Farsighted Fly Girl

It's the dead of winter in Chicago and I'm excited about visiting some place warmer; Stockholm, Sweden. Yes, the arctic north is actually warmer than Chicago at this point but regardless of the temperature, I'm thrilled to be traveling to Scandinavia for the first time. I'm joining an international delegation of journalists from India, China, Russia, Turkey, Japan and Romania to cover Stockholm Design Week. I'll be learning about the inspiration and philosophies behind the famous Swedish design principles as well as exploring the "Venice of The North." I didn't realize that Stockholm perches on 14  islands and makes an archipelago comprised of  24,000 tiny ones. Knowing my love for water and islands, I expect to be happy indeed, despite the snow and ice. Stay tuned for posts exploring Stockholm's lovely architecture, design and culture, soon.

I have been haunted for months. Everywhere I turn, there is a reminder of this country's deeply embedded racism, injustice and violence. It follows me like a wispy shadow that you can't quite see but you know is there. I have barely been able to write because I have felt emotionally blocked. The pain I feel witnessing the violence, injustice and media manipulations concerning the Ferguson, Missouri, Michael Brown, Eric Garner and Tamir Rice cases has been unbearable. When the news first broke I spent days crying and feeling paralyzed. It's not like it hasn't happened before. It's not like I don't know that I live in a country where racism is embedded within its very foundation. It's that I unconsciously expected the American justice system to suddenly become just with the world watching. Well, it didn't and these issues are not going away. I don't believe it's a coincidence that just as Chicago and the rest of the country erupted in protests...

It's a new year and I've decided to revive the popular Taste Trippin' series where I take readers on culinary journeys around Chicago. The polar vortex has returned and there's no place cozier than the tropical confines of a tiki bar. Filled with all of the kitsch and fun that's required for an authentic tiki experience, Three Dots And A Dash is the city's best tiki bar since Trader Vic's. With a nod to Chicago's speakeasy past, the bar is hard to spot if you don't know where to look. Despite a respectable Clark Street address, you can only access the lounge through a dark alley that provides little assurance that you're not headed down to a den of debauchery and crime. You're required to make your way down a staircase adorned with a collection of eerie skulls, shown above.   Pushing through a door and a velvet curtain, the lounge is finally revealed, complete with ukuleles, thatched roof bar and tikis from the original Trader V...