rig it so that he does. So what they’re saying is that the Giants will intentionally sit Barry on the road just enough to make sure that there's no way he'll be break the record in the team's grays. This despite the evidence out there that it's possibly the stupidest thing anyone has ever thought up due to it's complete disregard to reality.

Mmmmmovieeeee

San Franciscans are a hearty bunch when it comes to movies. San Francisco, like a lot of cities, has organizations that throw outdoor movie gatherings. While other cities have warm, pleasent weather, San Francisco in the summertime means wind and fog. Saturday night was the showing of Sixteen Candles in Dolores Park and a crowd pushing 5-thousand showed up. By nightfall the wind had picked up, the fog was rolling in and it got darn chilly. But the tough San Franciscans held tough and refused to let a little cold get in the way of their free movie. Maybe all the food and wine people bring has something to do with it.

New Look

For the past few months I have been working hard trying to get a 'new look' for KRON 4 on the air. Well today it finally happened, sort of. With the help of some great designers the new red look was completley done in house. I think it is a big improvement over the old graphic look. While a majority of the graphics go live today, the remaining will go live next week.

Korean Cuisine

I must say that during my visit to S. Korea I ate extremely well. Koreans are known for their kimchi and for sometimes cooking an animal that others might find offensive. That later is becoming less and less common and is frownd upon by the majority now. The strangest thing I saw was a kimchi and rice hamburger. I doesn't look too bad but the idea of rice bun kind of defeats the purpose of having a bun in the first place. You can hold a bun, you can't hold a rice patty.

Passing of the Porn Legend

One of San Francisco's true characters has passed.

Famous for creating the Mitchell Brother(s) O’Farrell Theatre and then committing fratricide with a 22-caliber rifle, Jim Mitchell helped give San Francisco the wonderful and sick reputation it still (sort of) maintains. Today he died at 63 in Sonoma County. Starting out by selling nudie pics with his brother, Artie, the two built a porn empire with the help of such luminaries as local horny SF politicians, Marilyn Chambers, and lots and lots of boobies. Even batshit crazy journalist Hunter S. Thompson worked as a night manager at the (in)famous theater. Years later -- after all of the sex, coke, and more boobies -- took their toll, things moved too downhill fast. In an apparent “intervention” to help his brother; Jim shot Artie to death, and then kicked in the VIP lounge at San Quentin State Prison up until his release in 1997.
You had a fascinatingly torrid life that seemed to end in peace, and we promise to rub one out in your honor tonight, Jim. Or better yet, take a loved one to your flagship theater to see a peepshow.
Also, I am sorry that Emilio Estevez had to play you in your biopic. Alas.

Good Chopsticks, American

I just returned from Korea and I must say, I do believe I made us fellow Americans proud. I had plenty of meals with various Koreans and during each one somebody commented on my excellent chopstick skills. If they came away with one thing from my visit it may very well be the thought that us Yanks can handle the 'sticks. I am proud of this small yet important accomplishment.

Also, Koreans like to think their food is spicy. Well, after seeing more than one native turn away and cower from the heat, once again this Yank took it with an open mouth. Their so-called spicy food is nothing compared to hot wings at the Old Pro in Palo Alto or a tongue scorching bowl of chili at a chili cookoff.

I did get tired of sitting on the floor.

All-Star Events

San Francisco is hosting this year's MLB All-Star Game. While I will not be attending the game or the pre-game Home Run Derby I did go to the All-Star Fan Fest. The celebration took up three floors of the Moscone Convention Center and was filled with goodies, collectables and tons of displays. Not only can you take plenty of fake photos (Wheaties, for example), there were batting cages, pitching cages and tons of things to do for young kids.

I love San Francisco

No day makes me prouder to live in San Francisco than the day of the LGBT Pride Parade. It is the day making a lot of Americans shiver and San Franciscan's smile. The feeling all over The City is one of love and respect. The year's parade was again filled with the call for marriage equality. I feel it is only a matter of time before this becomes reality and much needed. How can somebody be against love and respect?

If LGBTs were allowed to marry the U.S. divorce rate would not be so high.

KRON 4's Henry Tenenbaum interviews George Takei of Star Trek Fame and one of the parade's Grand Marshalls.

Tahoe Weddings

I just returned from a trip to Tahoe for a wedding and while the ceremony was great (right on the lake) the unexpected joy came after.

I made a pit-stop on the way home to visit my first love, Mother Nature. The Pyramid Creek Trail is just off I-50. Horsetail Falls cascades hundreds of feet, flowing full force right now making for a magnificent sight.

The trail wanders over huge granite slabs and through thin stands of trees for about three miles and reaches a good vantage point at the base of the falls. The creek is raging right now. Along the way are great pools, clear water, and plenty of serenity.

Beautiful Modern Cube

This building is downright gorgeous.

San Francisco modern architecture is transforming the South of Market area. I suppose you could simply call it gentrification: flop houses and factories make way for architect's and realtor's and web designer's loft conversion offices. But that's a silly word for the process of urban evolution, especially here in this very young city (with barely 160 years under its belt).

New construction sits side by side with decrepit century-old buildings. Riding my bike and walking through the neighborhood, I'm often pleasantly surprised to find a new-ish and interesting building filling a slot in the urban grid.

SeaWorld = StrollerWorld

While in San Diego I went to SeaWorld with my friends, their two kids and the kids' grandparents. While I enjoyed the day I could not help but feeling I was being run over by strollers. I had never seen so many strollers in one place in my life.

Strollers are the very manifestiation of the dark commercial forces and one-upmanship that consume new parents. These were not strollers, these were mini-SUVs. I saw one stroller made by Jeep. Double-decker strollers, strollers with nobby-tires, extra storage, secret compartments and maybe even a coffee cup warmer for the parents. And the kids in them were usually not infants. What happened to walking? What happened to the simple stroller?

Parents need these super-sized strollers to carry all the extra stuff instead of the child. Often, the stroller turns into a shopping cart with the child relegated to a shoulder, the bags of over-priced memories filling the seat (since the kid will be too young to remember anything).

$900 for a stroller! I'll take a Red Flyer Wagon, it has more room looks a lot cooler.

Run San Diego

People ask why I run. I say, "If you have to ask, you will never understand". It is something only those select few know. Those who put themselves through pain, but know, deep down, how good it really feels.

I talk to my friends about running a lot. But only one of them has ever had the determination to see what I am talking about for themselves. This past weekend was the San Diego Marathon and while I finished the 26.2 miles in 4:20, it was nothing to my good friend Omar finishing at 4:40 in his first marathon.

The night before the race he was nervous, anxious and uncertain about what the marathon would hold in store for him. I reassured him he would do well, having trained hard, put in the hours and knew of his competitive spirit first hand. He was hoping to just finish, maybe around 5:30, 6 at the latest. All of his hard work paid off and I could not be more proud of him.

What a City

It is nights like tonight that make me wonder why I even consider living someplace else. Beyond the scenic vistas lie the true spirit of The City, the people. Cosmopolitan and tolerant. Grand and gutsy. Free and fun.

Tonight I was heading to the Giants game (they lost) and came across the usual Critical Mass crowd (every last Friday of the month). In addition, tonight there was a Zombie Mob. A Zombie Mob? All these people were dressed as zombies walking up Market Street. Their outfits were great. Blood and bones, limping and lurching about. There were well over one hundred people dressed up as zombies all around.

Night of the living dead, right here.

Restaurant Tips

I like SF Chronicle Food Critic Michael Bauer. Now I like him even more because he not only answered my restaurant tip question but he used it in his food blog.

My question was about restaurants automatically charging a gratuity onto the bill for a large dinner group. If the service is bad, do we have to pay the included tip? Most restaurants will make sure the service is good or allow for a lower tip if the service is extremly poor. But, according to a consultant Michael Bauer contacted, large parties have an implied contract.

"...I talked to restaurant consultant Frank Klein, who confirmed what I suspected: If the charge is printed on the menu, there's an implied contract. "By sitting down to eat, you're agreeing to pay," he explained. Klein says that when he goes to restaurant, he tells them before he sits down that he doesn't want to be bound by the service charge. Instead, he tips on the quality of the service (which is often more than 20 percent)."

There are many who made comments to Michael's post. Check it out.

Bay to Breakers

Runners. Costumes. Naked People. This past weekend was Bay to Breakers and while I fit into one of the mentioned categories all three and then some were out in force. The weather was perfect for the event. Pictures really can not catch the mood of the race. It has been called the world's largest moving party.

Bay to Breakers is the most grand expression of civic pride I've ever been a part of. Bands and DJs rock out on street corners, mobile soundsystems cruise the streets, elaborate floats are built and pushed to accommodate bars, kegs, beer pong, dance floors. There are no spectators. Everybody walks, runs, or rolls. You reach the top of Alamo Square--the halfway point, and the only hill on the course--and look down from the peak. In both directions, thousands of people of all stripes are celebrating life for the best of all reasons: Because it's there.

While The City and race organizers try to shun and stop the boozing and bare bodies, I have always thought they should embrace it. Those are the things that make this race stand out. Race organizers and The City should encourage such behavior and use it as a selling point to get more people involved in the race. Almost gone are the days of the centipedes that used to attrack a lot of attention. I fear the rest will soon follow.

Here are a few ideas I have to encourage more fun to the race:

1. Instead of frowning on alcohol, give it out. Give those over 21 special bibs they can use to get alcohol along the course. Hand it out at the water stops. Nobody is driving anyway. The organizers try to discourage those who do not register and it never works, this gives them an incentive to do so. Sure there are liabilites but don't let that stop it.

2. Have special prize money given to the first male and female nude runner.

3. Bring back the centipedes. If Bay to Breakers can give 20k to the first finisher (male or female) it can give some change to the first centipede.

Those are just three.

Gratuitus Gratuity

Since when did a gratuity become mandatory? I have come across several services where the gratuity is automatically added to the bill. I always thought a gratuity was at the discretion of the customer.

Restaurants, many times, have a policy of adding a gratuity to large parties. While I do not agree with this policy I can accept it because I get the bill after all is said and done and if I really wanted to I could argue for not paying.

I have a problem with a company charging me a gratuity before the sevices have been rendered. I needed to hire a car service to transport some people around. The company was going to charge me the hourly rate plus 20% gratuity. I would have to give my credit card number to reserve the car not knowing how the service would be. What if the person was late, rude or something happened? I would not have any recourse in not paying the gratuity because the company already had my credit card number and I paid in advance. Now, the likelihood of the company charging me the full gratuity if something happened and I complained serverly might not happen, but it could, and in principle I am opposed to this.

The same goes for a service known as Waiters on Wheels. It delivers food from restaurants that normally do not have delivery service. When ordering from Waiters on Wheels it automatically adds a gratuity. This is before the food arrives. How am I supposed to pay gratuity for something that has not occured?

I am not a cheap tipper. I tip according to service. Not before. After.

Chicago

I have to admit I like Chicago. The Chicago River cutting through downtown gives it character and feeling. Lake Michigan keeping watch makes me feel comfortable. Chicago is a big city with a midwestern feel, as it should. It stands out in so many ways, so do its buidlings and skyscrapers. Chicago was the first American city to have a "skyscraper". Okay, it was only ten stories tall but it was labeled "skyscraper".

The city is really pushing bicycle use and has been actively creating bike lanes in the city and paths in parks. Right now it even has a city-wide art exhibit in the form of stylized bikes all around. The same concept other citites have used, San Francisco had hearts, Madison had cows, San Jose had sharks. The city also does a great job beautifying the place by planting flowers everywhere, the tuplip were in full bloom.

Millenium Park is a big draw and is new since I had been there last. It features "the bean" a huge mercury looking pebble that is great for reflections and two giant squares that serve as visual art and a waterfall. Water cascades down all sides and even shoots out of the mouth of the faces shown from time to time.

While there I got a chance to see my good friend Michael. He just stated the Illinois Education Foundation, helping financially challenged kids pay for college. Here is the link for more information on his wonderful program. Michael will run for office one day.