Beat cabin fever: gather around the fire
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Emma Dutton/Chicago Loopster“We’ll conspire, as we dream by the fire…” To face unafraid, the plans that we’ve made, I’d recommend some good beers. Looking to warm up and get out of the house? Look no further – here are a few Lakeview bars with fireplaces to fit each situation, whether you want to sing your heart out, get to know a new date or hustle some locals in a game of billiards. Still too cold to venture outside but want some ambiance from the comfort of your computer screen? Check out the videos of each bar’s fireplace.
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Friar Tuck
3010 N. Broadway St., Lakeview
Emma Dutton/Chicago Loopster
Emma Dutton/Chicago LoopsterI walked into Friar Tuck on a Monday night around 11 p.m. to find only the bartender. The cozy dive bar is decked out with holiday lights, and the round, wooden door makes it clear that you’re stepping into another (possibly hobbit-filled) world. Stop in to warm up, because the Friar Tuck world includes a big fireplace surrounded by stools, $5 mini-pitchers, free munchie popcorn, a jukebox, crazy hat Mondays, trivia Tuesdays and karaoke Thursdays.
Emma Dutton/Chicago LoopsterThe place isn’t usually dead, but even if it is, when you stop in to satiate a late-night beer craving, Grant will be at your side (er, behind the bar). He sat down to chat with me that Monday, because he sure wasn’t closing early. He said the regulars usually sit on the other side of the bar, so I’m proposing we start a regular crowd that sits by the warmth (but only until we’re wobbling, because I don’t want anybody falling into the fireplace on my watch).
Check out more reviews and info on Yelp
Do you have a favorite memory from Friar Tuck? Is your picture up on their wall? Tell us on Twitter! @ChicagoLoopster with #friartuck or post your comments below. - 2
D.O.C. Wine Bar
2602 North Clark Street, Lincoln Park
Emma Dutton/Chicago Loopster
Emma Dutton/Chicago LoopsterWhether you’re out with the girls or with a date you need to impress, D.O.C. wine bar is the perfect place to warm up on a cold night. The bartender told me they’re busy almost every night in the winter. The dark wood vaulted ceilings make it feel like a ski lodge, where you can sip wine and munch on cheeses (or other delicious, wine-friendly menu items) from the couch and comfy chairs in front of the fireplace. Waiters and bartenders groove to the funky, Motown date music with a welcoming attitude.
Emma Dutton/Chicago LoopsterThe wine list is so long I got bored before making it to the end, and on Monday, bottles under $100 are half price. On Tuesdays, wine flights feature three samples and are only 10 bucks. The menu has cheese flights, too, if you need some sustenance. The bartender said it’s common to find some “no school on Friday” DePaul kids at D.O.C. on Thursdays, but it’s cozy enough that I’d go on any night. The semi-mod entrance, the round windows and bar overhang are a bit odd, but it almost feels as if the bar is hugging me when I walk in, and everybody needs more hugs during winter.
Check out D.O.C.’s website, or more reviews on Yelp.
Do you have a favorite memory from D.O.C. Wine Bar? What’s the best on their menu? Tell us on Twitter! @ChicagoLoopster with #DOCWine or post your comments below. - 3
Ten Cat Tavern
3931 N Ashland Ave, North Lakeview
Emma Dutton/Chicago Loopster
Emma Dutton/Chicago LoopsterTen Cat Tavern looks more like an art gallery from the outside than a bar, and the interior decorations, too, are much more beautiful than I expect from a dark little spot like this one. Walking past the art in the window display, the bar, a mermaid booth, a few pool tables and some old school pin ball machines, I arrive at the back room. Reminiscent of old smoking rooms with red, regal chairs and dark wood, the room has a fireplace and can be rented out for private parties. It seats about 15 comfortably, and Charles, the bartender, mentioned plans for Sunday game nights in the future. Maybe Candy Land, he said.
Emma Dutton/Chicago LoopsterDuring week days, the bar is host to a couple of pool leagues, and locals and their cute pets play unorganized games with a few bucks out on the table, too. The older crowd was very friendly, and I even met Comet, the dog who lives upstairs. The tap hosts a wide, delicious range of beers including Anchor Porter, Guinness and Half Acre’s Over Ale, plus Stella Artois if you’re looking for something lighter. If this is a dive bar, it’s the most elegant I’ve ever seen, and I wouldn’t hesitate to get some friends together for drinks by the hearth.
Click here to see more reviews and info on Yelp.
Do you have a favorite memory from Ten Cat Tavern? Are you there right now? Tell us on Twitter! @ChicagoLoopster with #tencat or post your comments below.
Twitter storms
Winter has finally come, and Chicagoans, at least those with feeling in their fingertips, are tweetin’ up a storm. Watch the cold weather tweets here. A warning, though: some are a wee bit mad about the weather, and we at the Loopster cannot guarantee PG-rated tweet lingo.
Front page image credit: Jerry Paffendorf/Flickr
Can’t stop, won’t stop in the windy city
Yeah, we know the term originated because the politicians are chatty. That doesn’t change the fact that there’s nothing more painful than a windy Chicago day. Really, there’s no avoiding it, because we only have so many “sick” days to use hiding from winter. Here are some tips for dealing, since we all can’t have that luxury.
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A warm, furry tactic from the tundra
Library of Congress/public domainIf it works in the Arctic Tundra, it’s a good place to start for protection from a windy winter Chicago day. Fur (faux, please) hoods aren’t just fashionable, they’re practical. Good luck finding a faux fur hood as awesome as her’s, though. They just don’t make things like they used to. Pretend you’re a sled dog, well-equipped for the elements with your face hidden by warm, insulating fluff. Mind over matter, right? If you’re having trouble using brain power to defeat the cold, wrap a scarf around the front of your face, leaving just a slit for your eyes.
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Umbrellas aren’t just for rain
Duncan Rawlinson/FlickrDon’t wind up like this guy with your umbrella this winter. Block that frigid wind and sleet and snow from your face with a double-layer umbrella instead. When shopping, look for the style that doesn’t fold up and has air slits in the middle – it’s definitely worth the bulk. These umbrellas let the air flow through instead of warping and ruining the often-flimsy wires. Warning: Carrying an umbrella will slow you down and strengthen your arms in this town.
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Help your friends help you
Mary and Angus Hogg/geograph.org.ukDrafting isn’t just for the race track (or minor bouts of road rage). Allow your friends to lead the way and break the wind as you walk down the sidewalk. This is an especially useful tactic for the height- and width-challenged, who are less insulated anyway, so it’s only fair. If you don’t believe it works, offer to take a turn as the human wind-breaker. I’ll tell you one thing for sure – the geese in the middle of the flock are just chillin’ compared to those out front.
The three windiest wards
Drafting isn’t just for the race track (or minor bouts of road rage). Allow your friends to lead the way and break the wind as you walk down the sidewalk. This is an especially useful tactic for the height- and width-challenged, who are less insulated anyway, so it’s only fair. If you don’t believe it works, offer to take a turn as the human wind-breaker. I’ll tell you one thing for sure – the geese in the middle of the flock are just chillin’ compared to those out front.
Do you have more wind-evading suggestions? Please, for the love of humanity, share with us on Twitter @ChicagoLoopster with #antiwind or post your comments below.
Featured image credit: Chad Magiera/Flickr
How bad is this winter, anyway?
Alma Bahman/Chicago LoopsterBetween now and early spring, Chicago would have to see almost 43 inches of snow to have the same amount it had last winter. But that’s unlikely, said Richard Castro, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s Chicago office.
After getting more than 50 inches of snowfall for four consecutive years, why was Chicago’s first real snow day halfway into the season?
The mildness comes from two weather systems: La Niña and the Arctic Oscillation.
At its very basic, La Niña is a polar jet stream from the Pacific Ocean that causes chilly winters. La Niña allows cold air to drop south into the Midwest, Castro said. “But there’s been a very persistent feature above Alaska that’s keeping cold air from dropping down here.”
Alma Bahman/Chicago LoopsterThe National Weather Service has been keeping weather records since 1885. Here are a few other weather milestones the city reached since.
That feature: Arctic Oscillation, which refers to pressure patterns over the Arctic and has two phases, positive and negative.
Castro said it’s in a positive phase this year. This means less pressure at the polar region, which moves storms toward the north.
Since 2000, Chicago had comparatively cold winters as well as mild ones, but it’s not that unusual.
“It’s all over the map,” Castro said. “It fits the theme as how variable the weather patterns can be in this part of the country.”
To get more details, read Castro’s article about this year’s mild winter.
Alma Bahman/Chicago LoopsterSince 2000, Chicago has seen colder and colder winters. Data from the National Weather Service.
Alma Bahman/Chicago LoopsterIn the past 11 years, 2009 had the coldest season low. The only other year that comes close is 2001. Data from the National Weather Service.
Alma Bahman/Chicago LoopsterSave for a few crests and valleys, snowfall steadily increased since 2000, particularly since 2006. Data from the National Weather Service.
Running through the flurries
Ali Hashmi/Chicago Loopster
In the wintry chill of Chicago evenings, when most people lie snug beneath warm blankets, you will find Alvah White, 68, rounding the frozen Lake Michigan, running unperturbed against the cold wind. He thrives on running in the winter, and at his advanced age, he runs about 15 miles per week.
“There is nothing better than running in the snow,” White said. “A nice evening in the 20s with the fresh snow, everything is quiet. It’s an amazing feeling.”
White makes winter running sound like a walk in the park. In reality, it requires dogged persistence and determination. Of course, the greatest problem in winter running is simply leaving the comfort of your home. Then, there’s the battle with the elements around: you have to brave the uninvited iciness of the outside air.
Bogdan Petre, 23, a researcher at the Northwestern University, started winter running last year to prepare for a winter mountaineering trip. He found running in the winters “a lot more strenuous” than he imagined. “The exhaustion that I felt [after running] was significantly more than what I felt when I used to run in the summer or spring or fall,” he said.
Obviously, White is not an ordinary runner. White has been running for more than forty years. He has “run six marathons, numerous half marathons, and plenty of 8-, 10-, 12- and 14-mile runs,” he said.
“I came to Chicago in 1989, and I have been running in Chicago winters ever since.”
For runners like White, running becomes an integral part of their life. “Running is important for me because it allows me to feel good, it allows me to maintain my health and it allows me to eat almost anything I want,” he said.
Ali Hashmi/Chicago LoopsterThe “isolation of a run” provides him with a mental space to think about and focus on things at the heart of his life, he said. “If I don’t run for a week or more, my wife is the first one to notice it. She tells me I get cranky.”
As the president of Evanston Running Club, White organizes social, recreational and competitive events around running. “There is a relaxing social element to running that makes it much more therapeutic,” White said. “And it allows me to meet some terrific people.”
Studies have suggested that running keeps you young, and White agrees. “My doctor has told me I have the body and health of a 48-year-old— I’ll take those 20 years to the bank, thank you very much,” he said.
Running in winters requires proper apparel and equipment, he acknowledged. But winter running is now much easier because of improvements in winter running gear, he said.
Winter running requires three layers, namely the base layer, the mid layer and the shell layer. The majority of modern base layers, undershirts and leggings, are made up of thinner and synthetic materials, which wick away the sweat from your body to keep you warm and dry. Base layers made of cotton are not good for winter running, because cotton retains moisture. Once it gets wet, it remains wet. The mid layer is made up of insulating material to keep you warm. And finally, the shell layer provides protection against wind, rain and snow.
“You can now go a lot deeper into the cold with a lot less layers of clothing,” he said. “And if you use things like L.L. Bean toe warmers and hand warmers, you can do really well.”
“There is no reason not to run unless it is terribly cold or particularly icy,” he said. “Just get out and have fun.”
