Things we are into right now... Chicago Edition

With this being our fifth or sixth trip to Chicago in the last couple years and second trip this summer alone, we thought it best to put together a "Things we are into..." for Chicago. Chicago has slowly become one of my favorite cities, and this trip has a lot to do with that. We are hoping to be going back again in December for another festival. So here are just SOME of our favorites from Chicago.

Delicious Design League
Jason and Billy from Delicious are two of our favorite people in the whole world. Like Hero, they are a screen printing, illustration and design duo. Their level of talent just makes my head hurt!! Their work is very vintage-esque in the most authentic way possible. They recently they set up shop in a new raw warehouse studio, you check out photos of their new space here from our last trip to Chicago in July. On this trip to Chicago, Jason, his lovely wife, Margaux, and of course their super adorable son, Desmond, put us up at their place and that made this visit, by far the best one yet.

Anne Benjamin
Another one of our good friends, Anne Benjamin, makes our favorites list, because she is just plain RAD! Anne, too is a printmaker and illustrator, she makes custom letterpressed invites, cards and prints. Her work is beautiful and I was so happy to get to see some of it in person finally at her booth at Renegade. You may recognize her name and work from the custom show we did last year, Anne made this beauty. On top of being über talented, Anne is one of the sweetest and funniest people I know.

Threadless Kid's Store
If you aren't familiar, Threadless is an online, community based, artist submitted, t-shirt company. Members of the Threadless community submit t-shirt designs online; the designs are then put to a public vote. A small percentage of submitted designs are selected for printing and sold through an online store. Creators of the winning designs receive a prize of cash and store credit. In 2007 they opened a store in Chicago and in late 2008 they opened a kid's store in Wicker Park. The store was just up the street from our booth at Renegade and our friend Margaux works there, so I stopped in to see her and of course left with a couple of great Christmas gifts! Tons of great designs and styles to choose from and they even have tees for grown-ups, too.

Wrigley Field
What is there to say about this classic that hasn't already been said. We went there to see the Cub's play at my first major league baseball game, and I couldn't think of a better place to have seen it. Wrigley Field is the second-oldest ballpark in the majors behind Boston's Fenway Park and this year marked it's 96th season. With all it's history and to be with such good friends, it just gave me chills. Shit, they even had gluten free beer, being at a baseball game, with good friends, kettle corn and a beer in hand...I could have died happy in that moment.

Marcello's
When you think of Chicago, I guarantee the thought of deep dish pizza enters shortly thereafter. With my gluten intolerance this was never a possibility for me, so on all of our trips to Chicago, I had to sit by while everyone else had pizza, multiple times. This summer on our first trip to Chicago of the year, our good friend Billy Delicious told me about a local Chicago pizzeria that served the famous Chicago style deep dish, and that also served gluten free pies. No, my pizza wasn't deep dish, but while everyone else got their deep dish, I could also enjoy pizza! And it was quite possibly, some of THE best gluten free pizza I have found yet. And in my searching to write this review, I learned that they DO in fact also have deep dish gluten free pizza, so I will be back!!

Intelligentsia Coffee
I have had Intelligentsia's coffee on multiple occasions and every time I ask, "what is this coffee, why is it so good?". So on this trip, while having a fabulous brunch at Feast in Wicker Park, after tasting the coffee and asking those very same questions, I then asked "where can I get it?". So we walked up the street to Cipollina and I grabbed a bag. I'm not a fancy, coffee know-it-all, so I can't tell you what makes it so good, I just know I really like it!