Friday night at Bar Forza was an amazing mingle for our Chicago Singles! First our new members (and we had a lot!) arrived to go over Events and Adventures policies and get to know one another. Once the regular members joined us, the real party started. We were spoiled with our own private room and even a surprise buffet! The new chef delighted us with parmesan French fries and bruschetta, what a treat! The food was a clear hit with everyone as it was gone in about 5 minutes! As the night went on and the music got louder, people started to put on their dancing shoes and bust some…very interesting moves. Overall the night was a huge success with the mingling of old and new members. For our first event members, we hope you had an amazing night and can’t wait to see you at another event soon!
This year the Chicagoland Events and Adventures celebrated Independence Day at Ribfest in Naperville! There were so many ribs to try, we had a hard time deciding which award winning vendor to choose from! Luckily there was a lot of sharing going on, so we we’re able to sample a good variety! It was definitely a relaxing day, hanging out by the South stage enjoying the music and good conversation. As the day went on, lots of silliness seemed to happen, which included fake mustaches! We later headed up to the North stage to enjoy some lively jazz music and found a great spot to watch the fireworks. We ended the night with an awesome fireworks displays and had an amazing day together as a group!
Have you done anything noteworthy or mentionable? That is the question that plagues Walter Mitty in the movie “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” First published in 1939 by James Thurber, Walter Mitty is a mild man with a vivid fantasy life. In his fantastic daydreams, he is the heroic, adventurous, romantic man he longs to be and personally triumphs. In Ben Stiller’s remake of the 1947 classic, Walter Mitty is trapped behind a desk where his biggest real-life adventure is trying to fill out an online dating profile. When asked what he has done that is noteworthy or mentionable, he has no answer.
So each month we head out and try a new (or old) restaurant in the city. We usually choose a place that has been reviewed on a local station or in a newspaper. Sometimes we go big and check out places that are even on national TV shows like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. We like to see what the chefs and critics have to say and then go in and rate it ourselves. This week we definitely found a hidden gem! Nestled between two buildings and just below the ‘El’ train tracks is Macello. The street is dimly lit and the noise of the train every few minutes echoes for blocks. From the store front it looks like your average Italian butcher shop. But as you step inside and walk toward the back you are taken in by delicious aromas. The atmosphere is rustic with wooden beams and bright, boldly colored artwork. The brick oven definitely adds a cozy touch. We had a private section reserved just for E&A. The menu had so many scrumptious choices that we all had a hard time deciding what to order. Everything was made fresh right in the restaurant! Most of us ended up sharing and sampling eachothers delicious dishes. We also were in luck because it was ½ off wine bottle night! It’s so nice to meet up after work and share dinner and drinks and talk about our day. We decided that events like this make a long day at work worthwhile when we have something to look forward to at the end of it. There’s nothing like spending an evening with good food and good company. (Especially when the owner sends over a round of delicious limoncellos “on the house” for dessert!)
The night was crisp and clear, and hung high in the dark sky was a dazzling full moon. We had to celebrate this lunar delight, and what better way than at Howl at the Moon! We tipped back cocktails and sang at the top of our lungs with our dueling piano accompaniment. Since we E&Aers were obviously the coolest people there, we dominated the dance floor. We mad new friends and danced the night away! At one point we even stole the spot light when we were invited up on stage to show off our moves! The music was so great that some of the ladies even abandoned their heels to keep dancing! Now that’s what I call having your priorities straight! I think the Chicago club made that full moon proud!
This definitely tops the chart with the coolest thing I’ve done all month…a salt cave! As I walked inside, salt crunched under my feet like sand on a beach and the walls sparkled with salt crystals. We sat back in our reclining chairs and snuggled up in our blankets. We laid back and chatted about our days. Shortly the lights dimmed and calming sounds of the ocean played as we nestled in. This unique experience was more than just relaxing. The air inside the cave was beneficial on many levels. The components of natural sea salts that filled the air have a concentration which promote several areas of health. Who knew this hidden gem was tucked away right here in our city? After a long, hard day at work, it was great to relax with some friendly E&A faces and try something new!
It’s Tuesday night after a long day of work. Most people head home to put on their sweats and plop in front of the TV all night. Not us. That’s not E&A’s style! Instead, we met up for a relaxing evening of wine, painting and friends! The night began with sipping and sampling the different wines we brought. We relaxed on plush couches and snacked on fresh baked breads accompanied by infused oils and vinegars. We took time to unwind, meet new members and talk about our day. Then it was time for the real fun to start! We each selected our desired photo and attempted to recreate it with paint and a blank canvas. At first it was a bit intimidating, but it wasn’t long before my painting was well on its way! Just when I thought i was stuck, help was close by. E&A had a private painting session which came with two of our very own instructors! Whenever we needed guidance or supplies they were right there waiting to help us. Even if we didn’t need anything at all they were there with compliments and encouragement! And when we were indulged and focused on our paintings, they brought to our attention when the local commuter train pulled up to the station across the street. For those of you that were there, you know what I mean. Let’s just say it was a reminder to take a break, breathe and sip your wine. (We liked train breaks). At the end of the evening it was great to see how many of us chose the same picture to paint and how differently they each turned out. The colors, the shapes, the strokes of the brushes…they were all impressively beautiful! It was obvious to me how each of our characters were expressed through our art. We all have our own style and uniqueness…And that’s what E&A is all about. Coming together to be who we are! Some of us have similarities and some of us have differences. That is why the club works! That is why we love it and have a blast!
Chicago’s biggest event yet!!! And guess who was there? Super woman! Captain Jack Sparrow! And the Energizer Bunny! That’s right…I am talking about the Halloween Bash, and boy was it is FUN!!! Our first annual Halloween Party was so awesome that it carried into the wee hours of the morning! The company was great! The band rocked! The costumes were spectacular! It was so refreshing to see each other out of the ordinary. Dressing up simply makes you feel like a kid again, and we all need that every once in a while! Our VIP loft was perfect for dancing or just relaxing and mingling on the comfy couches. Plus, it was only steps away from the band. We had the best of both worlds! E&A created a night of great fun, friends and memories. We have the pictures to prove it!
Cue spooky music…It was a dark and stormy night…Well maybe not “stormy” but it was drizzly and cold! The line was so long that we thought we would turn into zombies before we got to the end, but we didn’t mind too much. We had good company. There were 50 E&A members hanging out and we were on a mission! There had been a zombie out break and it was up to us to save mankind! We were loaded onto hay wagons and each assigned a paintball gun. Then we took off into the night. Things were calm at first but then zombies started coming at us from all sides and it was our job to mow them down with our paintball guns! There were a few close calls, but by the end we felt invincible! After that we ventured out on foot through the pitch black corn maze with nothing but our flashlights to protect us! We weren’t sure if we would all made it out alive, but we did, and would do it again in a heartbeat! At the end of the night we eliminated the zombies and gained new E&A friends!
Foil, sabre, epee…do you know what these things are? I do! I never would have thought I would be doing something that dates back to the 16th century. I am referring to our fencing lesson. It was awesome! Our instructor was great at allowing us lots of hands-on exposure. She also educated us on the evolution of fencing up until its modern day. I had no clue that national fencing tournaments take place right here in Chicago. It’s a whole other hidden world! The experience was a first for nearly all of us E&A members. I love doing new things together! Someone was even able to check off an item on their bucket list! We let our guard down and tried something new. Actually, we kept our guard up! Haha…ON GUARD!
