Wisch List

Today’s column from The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) …

No ticket? You can still ‘Bear Down’ in Chicago

The WISCH LIST

Jan. 22, 2011

So, you didn’t want to spend your kids’ college savings, cash in your 401K or sell a kidney – heck, maybe both – just to buy a ticket to the NFC Championship game at Soldier Field.

Well, good.

Because, I have a gameplan for you to still soak in Sunday’s epic gameday atmosphere in Chicago without breaking the bank. All you need to do is get yourself to the city. Oh, and perhaps call in sick on Monday.

I might have you out past your bedtime.

Stop 1: Grace O’Malley’s, 1416 S. Michigan Ave.

Grace O’Malley was an Irish noblewoman-turned-pirate, who became legendary for exploits such as storming castles and kidnapping the son of a baron simply because he told her he was too busy at dinner to meet with her.

Sounds like a football fan to me.

Located in the South Loop just a few punts west of Soldier Field, Grace O’Malley’s is an ideal place to start your Sunday and watch the big game on the saloon’s big screens. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. and expect plenty of Bears fans there to eat, drink and be merry.

Hopefully, by the end of the game, the smack-talking Packer fan next to you will be gorging himself on crow.

Stop 2: Kroll’s South Loop, 1736 S. Michigan Ave.

Speaking Packers fans, after the Bears win – let’s assume one today, worry about one tomorrow – you should roll out the door of Grace O’Malley’s bellowing “Bear Down, Chicago Bears” and hotfoot it three blocks south to revel in victory – at a Packers bar.

Yes, there’s one just blocks from Soldier Field.

Now, Kroll’s South Loop isn’t technically a designated Packers bar (that’s not great for business on your usual Bears’ game day). But, make no mistake it is. The owners of Kroll’s South Loop not only are from Green Bay, their parents founded the original Kroll’s West, a landmark located across the street from Lambeau Field for more than 70 years.

So, on Sunday, make sure to hustle to Kroll’s South Loop after the game to get some good gloating in. After all, Packers fans might not stick around long.

Stop 3: Miller’s Pub, 134 S. Wabash Ave.

Few places in Chicago are more Chicago than Miller’s Pub. So, what better place to hoist a celebratory toast and a victory dinner (try the ribs) than the Loop landmark?

To get to Miller’s Pub from Kroll’s South Loop is a snap. Just walk up Michigan Avenue, hang a left on Roosevelt Road and take the CTA Red Line north to the Jackson stop. Miller’s Pub is one block east and one block north.

The pub’s walls are festooned with the Windy City’s premier collection of autographed athlete and celebrity photos, including plenty of Bears. And, if you’re lucky, you might even snag a spot near the east end of the bar in “Bill Veeck’s Corner,” an area where the Chicago sports legend formerly held court.

Stop 4: Rockit Bar & Grill, 22 W. Hubbard St.

Last summer, Rockit was rockin’ when the entire Chicago Blackhawks team visited the trendy-but-casual River North bar the day after winning the Stanley Cup.

So, late on Sunday night, if you’re hoping to see a Chicago Bear out on the town, Rockit – ranked by the Chicago Tribune as the No. 5 place to spot celebrities in 2010 – is as good a place to do it as any.

To get there from Miller’s Pub, simply take the Red Line north to Grand and walk a block south to Hubbard Street.

After that, you’re on your own. Happy hunting. And, Go Bears.

Today’s column from The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) …

The Ghost that gave the NFL life

The WISCH LIST

Jan. 15, 2011

There are shapes now moving,
Two Ghosts that drift and glide,
And which of them to tackle
Each rival must decide.
They shift with spectral swiftness
Across the swarded range,
And one of them’s a shadow,
And one of them is Grange

– Grantland Rice

This weekend, millions of Americans – perhaps including your red-blooded self – will glue themselves to a TV set (or a wall of them at a sports bar) and watch the divisional round of the NFL playoffs unfold.

But, while you’re catching the Bears or the Packers, take a quick timeout and think for a moment about how if it not for the exploits of a University of Illinois legend more than eight decades ago, there might not be an NFL at all today.

Red Grange rescued professional football.

And Charlie Finn would like everyone to know it.

“I’m now starting my 9th year working on the Grange film project,” the 77-year-old Champaign resident said with a chuckle this week. “And I tell my wife, I hope the movie can be made before I croak.”

On Oct. 18, 1924, Harold “Red” Grange galloped into history – and the American consciousness – when the Illinois halfback touched the ball six times in the first quarter against Michigan during the dedication game at Memorial Stadium and scored four touchdowns on 262 yards rushing.

The performance, unlike anything seen before or since, earned Grange his nickname, “The Galloping Ghost,” and instantly made him America’s biggest sports star. But, while many people know the tale of Grange’s greatest game, few know his full story, which was made for Hollywood.

And for the better part of a decade, Finn – a 1955 U. of I. grad and former Illini football manager – has been pitching his idea of turning the Ghost’s life turned into a top-quality sports movie along the lines of the 1981 classic film, “Chariots of Fire.” But, it wasn’t until recently that those pitches began finding the strike zone.

Last year, on the advice of his new attorney in Hollywood, Finn put together a demo DVD movie trailer that runs about seven minutes and evokes several goosebump moments in summarizing the Grange story. For the making of the trailer (which isn’t available for public distribution), Finn enlisted the assistance of the University of Illinois.

“But the breakthrough was adding the Chicago Bears’ participation to the production,” explained Finn, who through former Illinois coach Ron Turner was able to get Bears board member Pat McCaskey to appear on camera noting the history of Grange playing for George “Papa Bear” Halas.

During the early 1920s, college football was king in America, while pro ball was on the brink of bankruptcy drawing only 10,000 fans a game. That changed in ’25, however, when Grange and his colorfully controversial agent, C.C. “Cash and Carry” Pyle, signed with the Bears. The team embarked on a nationwide barnstorming tour that drew crowds of 70,000 and legitimized the NFL.

“I think he saved the league,” McCaskey says on the trailer. “Grange elevated the game to a whole new level … If it wasn’t for him, NFL teams might still be playing with leather helmets and have 16 players on a team.”

Like all great Hollywood tales, Grange suffered a downfall (he and Pyle got greedy and left the Bears to start the first American Football League, which failed after just one season, during which Grange was injured) but then found redemption (Halas invited Grange back to the Bears in 1929 and he led them to NFL championships in ’32 and ’33).
There’s plenty more to the story, too. But to learn it all, you’ll have to wait for the movie – if it happens.

“We currently have five production companies interested, including the one that made ‘The Blind Side,’ ” Finn said. “Grange’s is a story that would make a great movie, and I hope we do it.”

He’s not the only one.

Today’s column from The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) …

Change is in the Windy City for 2011

The WISCH LIST

Jan. 8, 2011

The first week of 2011 is gone, but there are still 51 more to go. And, if you haven’t done so already, I’m guessing there’s a decent chance that you’ll visit Chicago at some point before the calendar flips over to 2012.

And if you do, here are some things you ought to know about the Windy City in 2011 …

Street parking is more expensive

Chicago already has the highest parking meter rates in the U.S., but that isn’t stopping them from going even higher. So, if you plan to drive to the city, brace yourself.

In the Loop, metered street parking is rising from $4.25 to $5 an hour. Neighborhood parking, meanwhile, increases from $1.25 to $1.50 an hour. And downtown parking outside of the Loop is going from $2.50 to $3 an hour.

The changes began Jan. 2, but according to city contractor Chicago Parking Meters LLC, it will take up to a month to change the rates at the pay machines covering the city’s 36,000 metered spots – all of which take cash or credit. So, at least you don’t need to lug around a sack full of quarters.

CTA Train Tracker is coming

One of the more frustrating experiences when navigating Chicago is standing at an “L” station wondering when the heck the train will arrive – especially if you’re standing outside in single-digit temperatures.

This month, however, that will change for many rail travelers who should be able to make their trips more efficient when the Chicago Transit Authority launches its long-awaited Train Tracker pilot program. The Train Tracker will post arrival times on a website that will refresh about every 30 seconds.

CTA president Rich Rodriguez (not the ex-Michigan football coach) said the new system will track trains on all eight rail lines, making travel “more convenient and reliable” because riders will have the information to better plan their trips. Also as part of the pilot program, electronic signs featuring arrival information have been initially posted at 10 CTA stations.

The Train Tracker website has not yet officially been launched, but check www.transitchicago.com for updates.

Rule changes for Red Light cameras

In Chicago and the suburbs, few things are worse than driving through an intersection one millisecond late – and then receiving a $100 ticket in the mail for it.

Well, the controversial red light cameras throughout Chicagoland haven’t gone away in 2011 – although some people are pushing for a ban – but the rules governing them have changed a bit. Under a new law, towns will no longer be able to tack on extra fees to the $100 fine if a ticket is appealed, something that has deterred drivers from fighting citations.

Another change is that while drivers still are required to come to a complete stop before making a right turn at a red light, they now can stop beyond the painted line without being ticketed as long as pedestrians are not in the area.

Museums offer free visits

Throughout January (and many other months), you can enjoy free-admission days at many of Chicago’s major museums and cultural institutions, including the Adler Planetarium, Museum of Science & Industry, Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium. To learn what days are free at which institutions, you can visit www.explorechicago.org.

However, there’s no need to search dates for the Art Institute of Chicago this month, as it’s offering free admission on every weekday through Feb. 4. The Institute (111 S. Michigan Ave.) is open from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays.

See? Not everything in Chicago is expensive.

(Just most things.)

This weekend’s column from The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) …

Wisch Lists are for New Year’s

The WISCH LIST

Jan. 1, 2011

Wish Lists are for Christmas. But Wisch Lists?

Well, they’re for New Year’s.

And while you’re busy ringing in this one – I hope it’s a happy one, by the way – I wanted to share my New Year’s Wisch List as we dive headlong into … well, the 100th anniversary of 1911.

That was a year in which both the first Indianapolis 500 was held and Chevrolet rolled out its first car to compete with Ford’s Model-T. So, with that bit of automotive trivia, let’s start the engine on my Wisch List for 2011 …

I Wisch for another year like 2010, during which I saw the Atlantic Ocean (from New York City), the Pacific Ocean (from San Francisco), the Canadian border (from the absolute middle-of-nowhere in Montana) and, this week, the Gulf of Mexico (from Galveston, Texas). For a travel buff, that’s a grand slam.

I Wisch Ron Santo and Ryne Sandberg were still part of the Cubs organization. I’ll miss you, Ronnie. And, Ryno, I hope to see you again down the road.

I Wisch for a worthy successor to Santo in the WGN Radio broadcast booth. Mark Grace would be my first choice. Keith Moreland actually might be my second.

I Wisch I knew when I got old enough to have a (just turned) 30-year-old younger brother.

I Wisch to never feel my age. No matter how old I get. So far, so good.

I Wisch Rod Blagojevich could serve some of George Ryan’s time.

I Wisch I didn’t think that Blago was just going to just skate again in court this spring. (But I do.)

I Wisch I didn’t think that the White Sox were going to hog most of the meaningful baseball headlines in Chicago this summer. (But I do.)

I Wisch every Chicago Cub was as loyal as Kerry Wood. And while on that subject, I wouldn’t mind it one bit if Wood plunked new St. Louis Cardinal Ryan Theriot in the rump the first time he faces him at Wrigley Field next season.

I Wisch Jay Cutler was more likable. But if the guy keeps winning, I’ll live with it.

I Wisch Soldier Field had a retractable roof. One of the biggest mistakes of Mayor Daley’s two-decade reign in Chicago was the renovation of the Bears’ home. It should have just been rebuilt as a wholly modern stadium with a retractable roof, allowing Chicago to also host college bowl games, Final Fours and Super Bowls. I mean, if Detroit can get those things …

I Wisch the Fighting Illini could roll to a bowl victory every year. But, in 2011, I’ll be happy with finally qualifying for one two years in a row.

I Wisch I found any of Chicago’s mayoral candidates appealing.

I Wisch I thought it really mattered who ends up as the city’s mayor. The Machine likely runs itself at this point, though.

I Wisch the eggheads at the Big Ten offices in Park Ridge had asked for my input before they turned the nation’s oldest athletic conference into a national punchline with the selection of “Legends” and “Leaders” as its new divisional names. It’s not too late to change them, though, fellas. And at this point, just going with “Black” and “Blue” is your smartest bet.

I Wisch I thought the Cubs would surprise this coming season like the Bears did during this current one. (But then I suppose it wouldn’t be a surprise).

I Wisch I wasn’t such a sucker.

This weekend’s column from The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) …

For me, Illinois vs. Baylor is a real family affair

The WISCH LIST

Dec. 25, 2010

Come Tuesday morning, I’ll be on a plane headed to Houston – and away from the cold – to watch Illinois tangle with Baylor in Wednesday’s Texas Bowl.

As a University of Illinois alum, my allegiances aren’t torn – I’ll be wearing orange – but I suppose they probably should be.

Why?

Well, my relative founded Baylor University.

In fact, he’s Baylor, himself.

I knew nothing of this interesting fact until a couple weeks ago when my mother – who has become quite the genealogist during her retirement – informed me that BU co-founder Robert Emmett Bledsoe Baylor is my first cousin six times removed (in other words, from six generations ago).

R.E.B. Baylor was a prominent lawyer, politician and Baptist leader who was born in Lincoln County, Ky., on May 10, 1873 to Walker and Jane (Bledsoe) Baylor. (The maiden name of my mother, who hails from Colorado, is Bledsoe.)

During the American Revolution, R.E.B.’s father had been a captain of the Continental Army in the company of dragoons – i.e., mounted infantrymen – that often assisted George Washington.
And R.E.B. himself served in the War of 1812 before studying law in office of his uncle (and. I suppose, mine), Judge Jesse Bledsoe and earning election to the Kentucky legislature in 1819.

About a year later, R.E.B. moved to Tuscaloosa, Ala., where he practiced law and spent one term (1829-1831) as a representative from Alabama in the 21st Congress of the United States.

After becoming a lieutenant colonel in an 1836 war against Alabama’s Creek Indians, R.E.B. was converted in 1839 during a Baptist revival meeting held by his cousin (and mine) in Talladega, Ala. That same year, he was ordained a Baptist minister and, at the age of 46, headed west to Texas.

In the Lone Star State, R.E.B. was elected in 1841 as judge of the Third Judicial District of the Congress of the Republic of Texas and consequently became an associate justice of the Supreme Court, an office he held until the end of the republic.

He helped write Texas’ first state constitution and, along with William M. Tryon and J.G. Thomas, prepared the petition that led to the 1845 establishment of Baylor University in Waco. R.E.B. is believed to have donated the first $1,000 to the school, which, with nearly 15,000 students, is the largest private Baptist college in the country today.

On Dec. 30, 1871, R.E.B. died in Washington County, Texas. He never married and had no children, but he did leave behind a university – and 139 years later has given me something to say to Baylor fans this week besides, “How ’bout them Cowboys?”

Messin’ with Texas

It was an abbreviated Christmas for the Fighting Illini football team, as it departed Saturday for the Texas Bowl. As of last count, only about 5,000 Illini fans had bought tickets to follow them later this week.

Blame the small following on sky-high airfare prices and dampened enthusiasm due to Illini losses in three of the last four games.

Ron Zook said last week that his players enjoy a hostile environment, and at Reliant Stadium – which seats 71,500 – they’re going to find one. The game is expected to be a near sell-out with upwards of 60,000 Baylor Bears fans packing the stands.

Interestingly, the Texas Bowl marks the third consecutive bowl game – including the 2008 Rose Bowl vs. USC and 2002 Sugar Bowl vs. LSU – in which Illinois will have squared off against a hostile home-state opponent.

Perhaps next year, Illini can host Florida or somebody in bowl game at Wrigley Field.

That set-up worked out pretty well last month.

Today’s column from The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) …

Diving in at Great Lake Pizza, the nation’s ‘best’

The WISCH LIST

Dec. 18, 2010

You’ve heard of Lou Malnati’s. You know Gino’s East. And you’re no doubt aware of Pizzeria Uno, Pizzeria Due, Giordano’s and the rest of Chicago’s famous pizza parlors.

But there’s a good chance that you’ve never even heard of – and an even better chance you haven’t visited – the pizzeria that might be the city’s very best.

And also its smallest.

Tucked inside a tiny storefront-turned-dining-room-and-kitchen, all in one, on the North Side of Chicago in Andersonville, sits Great Lake Pizza (1477 W. Balmoral Avenue). In May 2009, the hip-but-sleepy pizzeria went nuclear among foodies in the Windy City when GQ food writer Alan Richman named Great Lake’s mortadella sausage pie the best pizza in the United States.

Considering Richman’s declaration came after a journey of 20,000 miles, 109 pizzerias and 386 different pies, all in search of the perfect one, it’s probably safe to say that he knows his stuff.

And his stuffed.

Great Lake Pizza, however, goes against the grain of what’s considered Chicago-style pizza – it’s thin-crust, not deep-dish. But it is extremely delicious.

But we’ll get to all that. First, let me tell you a little more about Great Lake itself.

Founded by Chicagoans Nick Lessins and Lydia Esparza, Great Lake was never intended to be a pizza lover’s Mecca. The shop features just three tables capable of seating 14 (if you really squeeze them in), is open only four days a week (5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday-Thursday; 4 p.m.-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday), takes no reservations and makes no deliveries (it does, however, offer carry-out).

Every pizza at Great Lake is painstakingly handmade by Lessins, so much so that Richman wrote in GQ: “No man is slower. In the time he takes to create a pie, civilizations could rise and fall, not just crusts.”

Because of its limitations, the GQ stamp of approval has been a mixed blessing for Great Lake. After the magazine review the restaurant became mobbed, with lines often stretching down the block and waits lasting two hours.

“It’s nice that we got recognized for doing something we feel is good,” Lessins told the New York Times back in January. “The problem is GQ deals on a whole other scale than what our business is capable of handling. Everyone forgot we were this small operation and couldn’t serve everyone.

We never intended to serve mass quantities and have our product available 24 hours a day, seven days a week …

“We’ve had a few people get pretty flustered — ‘What do you mean we can’t be seated? We have to wait a couple of hours?’ Like somehow we’ve violated their human rights. Why is it a crime that we’re not open seven days and we’re not seating 100 people?”

It isn’t. Although, never getting a chance to sample Great Lake’s pie might be. Now, is it the absolute best pizza in the country? I have no idea. But it is darn good.

A week ago Friday, I ventured up to Great Lake about 5:30 p.m. and was thankfully able to snare a table without a problem. On this evening, the famed mortadella Italian sausage was not available – you can check out Great Lake’s rotating menu at http://chicago.menupages.com – so I instead ordered a pie featuring homemade fresh mozzarella, mona cheese, fresh herb and the regular Italian sausage.

It was no less great. The bready crust was crispy and thin – but not skinny. The combination of the cheeses, herb and rich sausage was positively heavenly. And the pizza just tasted more original than any I’ve had in the city.

It even passed the ultimate test.

It tasted just as good the next day. Cold.

Today’s column from The Daily Journal (Kankakee, Ill.) and The Times (Ottawa, Ill.) …

Riding the CTA? It’s one ‘L’ of a time

The WISCH LIST

Dec. 11, 2010

From what’s stuffed in your stocking to what’s wrapped inside those gifts beneath your tree to what’s sticking out of that fruitcake – no, really, what is this? – the holidays are just full of surprises.

And, in Chicago, few of them are more cheerful than when you’re standing, toes trembling and teeth chattering, on a wind-whipped “L” platform and the CTA Holiday Train pulls into the station in all its festive glory.

For the past 19 years, the Chicago Transit Authority has decked out the interiors of a six-car “L” train in thousands of multicolored lights, bows and garland, wrapped its hand poles like candy canes and perched Santa and his sleigh on an open-air flat car in the middle.

The purpose of the Holiday Train is to spread cheer to the needy (last weekend it delivered about 300 food baskets donated and assembled by CTA employees to 16 groups throughout Chicago) and to the needy (grumpy Chicago commuters who could use a grin).

The Holiday Train does both well and is one of Chicago’s more enjoyable wintertime quirks. But, to be honest, I’ve never needed “L” cars bedazzled in peppermint to entertain me. The trains – and their oh-so-colorful riders – are plenty amusing on their own.

These days, I don’t work downtown, so I don’t ride the train on a daily basis any longer. But sometimes I’ll jump on the Red Line just for the “L” of it, because if you’ve never taken the train through Chicago before, you’ve missed something. It’s definitely the most unique – and, perhaps, the most interesting – way to see the city.

Each time I step onto a train platform it’s like wandering beneath the Big Top at Ringling Bros. Call it the CTA – the Carnival Transit Authority – and you can forget P.T. Barnum, because it is the greatest show on Earth.

The only thing missing is a lion tamer wearing leopard skins. And, for all I know, one of those is roaming the rails somewhere.

Since moving to Chicago, I’ve taken countless train trips and have seen some pretty silly stuff, particularly after dark. The silliest of all might have been a guy who carried on a prolonged and passionate conversation with his hair pick while seated on the Red Line.

Yes, his hair pick.

The man’s taste in shampoo may have been a point of contention. It really was hard to tell.

Once, one of my friends had a guy try to sell him a doorknob while the two of them were riding in an otherwise empty train car. A few years ago, I watched with amusement as a man did an impressive impersonation of a dancing orangutan – or was it a chimpanzee? – on a train platform downtown. And on a late-night train trip northbound during the summer, I once witnessed a whole water cooler’s worth of conversation material in less than half an hour.

There was a girl in a tank top with huge angel wings painted on her shoulder blades for some reason. There was a woman fast asleep in a seat with an elaborate Indian headdress perched atop her head. And there was a friendly-but-kind-of-creepy guy who leaned in over my shoulder and engaged me in a rambling dialogue about his upcoming high school reunion.

His eleven-year high school reunion.

(Hey, you got me.)

So, while the Holiday Train – which runs on various CTA lines through Dec. 22 (check www.transitchicago.com for schedules) – is a holiday treat, the “L” is also the gift that keeps on giving all year long.

Just make sure to wash your hands upon exiting.

Today’s column from the Kankakee Daily Journal and The (Ottawa, Ill.) Times …

‘Tis the season to visit Chicago

The WISCH LIST

Dec. 4, 2010

Besides summertime, there’s no better time in Chicago than Christmastime.

Michigan Avenue is awash in lights. The animated windows at Marshall Field’s, er … Macy’s (grumble) are stopping passersby in their tracks along State Street. And sugarplums – or, perhaps, sweet backroom deals – are dancing in Mayor Daley’s head.

With so much holiday cheer going on in the city this month, I thought I’d gift to you some ways to enjoy it yourself. I think it’s OK if we unwrap them early.

Sharpen your skates

Some day, the Cubs hope to build their long-rumored “Triangle Building” along Clark Street outside Wrigley Field. Until then, though, they seem fit to set up an offseason skating rink in its place.

“The Rink at Wrigley” – which debuted last year – held its 2010 Grand Opening ceremony this morning and will remain open through Feb. 28, with rates running at $5 per adult and $3 per child, Monday through Thursday, and $10 per adult and $6 per child, Friday through Sunday. Skate rentals are available for an additional fee. For hours of operation, visit www.rinkatwrigley.com.

Also know that Wrigley isn’t the only place in the city offering a unique skating experience this winter. On Jan. 1, the John Hancock Observatory will open its own rink, dubbed “Skating in the Sky,” in the tower’s 94th floor.

Made of synthetic ice and offering the best views of Chicago (far superior to Willis Tower) from more than 1,000 feet in the air, the indoor rink is the highest in the world, according to the Observatory. Hours run daily from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. with 25-minute skating sessions costing $5 and skate rentals $1. For more information, visit www.hancockobservatory.com.

Carol at Moody Church

Built in 1925, Moody Church (1630 N. Clark St.) – named for famed Chicago evangelist D.L. Moody – is one of the most beautiful in the city. And at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12, the cathedral will open its doors for its 39th annual Christmas Festival, featuring a variety of classic hymns and seasonal carols.

Doors for the event open at 5:15 p.m. and no tickets are required. Free parking is available at the Moody Bible Institute garage, located at the northwest corner of Wells and Institute streets. Complimentary shuttle service between the garage and the church will also be available before and after the concert, beginning at 5 p.m.

Visit Christkindlmarket

In 1545, Nuremburg, Germany, held its first Christkindlesmarkt. Five hundred and 51 years later, Chicago tweaked the spelling a tad and set up its own.

In 1996, Christkindlmarket – Chicago’s largest open-air Christmas festival – made its debut on Pioneer Court. The next year, the event moved to Daley Plaza and has been one the city’s most popular holiday staples ever since.

Running semi-daily through Dec. 24 – check www.christkindlmarket.com for exact dates and times – the German-style festival features European holiday traditions, musical performances and a wide array of vendors hawking handmade ornaments and other wares.

Ring in 2011 at Navy Pier

It’s never too early to make your New Year’s plans. And there’s no better place to celebrate New Year’s – literally early – than Navy Pier.

On Dec. 31, Navy Pier’s Winter WonderFest features a variety of interactive shows and a celebratory alternative for those kids – and perhaps parents – who can’t stay awake until midnight by launching a New Year’s countdown at 8:15 p.m. sharp. (Your kids will never know it wasn’t midnight, if you don’t tell them.)

At 11:59 p.m., Navy Pier will then hold another countdown – complete with fireworks and music – for you 2011 sticklers.

Today’s column from the Kankakee Daily Journal and The (Ottawa, Ill.) Times …

Plenty of thanks to go around

The WISCH LIST

Nov. 27, 2010

Chicago has a restaurant called Just Turkey and a Just Turkey Restaurant. There’s also a Turkey Burger Grill, a Martha’s Original Jerk Chicken and Turkey Legs, and a Bubba’s Fried Turkey.

Oh, and the office of the Consulate General of Turkey, too.

All fine establishments, I’m sure – does Consulate General Turkey taste like General Tso’s Chicken? – but I think I still prefer the bird that my mom bastes.

In any case, how was your Thanksgiving? Happy, I hope.

Now, two days – and a couple of pounds – removed from the holiday, I wanted to share with you a few of the things that I’m thankful for as we head into the latter days of 2010.

I’m thankful I live in the Midwest …

I’ve been to Los Angeles (too plastic). I’ve been to Miami (ditto). And I’ve been to many points in between. But, until last weekend, I had never been to New York City.

During two days in the City that Never Sleeps, I didn’t get much as my college friend who moved east in May and I hoofed it all over Manhattan, getting the full experience of what he likes to call “Fantasy Island.”

New York was fascinating, exciting, intense … and entirely unlivable.

Too cramped, too dirty and too crowded. As metropolises go, I don’t think you can beat Chicago, which is remarkably clean and incredibly livable for a city of millions. New York was a blast to visit and I’d like to return, but I’m also very happy to call Chicago home.

Same goes for the great state of Illinois, which is why it chapped my hide a bit this week when a Facebook friend posted this as his status:

“I wish I was from somewhere I was proud to be from. Like a southern state, or something like that. It’s just so boring to be from Illinois.”

I begged to differ. I’ve been all over the U.S., and Midwesterners are the best – and most authentic – people in the country. And Illinois is the best state in the Midwest.

Sure, you can call me biased.

But I’m also right.

I’m thankful for the opportunity to write …

I’m a lucky guy. I was blessed with two hometowns. One is Bourbonnais, where I was raised. And the other one is Ottawa, where I grew up.

For the first 18 years of my life, I lived in Kankakee County until heading south to Champaign for college. Four years later, at 22, I moved to Ottawa to start my journalism career and ended up spending seven great years there.

These days, I live in Chicago, but I also feel incredibly blessed for the opportunity to connect with people in my two “hometowns” each week though this column. Thanks much to the the Daily Journal and The Times for providing me that outlet.

I also now have a new means by which to connect more closely with people in Chicago, as last Monday I began writing a regular sports blog for CBSchicago.com, the official website for CBS 2, WBBM 780 and The Score 670.

Posts about Chicago and Illinois sports will appear semi-daily on the site’s Sports homepage and can be found directly via http://chicago.cbslocal.com/tag/dave-wischnowsky.

I’m thankful for 2011 …

It’s not here yet, but I’m already looking forward to it and more chances through this column to bring Chicago a little closer to home.

Both of them.

Today’s column from the Kankakee Daily Journal and The (Ottawa, Ill.) Times …

Purple paint job a bruise on Wrigley

The WISCH LIST

Nov. 20, 2010

This week, Cubs owner Tom Ricketts made his pitch for a state-supported overhaul of Wrigley Field.

If it is approved, I’m hoping that he handles the makeover more tactfully than the one the ballpark has undergone this week.

For the past several days, I’ve watched with disdain as parts of historical Wrigley Field have been whitewashed a garish purple for this afternoon’s Northwestern vs. Illinois football game (2:30 p.m., ESPNU).

Now, I respect that today’s Big Ten tilt is officially a home game for Northwestern, and I have no problem with the Wildcats draping purple banners and flags from the ballpark’s grandstands to its bleachers and beyond.

That’s one thing.

But taking a paintbrush to the Friendly Confines?

Well, that’s another.

You’ve probably already seen that Wrigley’s iconic red marquee has been painted purple for the game. But that’s not all. On Monday night, I noticed that the green border around Wrigley’s “Cubby Hole” – that fan-friendly opening in the outfield wall along Sheffield Avenue – had also been coated in purple haze of paint.

Let’s just say I wasn’t tickled pink.

To be fair to Northwestern, apparently it was the Cubs’ marketing staff – and not the Wildcats’ – that conjured up this not-so-bright idea of painting parts of Wrigley Field a gaudy purple.

“We talked about dressing the building up so that Northwestern did not lose a home game,” Cubs President Crane Kenney explained, as if paint somehow is crucial to maintaining a home-field advantage. “The marquee has been different colors over time, so painting it purple temporarily was not that difficult.”

Since the paint job at Wrigley is only temporary, Chicago landmarks advocates didn’t protest it this week. But I will – on grounds of tackiness.

The 96-year-old ballpark does not have a blanket landmark designation from the city. Rather, only the four exterior walls and roofs, marquee, center field scoreboard, grandstands, bleachers and brick wall and ivy surrounding the playing field are officially protected.

That probably means painting a metal frame around the Cubby Hole purple isn’t officially off-limits. But just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.

And, to me, slapping paint of any odd color – whether it be purple, orange, or otherwise – on any historic building, even just temporarily, doesn’t feel right.

Or dignified.

Yes, Northwestern is playing a “home” game today, but that home is also Wrigley Field. And, yes, the purple paint also will be gone soon. But a landmark still deserves more respect than being tarted up to look as if it’s just received an “Extreme Makeover” from Prince.

The purple paint at Wrigley was overkill.

And the Ricketts family should know better.

Game, that tune

Now that my rant is through, I do hope that they sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in between the third and fourth quarters during today’s game.

“For it’s one, two, three plays, you punt, at the old ball game …”

If it happens, though, with this ever-expanding purple theme at Wrigley Field – has Lake Michigan been dyed violet? – it probably will be a duet.

Featuring Grimace and Barney.

However, my friend provided an alternative: “I hope [Illinois coach Ron] Zook sings. This will get him off the sideline.”

Pick ’em

Northwestern is coming off a rousing upset of ranked Iowa that has Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald looking like a genius. Illinois is coming off a stunning loss to lowly Minnesota that has Ron Zook looking like, well, Ron Zook.

That said, with NU quarterback Dan Persa out with injury, I’ll still pick the Illini to eke out a win. Let’s say, 27-23.