We went to Green Dolphin Street for our night of class.

It was a nice, relaxed dinner while listening to a fantastic jazz band.  I felt like I was in the backdrop of an old film… where I should have been wearing a top hat and trench-coat amidst a cigar-filled room.

Here are a couple places to check out around town for some top notch jazz.

Andy’s Jazz Club

Downtown and right next to a bunch of other bars and spots to hit afterwords.  Great spot for dinner and a cozy setting that sits you right next to the band.

The Joynt Chicago

Dark and sexy, this place is a nice spot for a cocktail with some soothing background music.  The music has been stellar and the overall vibe is very cozy.

Kingston Mines

This is more of a social spot.  Open late and plenty of room to spread out.  There are two stages here that trade sets hour after hour.  So if you don’t get a good spot the first time around, hop over to the other side and feel that music!

Do you have your costume yet?

If not, here are some places you can hit last minute to throw something together.

Salvation Army Thrift Store – 2270 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago, IL‎

Always full of the most random pieces of clothing and accessories, this is a great place to hit up that won’t break the bank.  If you are going to go here, make sure you have a reasonable plan of what kind of costume you want.  There are so many types of clothes and strange items, your head will be spinning and you’ll feel like you’ve walked into a life-size version of that old smelly box full of random crap in your parents basement. 

Ragstock – 812 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL‎

Ragstock is great for looking for vintage clothes.  With 70’s, 80’s, and funky clothes, you’ll be able to put together a solid costume in no time.  They have a large variety of clothes and it is reasonably well organized, so you don’t have to hunt and peck as you would at a Salvation Army store.

Halloween Hallway – 222 S Wabash Ave (more locations)

This is your spot for your set holiday costumes.  You can take a stroll through here and get a bunch of different ideas for what you want to become for the night.  Especially good for those who are heading to a party Saturday night, but have NO clue what they want to be.  Walk in, purchase costume, walk out, wipe hands on pants.  Simple.

If you have any other places for costumes that could help out your fellow Chicagoans, let us know in the comments!

Happy Halloween!

Enter: The Phase Out

The phase out occurs when you gradually remove this person from your life.  Like a dying heartbeat, the tempo and rhythm of the short lived relationship pace themselves slower and slower.  Text messages become ‘no-response’ statements instead of questions and phone calls become a rare gem.  While there is nothing you can do on the receiving end of a phase out (dust yourself off kid and get back out there!), there are a couple keys when implementing it so you don’t come off as a complete jerk (or bitch).

1. Have a plan – Once you decide that watching paint dry is more entertaining than this person, commence the phase out and stick to it.  Start hitting the brakes and slow that train down.
2. Keep it gradual - Slow and steady wins the race (or in this case, douses the flame).  Draw out the texts and ease up on the calls.  Baby steps.
3. Avoid weekend dates – If you’re going to hang out, hang out during the week.  Weekends are prime real-estate, and you don’t want to play with fire after drinking… which leads to…
4. Don’t have a sleep over – This just resets the clock at zero.  Everytime you get it on between the sheets, it sends a signal to the other person you’re in it to win it.
5. Axe the late night calls and drunk texts – “What you up to?” at 2am isn’t as innocent as your drunk mind convinces you.  Have a little restraint or else you’re back at square one and just extending the phase out.

Whatever your opinion of the phase out might be, it’s still a tactic that is used in the streets of Chicago and many other cities around the globe.  Do you phase out?  Have you been phased out?  Share your thoughts in the comment section!

The Vic Theatre is typically a concert hall but on their off nights they’ll use the space to project a movie and fill your belly with cheap beer.

They play solid movies that range from new releases (the Hangover-which if you haven’t seen it, get out from under your rock and GO) to classics like Animal House and Office Space.

Here’s a link to their website: Brew and View

Overall – 4/5 Stars

Here’s the part that threw me off my game.  The past few weeks while I’ve been out, I’ve had two girls walk up to me and say “Want to buy me a drink?”.  Personally, the first thought that goes through my head is “Are you serious?  Get lost lady.”  Do guys actually fall for this?  No matter how attractive or unattractive the girl is in this situation, I find it to be completely obnoxious and she’s thrown all credibility out of the window faster than a starving fat kid devouring chocolate cake.

If I were going to buy a girl a drink, it would be after we’d been talking for awhile and there is obvious chemistry or solid conversation.

Ladies, do you actually see any success with this?  Or are these ladies just crazy?

Share your thoughts in the comments!

National Singles Week was started in Ohio back in 1984 to appreciate and acknowledge the growing number of unmarried Americans, who are now 96 million strong, or 43 percent of the U.S. population age 15 or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

I’ll just consider it the opposite of Valentine’s day.  For all those singles out there who feel that twinge of envy when their coupled counterparts are celebrating on that red velvet night, now’s our turn to rock out.

The only thing is, we get a WEEK instead of a single night.

So break out the party streamers and the secret booze you keep hidden in your drawer at work.  It’s time for a celebration.

I’ve combed through and found some good places to hit for happy hour each night so you can go hang out with that support group of yours and soak in your freedom.

Monday –

Cubs viewing party at Mother Hubbard’s

Mother Hubbard’s Sports Pub – 5 W. Hubbard St. – Chicago (River North)

Get half-price pizzas with the purchase of a Miller bucket, plus complimentary chicken wings when you buy a Newcastle pitcher during Cubs game days.

Tuesday -

$5 Happy Hour at Bull & Bear

Bull and Bear Bar – 431 N. Wells – Chicago, IL 60654 – 312-527-5073

Amission Includes:
Open Bar from 6-7pm(Beer and Wine)
Giveaways

$5 in Advance
$10 at the Door

Wednesday –

Doggy Happy Hour

When: Wednesdays : 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Price: No cover  http://www.joesbar.com

Have drinks with your pooch on the patio. Each week, a different vendor, shelter, boutique or other dog-related group attends. Drink specials include $5 vodka lemonades and $5 Coors Light pitchers, plus water bowls for dogs.

Thursday –

Sidebar Grille – 221 N LaSalle Street – Chicago, IL 60601 – (312) 739-3900

3:00 PM – 10:00 PM – 22oz drafts for price of an 18oz draft, $2 sliders and $5 wings

Friday –

Gaslight Bar and Grille – 2426 North Racine, Chicago, IL 60614 – (773) 929-7759

5:00 PM – 2:00 AM – $3 So-Co lime shots, $5 Sofia champagne cans, $15 Miller Lite buckets

Kick up the ‘let’s have some fun’ drive and have a great week!

We could all use one of these days every now and then.  While that movie has plenty of date ideas scattered throughout (ball games, obnoxiously fancy restaurants, and doing a rendition of Danke Schoen on a float), the countless museums around Chicago are all possible date locale’s for that first time encounter.

Let’s break it down…

Pro’s

Conversation - Being the fine purveyor of art that you are, there will be plenty of conversation to help move the flow along for the date.  From the various sculptures, inscriptions on tablets, or even talking about how each painting is “made up of really, really, ridiculously, tiny little dots!”, each room you enter can bring about a brand new topic.

Culture - Compared to hanging out with each other and watching ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’ or ‘America’s Got Talent’, moving through a museum will activate that little gray matter that rests inside that skull and both of you might learn something new.

Interaction - Some places, like the Shedd Aquarium or Chicago History Museum, will have small little stations where you can stop and use some interaction to learn or play around with a little history.  While this may not be your next daily ritual, every now and than it’s good to reconnect with the kid in all of us.

Con’s

Boring - Let’s face it, it’ll be difficult to make each other laugh to the point where you’re spitting up liquids.  Also, either party could completely hate museums because they aren’t the most stimulating and exciting places on earth.

Short amount of time - Depending on how fast you fly through, these museums can take an whole day to walk through, or as short as an hour depending on your attention span.  Make sure to have a backup venue to fly to next.

Slow Pace - The slow pace and quiet atmosphere can be a drag if there isn’t too much conversation flowing back and forth.  This can paint either of you as boring or non-interested.  Don’t take it out on each other, it could just be Goethe’s Faust summary that…zzzzzzzzzzzz…….

This is is a decent date that is good for killing some time during the day.  It’s always good to venture off into places that you may not visit on your own.  Just make sure to pack some personality so you’ll both be entertained while journeying your way through these mind morsels.  Here’s a list of museums around Chicago.

Overall 2/5 stars

There are many different flavors of festivals out there.  From relaxed culture centric, wine festivals, to great opportunities to meet other singles at the Old St. Pat’s fest.  Whatever you are looking for, these festivals are a great place to take a date due to the high level of interaction, social aspect, and the relaxed atmosphere.

Here’s the breakdown:

Pro’s –

People Watching – Walking around at a festival rivals the entertainment walking around at an airport.  Somehow it always seems to draw the most interesting of people.  Whatever your style is, you’re bound to find the opposite at different festivals, and that always makes for great people watching.

Easy Conversation – With so much going with the food tents, exhibits, and music, you won’t have to rely on the notes you wrote on your hand to keep the conversation flowing.
Group Interaction – Meet your friends there or make new ones.  Festivals are always fun in big groups.  You can even see how your interest works with all the interaction.

Con’s –

Chicago Weather – We all have heard it… if you don’t like it, just wait five minutes.  Well for those Lollapalooza go-ers this year, five minutes never came.  Despite the killer music, the rain and heat were hard to ignore.  You are at the mercy of the weather… rain, shine, heat, or random act of snow, so be prepared to make last minute changes if necessary.
Less focus on each other – With so much external interaction, the date will probably be more about what is going on rather than getting to know each other.  This can be a good thing later on down the dating path, but for first dates, curiosity is an ever-present thought.

While there are some small downfalls to a festival, it is overall a great place to take a first date.  There is a lot to talk about and it can end up being a great time interacting with one another instead of the traditional dinner date.

Click here for a list of upcoming festivals.

Overall 4/5 Stars

Today’s date idea: A Comedy Show

Pro’s –

Humor test - You’ll get a feel for their humor.  If you’re laughing at the same times, it’s a great sign that you’re both on the same wavelength when it comes to humor.  This can sling the doors open to favorite TV shows, movies, and embarrassing stories of the past.

Laughter - This is key on a date.  What better way could you have it?  The pressure is off… sit back and let someone else help release those all important endorphins.  It’ll get both of you in a good mood and shed a positive light on the evening.

Talking points - Chances are the comic(s) touched upon a variety of subjects.  This gives great conversation pieces for the rest of the night and you’ll learn that much more about each other.

Con’s -

Bad comic - The show could be as exciting as watching Curling on a Saturday night.  *tap tap tap* Is this thing on??

Price tag - Depending on the venue, tickets, drinks, and whatever may follow.. the night could have you making multiple trips to the ATM.

Less Interaction - Most of the eve is going to be taken by the brave soldiers on stage, so that can eat into your ‘we’ time.

With a comedy show, the pro’s definitely out-weigh the con’s.  A night almost gauranteed filled with laughter is a great way to get the juices flowing and both of you laughing all the way to your next destination.  A couple places to check out around the city could be Zanies, The Second City, or even The Edge.

Overall – 4/5 stars

It’s the ultimate power that is often taken for granted.  Don’t like the way I talk?  Then get lost pal.  Oh it bothers you when I talk about something other than your life?  Then scram!

The one time this situation gets sticky is when your lady’s friends are the enemies you’re trying to swear off.  She wants you to meet up for drinks with her gals, or even worse, spend the day with them while you’re stuck thinking of a hundred different excuses that will get you as far removed from these creatures as humanly possible.

How and why should you have to put up with this?

Guitar Hero doesn’t judge you for wearing your t-shirt from that Hootie and the Blowfish concert 10 years ago.  The Cubbies don’t stand around home plate and look at you with disapproving eyes just because you ate the last slice of pizza.  Times may be tough, but you have to work it out.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.  If you want to score any points at all with your interest, playing happy go-lucky with her friends near the beginning is going to be one of your best moves.  Her team of evil-doers, despite how much she loves them, are going to be a key ingredient if you want to stay in the game, so practice that fake smile in the mirror

Sing songs in your head (my bologna has a first name its (OSCAR) F-R-E-A-K), think about the good old times with your boys, or focus on the end, and most important goal… pleasing the lady.  Get in with her friends, win her trust, and then slowly start breaking the news about your dislike of her friends.  At the beginning, it’s a trust game and she trusts them more than you.  So realize you’ll be on thin ice if you start ejecting them from the game too soon.

Get to know them and tough it out if you really like her… you never know, your first glance of them could be wrong and you could end up with a favorable impression in the long run.  If all else fails, at least you’ll be able to buy that Twix bar AND the Tic Tacs.