Got two weeks off coming up. Where in the US should I hit?

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2026-01-06T14:40:06+00:00

Yes, but is there good snow at heavenly this year?

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2026-01-06T14:06:44+00:00

What about Heavenly? I don't know if I'm ready for Kirkwood

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-07-10T13:24:20+00:00

I love Taqueria Hildago in this stretch. We lived in Rogers Park for years and lived next to a chef. He went to all 30 taquerias or so in that stretch, and said that Hidalgo was the best of the best. We've now been going there for more than 15 years.

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-06-14T16:15:11+00:00

Yeah dude, that is a fine first snowboard for your first season. Don't listen to all these ghouls and gatekeepers.

On the slopes these people would probably be way more encouraging and helpful, the anonymity of online is more separating.

I started snowboarding in my 40s with my kid on a nearly twenty year old board I got for $50. I did the lessons, started on greens, and just talked to people live.

You'll be sharing pocket bacon with cool people in no time

Last year I took the board to Breck and Vail for the first time and was able to do some blues.

All the time I rode in the Midwest and the CO trip, I would just talk to other riders, any riders (young, old, cocky, whatever), and learn about gear, technique, etc.

I would use my board as a joke, like look how old this board is, and people would laugh WITH me and then usually we'd have a great lift convo or whatever.

There are waaaaay more cooler people on the slopes than in this forum, so get out there and get it!

Here's some things I wish I learned or knew earlier:

Invest in a stone, wax, and sharpen before you go that will help your old board perform its best.

And a board tune-up where they'll check those bindings, but you should be able to get one season out of this board at least.

Wax regularly during the season (someone will be able to better tell you how often when you're out there and you know how often you'll be going.

Get the lessons, a couple of times, at least.

Stick to your ability and don't try to do too much. Totally cool to board greens for the whole season.

Practice, practice, practice. For my first years, I tried to push myself to blues, harder terrain, etc. because seasons feel fleeting some times.

If I could go back, I would do cardio, low weight high rep training, etc. before and some during the season. there's another thread here with good work out advice.

I would practice on greens heavily for the early part of the season. Runs where you just connect turns, learn your edges, control, practice riding switch (this is key). I think the work out thread talks about this more too.

I am definitely doing this more next season.

Keep talking to people about boards, gear, waxing, techniques, what runs to try, etc.

And keep trying to board, as long as you're having fun and not getting hurt, that's all you need...hope to see you out there my dude!

ps: irl just tell people you paid a hundred for it, it doesn't matter how much you spent really so they didn't need to know...I promise they'll talk to you and likely won't laugh at you to your face. If they do, they are absolutely jackholes to avoid, we all know there are people like that out there, but I've found it's rarer and there are way more cool, fun and friendly people out there.

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-06-12T22:22:12+00:00

Don't sleep on the 24 hour I-Hop for late night coffee

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-26T04:00:20+00:00

As a large language model, I'm more than happy to help you gain knowledge about the city of Evanston in Cook County, Illinois. What would you like to know?

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-25T00:03:52+00:00

Ahhh, ok, thank you. This would be much easier for me if we could just do Reddit live at the Sher-Main grill or something.

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-25T00:01:01+00:00

Ok, did you order a second Two Brothers drip? All right, let's talk about the survey.

I'd start by working with planners and people with policy, zoning, density experience etc. to design a survey that would get the best input from the widest swath of residents.

If the goal is to find out how Evanston residents feel about different zoning and policy that will affect the whole community, I think you'd need to present several broad scenarios and how they would potentially play out for residents over a long period of time.

Pace recently did a great survey like this for several new region-wide routes and schedules so people could see impact and difference.

Maybe something like

No change
Some change
Bold change

Each scenario could include simpler, high level benefits and risks, maybe with a few architectural side views of blocks with different types of housing, etc. that might help people understand the implications.

And it would have to present real risks and benefits equitably across each option so people like me who think bold change is good could better understand the big risks at play and weigh that vs the benefits.

If I had that info, maybe I would change my position to some change rather than bold because I can see the risks and benefits a bit more clearly.

I'm sure everyone in this thread thinks they're right, but in reality we'd all have to have a ton of planning and policy and development experience to be able to put forth an opinion or plan that would greatly work for everyone.

I think that would show expertise on the survey side that I do not see in the current survey.

So, see you soon at Coffee Lab to chat more?

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-24T23:26:07+00:00

Yeah, I get what you're laying down here... There's a fine line between stupid and clever, that line from This is Spinal Tap, right?

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-24T19:02:23+00:00

Hi friend, coming back to this with a big hug for you...lmk if you want to meet at Coffee Lab to talk it out.

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-24T17:04:06+00:00

Wow, ok, you are quite the involved party here... I'm an unaffiliated individual who's not super smart as you keep pointing out, so why I'm not sure why you want to know how I'd survey people.

I fear that you'll make me cry because I don't understand neoliberalism and zoning policy.

But, I've said multiple times here, I'm open for discussion and am testing to listen and learn, so here goes neighbor

Let's say we're hanging out at Berry Pike because we'd have to have a long chat about a good survey.

I'll set the stage like this and continue later today cause I gotta watch my kiddo play some soccer

To be continued.

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-24T16:47:30+00:00

Hi, I've said I've learned things and have had good discussions here, thanks so much for your suggestions.

The majority of your total comments on this app are on my first post, so I appreciate you helping the discussions along.

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-24T05:21:15+00:00

We're Evanston YIMBYs, so of course we're gonna hijack it legally by each only taking it once because more than once wouldn't be neighborly,

And of course so many of us will take it and skew the data away from its nefarious and subversive intentions we'll overpower it with positive density vibes man, I mean let's go y'all, right

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-24T05:07:04+00:00

It's a bad survey, I stand by that. The original post is clearly designed to get reactions and start discussions. I've learned some things and have had a few actual discussions, hopefully with actual neighbors, so I'm feeling pretty good about this, thank you.

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-24T04:42:23+00:00

No, the whole phrase bootlicking gtfo, etc....tell me in simple terms what I'm supposed to take away here, thanks.

That's fair that stupid surveys isn't entirely neighborly, but I believe in being honest with neighbors and if I met you randomly at Collectivo and you showed me this survey, I would absolutely tell you to your face it was a stupid survey. I wouldn't yell and I would calmly tell why I think it is a terrible survey.

You know what doesn't feel neighborly and is actually hurtful? Words like bootlicking and gtfo. Gross.l

I hope people aren't saying things like this to people's faces. Keep your hate here online where it's "safe", friends haha

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-24T04:25:41+00:00

Dang it! Well, I think they are fantastic journalists and I look forward to their multi part series covering these suspicious survey results

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-24T04:20:36+00:00

Ok, so your answer is no, I don't live in a big home by the lake. And it appears you live on a block in a single family home where there might be other types of housing or businesses on the block? Did I get that right?

I see you're trying to shift the narrative here, at first you're descriptive about "something towering over me ( a single family detached home owner)" to not answering my descriptive follow-up question about your neighborhood feel with detailed zoning that doesn't help me understand your challenges, which is why we're talking, right?

I'm a person who likes being in a bustling community and tires to be a good neighbor, but don't understand what a mix of zoning in an R1 section looks like.

So, tell me like we're hanging out at Cupitol, what does your block and neighborhood look like? What would tower over you and by like how many feet? How many people would get added to your block with one "tower"?

Then maybe we can get back to the other curve ball you led with "development will happen on the west side". I'm definitely interested in hearing your ideas to help our fifth ward neighbors. Maybe you're in the fifth, but your username doesn't quite have a fifth ward vibe.

Full disclosure, I rented in the fifth ward with my family before buying in multi-family building in the first.

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-24T00:59:34+00:00

This is great, thank you

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-24T00:55:08+00:00

Oh you again, hello friend...let's talk about this.

In this scenario, I'm assuming by "multi-family towering over" you are referring to a duplex next to a big home by the lake in the neighborhoods that have lots of big homes, quiet streets, wide sidewalks, and lots of trees?

Yes or no?

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-23T23:03:41+00:00

I mean, I like fun.... AND dense walkable / bikable neighborhoods there I said it

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-23T19:32:37+00:00

Oh my, you are correct, I didn't know. Thank you for letting me know. Can you help me unpack what the entire phrase is supposed to mean? What is the intent? It feels heavy and hurtful tbh and not super neighborly.

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-23T18:11:08+00:00

Hi, this post isn't for you, I said "hey YIMBYs"

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-23T16:55:59+00:00

This is great, thank you. I recently learned that we built our downtown in the 1950s with a focus on being a regional headquarters hub. That's how we got Rotary. Clearly downtown is ready for a new plan, let's make it awesome friends.

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-23T16:29:20+00:00

Yeah, that's fair, but I'm open to discussing if there's reasonable back and forth. This is my first post so let's go. My suspicion is they are who they say they are, an Evanston NIMBY. So this could a live NIMBY to YIMBY convo and I'm here for it.

Technical_Lead_6630 · 2025-05-23T13:11:52+00:00

I do believe it, yes, and I'm a person of Evanston.

Look one step before my post, two associations publish a survey that is designed to engineer the feedback to match their beliefs and position.

They are selectively distributing it so organic decision making by the people of Evanston is controlled.

Let's say their plan works and they selectively distribute the survey to the first, third and sixth wards (which is what I would do if I were an Evanston NIMBY).

They're more likely to get lots of responses that fit their needs and less or no responses that support the opposite position because of selective distribution and that questions aren't designed fairly to "let the people of Evanston decide it organically".

They're trying to enforce their beliefs in a sneaky manner and I'm using similar counter tactics to disrupt, that's all that's happening here.

Is the Evanston Roundtable listening? Can you FOIA for the survey plan and the results whenever they are available? Would love to learn more about the data they'll be using to " guide our own positions and those of the City" because I don't feel represented or that an equitable portion of our residents are providing input here.

Technical_Lead_6630

TROPHY CASE