In the early afternoon we picked up Tom at the Crisis Center (where he is actually doing just fine) and took him for a walk in South Minneapolis. We parked at Lake Hiawatha, which is much less crowded than the fashionable area around Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun. We stopped for a bite (snack for Tom, lunch for mia_mcdavid and me) at the Minneapolis location of Chris and Rob’s Chicago Taste Authority. We got some French fries for Tom and split a Chicago-style Hot Dog and an Italian Beef between ourselves. The Hot Dog was OK, but basically a ritual expression of loyalty. The Italian Beef was much better, but very messy.

They have a patio, but we ate indoors. If weather permits, next time we will eat on the patio. The decor inside is mostly memorabilia from the championships of Chicago professional sports teams. All very well, and we remember the Bulls and the Bears from their glory years, but Chris and Rob will not have to redecorate very often.

We will also bring a couple pins to mark our Chicago residences on the map there–they had run out. Just the Rogers Park, and possibly the Hyde Park addresses–the map does not extend to the ‘burbs.

Actually, for Chicago Memorabilia up here, I like the U-505 poster at Merlin’s Rest. Not sure how it fits in there, but I enjoy it.