Thank You, Barack Obama

This is a hockey blog, but, before I write about anything hockey related, something important must be said.

I think that most people who read Barack Obama's "The Audacity of Hope" take away some very important lessons on how to make themselves better people and make the world a better place. I took away the name of a restaurant. Don't get me wrong, I learned lessons and think that Obama would make a fantastic president. However, the most important thing in his book is that his favorite place to eat in Chicago is called MacArthur's.

Located in the impoverished West Side, MacArthur's is the best soul food joint I've ever eaten at. For real. Those of you that know me know I don't mess around with my food, so take it to heart when I say this is one of the best (and inexpensive) meals I've had in my life: smothered, fork tender pork chops; golden fried chicken; stewed, spiced yams, which perfectly complimented the pork chops; and, though lacking in bread crumbs, soul-warming mac-n-cheese. This place is as close to eating a southern grandma's home cooked meal as you can get without being cooked by a southern grandma (mmm, country ham and fried corn). If you're ever anywhere near Chicago, go here. By "anywhere near," I mean anywhere. Go here, now.

Now onto the game.

Located just past downtown Chicago is the United Center. It looks a little like a fancy prison or an electric company building. The inside is huge, it seats 20,500 for hockey. Sadly, no one showed up. It's rather disheartening that a city with so much hockey history can hardly fill a third of the building. I know the Blackhawks are a bad team, but a little bit of loyalty isn't too much to ask for. Especially when the parking is set wonderfully close to the arena.

The game was a bit of a snooze. The Sharks won 2-0, but both teams looked like they'd rather be home finding out who got booted off American Idol. Joe Thornton scored the 1st goal of the game and assisted Jonathan Cheechoo on the other. Evgeni Nabokov stopped 21 for his 4th shutout of the season.

Martha J, Bobby T, and Momma L were my Chicago hosts and companions at the game. Thanks to Bobby T, we scored some great seats behind the net. Fantastic view, and not a distraction anywhere near us. That's because we had about 4 sections to ourselves. No joke.

Look, it's me with more hot ice-bunnies. I think I'm seeing a tradition develop in these special hockey blogs. The ice girls job was to clean the ice around the goals during breaks, but, unlike the ones in Anaheim, the don't really do that so much. One or two skate out with a shovel, pick up some ice, and skate off. Then two guys with blue pant-suits and red hats do the rest of the work, without any credit.

There are a wide variety of food choices on the main level, less so on the top floor. We were lucky to have club seats, and with club seats comes easy-peasy in your seat food service. I tried the chicken strips (a pattern I'm trying to break!) with fries. The strips were high quality, served with a tasty BBQ sauce. The fries were alright.

A real treat was to be found at the appropriately named Club Desserts. It might not be the best idea to have a root beer float at a hockey game, but oh boy was it tasty. Martha J spilled a bit of hers trying to take a picture. Sad, though she lived to enjoy the rest of it.

The atmosphere in the United Center is a bit surreal. It's a strange mix of glorious history and contemporary apathy.

High in the rafters hang the banners of three Stanley Cup victories, and many conference and division championships. The sweaters of some of hockey's greats hang proudly nearby. The proud history of the Chicago Bulls is represented on the other side.

Outside the arena sits a statue of Blackhawk heroes, balanced on the other side by a tribute to Michael Jordon. Inside the arena store, Fandemonium, relics of past glory are displayed behind glass.

Frank Pellico is a reminder of the way it used to be, too. A wonderful organist, Mr. Pellico lets us listen to a great show in between the 2nd and 3rd periods, and entertains us throughout the game.

The apathy of today is best represented by the laziest mascot in the business, Tommy Hawk. He didn't appear until sometime in the 2nd period, and spent the rest of the game slowly moving from chair to chair. That's right, Tommy Hawk spent more time sitting in the (many) empty seats than getting the crowd motivated. When he tried to get a cheer going, he was met by half-assed claps and shouts. Tommy Hawk should be put out to roost.

The people behind the scenes at the United Center don't do much to help, either. A pre-game laser show looked like it was designed in the 80's. There was no great welcome of the Blackhawks when they took the ice. In fact, they skated on at the same time as the Sharks. Power plays seemed like no big deal. The PA announcer didn't do anything to get the crowd going, only speaking to announce information in a flat manner.

At the end of the day, the blame lies with the fans. If people don't show up, no electricity can be generated. The loudest crowd noise came at the end of the 2nd period, when fans booed the team off the ice. I'm sure there were quite a few loyal fans there, and I have a lot of respect for them. It's hard to support a team when it's been in the gutter for a long time.

I hope things change for the Blackhawks and Chicago fans. It's sad to see a place that so appreciates it's history abandoned.

The best way to describe Chicago is flat and sturdy. It's a city that doesn't mind being slow to change. The buildings are generally older, and built solid. The people and places can withstand brutal winters and hot summers. It was really cold, and I was amazed that no one was wearing hats. Except for me. You bet your ass I was.

Chicago is a wonderful city for food. I ate wonderful, hearty food the whole time. MacArthur's was amazing. Gino's East, one of Chicago's most famous deep dish pizza joints, was terrific. While I'm a New York pizza guy at heart, comparisons are unfair. Comparing NY vs. Chicago pizza is like comparing apple pie and pecan pie. Sure, they're both pie, but they're very different. Big props to Patsy the waitress at Gino's for being so damn cool.

I also ate at the Webber Grill. Awesome. They must have the best vent system in the world, because the place is filled with Webber charcoal grills, working overtime to provide tasty BBQ in various styles. The Carolina pulled pork was very good, the ribs were out of this world. Something tells me the burgers taste like the best backyard bar-b-q.

Despite the winter storm, adventures were still to be had. There was a journey to the Field Museum, where we saw Sue. Sue is the most complete T-Rex in the world. The Field also had the bones of Lucy, the oldest hominid on record. It's a great museum, as is the Museum of Science and Industry.

At the height of the snow and sleet storm, Martha and I walked to the Family Bar. It's a swell neighborhood drinking hole. The crowd is mixed, drinks are cheap ($6.50 for a cocktail and beer!), and darts is the game of choice. There was a competition taking place while we were there. It made our Shakespeare Santa Cruz games seem sad in comparison. Then again, we weren't very good. Only downside of the family bar, the juke box was crap.

I took Lucy with me on the trip. It was a great time for her, too. She had big house to play in, and a new special friend- Gabby. I'm not sure how they know each other so quickly, but Italian Greyhounds always make instant best friends. Lucy showed that she was the boss right away, taking the warm, comfy spot by the radiator. Gabby was not quick to give up, though, and there were many great fights over various squeaky toys. They had lots of crazy fun together.

The Sharks end the game with a 38-22-1 record. Their 77 points are good for 5th in the West, and they are 3 points behind the Ducks for the Pacific Division lead.

Many more great pictures on my flickr.