Emily and I made our annual trip to Chicago this past weekend for American Thanksgiving. Explicitly we go to Palatine Illinois to visit Emily's grandfather Fred Pohl, and other members of the maternal side of her family. The last two years have been road trips as we've driven from Toronto to Chicago. Last year the weather was nasty, with all sorts of conditions ranging from fog, to snow, ice, rain, sleet, hail, you name it. This year we had amazing weather, well above normal temperatures, and decent amounts of sun.

On the way there we found an amazing Cajun Deli run by a warm and welcoming couple. The name of the establishment is "That's New Orleans" Cajun Deli II. I had a Cajun chicken sandwich and Emily had some yummy mashed potatoes and cole slaw. We also both had a bit of pulled pork which was spectacular. We'll definitely go back the next time we're en route to Chicago.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is considered the busiest travel day in America, and when we got near to Chicago that became quite apparent. The traffic was so insane, we decided to get off the highway and hit the side streets. Always interesting as you get to see a side of the city that can be random and unknown.

One thing we noticed while crossing South Chicago we're police Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) setup in certain intersections. They had flashing flourescent lights to draw your attention to them, and they also made an obnoxious sound. Suffice to say the area around the cameras was pretty much empty of any social activity and later on down the road where there were no cameras tons of people hung out and enjoyed the nice weather. What a blatant dynamic the CCTV systems foster, rather than secure a space they seem to sterilize it. Not sure that is the desired effect, and if so, what a bankrupt approach to urban design and renewal.

While staying in Chicago I did learn about and enjoy the Cook County Forest Preserve system, which involves large tracks of protected forest or wetlands throughout the greater Chicago area. Interestingly enough many of these forest preserves have golf courses as part of them which generates revenue. I spent a bit of time both walking in a forest preserve as well as using the driving range at one of the golf courses.

Driving around and listening to our Sirius radio one song that kept getting played was the new spot from Nas titled Hip Hop is Dead. It's a great song from a master lyricist who offers a cogent critique of where the Hip Hop community/industry stands today. It got played so much Emily started getting sick of it but I couldn't get enough. It made me recall that last Thanksgiving the song Laffy Taffy was played in a similar heavy rotation. Interesting the way some songs tend to mark a moment in time.

While in Palatine I also found and climbed the highest point for miles around. At the top there was a sign that encouraged people to only use the northern slope to go down real fast in a sled. :)