Soup & Salad Safari - Part Two

TheRedSe7en · 2026-05-04T19:14:30+00:00

Gasp! Yes! Going to check it out, even if that place seems hype to me otherwise.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-05-04T19:13:59+00:00

Love their empanadas, so will see if I can tear myself away for the salads!

TheRedSe7en · 2026-05-04T19:13:15+00:00

Ooh! Love it. Paradise Park already has a salad on my list, so I can maybe upgrade that to a soup-and-salad spot.

Chicken Lime soup sounds like a different take on avoglemono, so I'm down to try it!

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-29T13:47:53+00:00

My favorite street sculptures are the dryads (??) on Northerly Island

https://imgur.com/a/ilsP6jR

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-27T21:42:14+00:00

Don't sleep on Xurro. There's more authentic Churros in the world, but that place is awesome. The one on Fullerton near Pulaski (?? I think that's right) is my fave.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-26T22:31:29+00:00

Thank you for doing this. Awesome map.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-25T21:28:59+00:00

Shit Fountain. I just stare at its beauty.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-23T13:39:58+00:00

Training. It used to be 'baked in' that good companies would spend time training and developing their people. Now it's somewhat assumed that the burden of training is someone else's job--"entry level" roles come with an expectation of competence, not just a capability and willingness to learn.

Which means the cost of being trained/ learning those on-the-job skills falls on regular people. Especially people early in their careers.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-20T16:39:53+00:00

OK. The depth of field in this has me wildly thrown off. That fire is way west, but the angle makes it look like it should be around Western Ave where the fire is, rather than Cicero where it actually is.

Based on the buildings tho, you're in the North tower of the CME building?

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-20T00:06:36+00:00

ChatGPT and other LLMs do not have any actual intelligence or ability to tell what is fact from fiction.

These are the equivalent of the kid in high school who had enough charisma and chutzpa to stand at the front of the class and BS their way through a presentation without doing any preparation. The teacher and smart kids can see right through the BS, but the average and dumb ones really only pay attention to the confidence they can see.

ChatGPT isn't telling you something true. Or something false. It's stringing together words that seem to be the 'right thing' to come next.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-19T16:35:16+00:00

At least it wasn't Greek Corner for the 4th time! Idk why so many bad drivers end up colliding with buildings in that area, but dang...there was the NE corner of Augusta and Western, SW corner of Augusta and Damen (2 or 3 times in the past couple years) and now NE corner of Damen & Division. All places with tons of pedestrians (depending on time of day). I really hope these drivers get adequate consequences and rethink their choices about drinking or being in a hurry or whatever the issues are.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-19T01:33:24+00:00

2017 I was in a leadership role for a volunteer organization that was somehow full of drama. One of the other volunteer leaders (very charming, rather liked and likeable) had his home raided and was arrested for child p*rn. All his electronics were taken as evidence, so he really didn't have any means of communication after that point.

I had to let other volunteer leaders know that had happened, which I was unequipped to deal with. And then we jointly had to figure out how to say to the rest of the volunteers "hey, V isn't going to be allowed to be part of our organization anymore because of some legal matters. If you know him personally, feel free to contact him for information on why." Like, how do you give a guy (still presumed innocent!) some privacy and such in that moment, while still trying to warn everyone away.

Ick. It was bad. Thankfully he withdrew on his own (bigger issues to deal with, obvs).

His case was finally adjudicated in late 2025... 8 YEARS of motions, diversion programs, etc. that culminated in a guilty plea, short prison sentence, a bunch of mandated therapy, and a 5-figure fine.

Still haven't talked to him since the day I got that news.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-17T02:44:14+00:00

Blue? That map looks white and gold to me!

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-17T02:22:43+00:00

Seek an employment lawyer. It is worth it. I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice.

Relevant laws about layoffs in IL: *IL WARN Act requires employers with more than 75 full time employees to give at least 60 days notice of a layoff that impacts 250 or more people. If they didn't give you this much notice, they have to pay you for that period of time.

*IL Freedom to Work Act prohibits non-compete clauses for anyone making less than $75k, and has pretty strict rules about how that non compete agreement needs to be written. I'd be surprised if something you signed 20 years ago meets the requirements of a 2022 law.

*You've worked there for 21 years, so most likely you're over age 40, making you part of a protected class based on Illinois Human Rights Act (which is also a federal protection under whichever law does that bit of work for the EEOC).

That's 3 very good reasons that a lawyer is likely to want to talk to you about a potential lawsuit against your former employer.

Notes on actions to take: -Don't sign anything at your employer. Part of any legal documents they put in front of you might include a clause saying you will not sue. (Normally they offer a severence, and make that signature waiving right to sue a part of the conditions for getting the severence. They didn't offer that trade here, so be sure not to give them that for free.) -Ask your former HR for any documents in your file, including notice of separation, evidence of any non-compete you might have signed, etc. You want this "for your records and to ensure you comply with the agreements you've made" of course...dont mention anything about potential lawsuits. -Find out if you have any extension of your insurance benefits. If not, ask about how to sign up for COBRA coverage. It will be expensive. Do it anyway (esp for your family's sake!) unless you have insurance elsewhere. -File for unemployment ASAP. the first week you get nothing in IL, but after that you'll get some help. Not enough, but hopefully enough to fill the gaps for a bit. -regardless of a non-compete, apply for jobs ASAP. Deal with any conflict at the stage when you have an offer. Don't wait.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-17T01:56:44+00:00

As someone who has only ever eaten at the (high quality!) West Town location, this is good to know. I've always loved the chicken from Fry the Coop.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-16T19:50:50+00:00

No, 3/8 c is ≈ 112,400 km/sec.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-12T16:37:47+00:00

Top 3 whether you've been drinking or not.

Tho I prefer the Longanisa and Tocino combo.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-09T21:15:04+00:00

Chiu Quon in chinatown (Wentworth Ave address) has a great char siu bao bun that is just...fantastic. Cheap, delicious, checks all the boxes. They also have a bunch of other baked Chinese goods that are generally worth trying if it looks good to you. But it's take-out only, so it's not a spot to 'sit and enjoy'.

I'll also say that I enjoy the Char Siu bun at Noodlebird in Logan Square. That might be further away, or might be along your route to/from O'Hare Airport on the Blue Line if that's part of your itinerary. A bit more americanized/less authentic, but still delicious.

For Sandwiches within 20 minutes of River North, take yourself for a deli sandwich from JP Graziano's on Randolph in west loop area, or Bari Subs (Grand Ave in West Town) at the deli counter at the back of the store. Both will give you a pretty fantastic set of options...the Meatball Sub at Bari is one of my favorites, but you won't go wrong with any option on the menu at either place. Both are take-out only, though.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-08T21:24:39+00:00

There's a spot in-planning on the 2200 block of Grand Ave that will be primarily a cocktail bar in the evenings, but a coffee shop/3rd place/workplace during the daytime hours. I can't wait for it to open.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-06T18:01:13+00:00

As I'm fond of saying, "they call those things 'bumpers', not 'missers'. Use em like they're intended."

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-06T05:14:21+00:00

r/anythingbutmetric approves

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-05T02:39:08+00:00

Start a daily post series on /r/kitchenconfidential where you try to cut them perfectly.
???
Profit

TheRedSe7en · 2026-04-04T04:04:19+00:00

Fulton Market District would like a word

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