Maxwell Street suggestions

Very poor of me, but the last time I was at Maxwell Street was last summer with the film crew and CH gang.

My brother has not stopped talking about it and is in town for a visit this weekend. We are going on Sunday.

As I've forgot, what are your favorites at Maxwell Street?

thanks in advance for replies,

Willie

Hey Willie, I remember you from the shoot! My absolute favorite Maxwell Street stop is Oaxaca Tamal (usually located just east of the Dominick's entrance). Every time friends and relations come into town and we go to Maxwell, we stop there and no one -- not a single person -- has failed to remark on the deliciousness of these masa wads filled with chicken or pork.

There's a lot of choices, however, so it really depends what you're in the mood to eat.

David

PS. I assume you have the much-in-need-of-updating Maxwell St. Guide -- email me if you want a copy.

My favorite is the rico huarache "bandera" (2 sauces) at the place not to far from the Oaxacan tamal guy. Ordering can be a pain, but those fresh made, griddle-fried huaraches, superb!

Never let it be said that we missed a chance to plug the Maxwell Street video!

http://dchammond.com/gorilla/

For the totally new folks here, about 20 of us hit Maxwell St. on two separate weekends (edited into one continuous trip on the video) to poke around the best Mexican stands, looking for great food. It runs about an hour, shows you a lot of the folks who post here as well as a lot of the best food to try, and is generally agreed to be fast-paced, pretty slick and a lot of fun. And you can have one at a very reasonable price at the URL above, DVD or VHS.

It has also played public access cable in the Chicago area, and if it gets scheduled again, we'll post the times.

As for my favorites: I agree wholeheartedly about Ricos' huarache and the Oaxacan tamale, very much enjoy the steak taco at Rubi's/Manolo's for the freshmade tortilla more than the steak, and like a good quesadilla flor de la calabaza wherever it's found.

I can't go, just too much work

but my brother thanks you!

A freshly updated post from the Department of Cultural Affairs indicates the Maxwell Street Market is suspended through Labor Day, along with most other major summer traditions.

Santander wrote:A freshly updated post from the Department of Cultural Affairs indicates the Maxwell Street Market is suspended through Labor Day, along with most other major summer traditions.

Why don't they just fess up, this is really shelter-at-home the summer version. There are so few options on where to go and what to do.

I had a quesadilla dining off the trunk of the car last Saturday. It sure did meet my needs for a new experience after eating home for months. I may just keep some extra napkins and plates to facilitate an impromptu picnic on the car.

Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy2 wrote:Why don't they just fess up, this is really shelter-at-home the summer version. There are so few options on where to go and what to do.

That statement is pure nonsense. Like it or not, shelter-at-home is over, although each of us has the ability to stay at home as much as we want. Right now you can travel wherever you want, however you want. Most stores are open or opening, and so are many restaurants, with carryout and now with outdoor seating. Just about the only activities that are restricted are ones in which lots of people are crowded together, like sporting events and concerts (and, yes, the Maxwell Street Market, although most farmers markets have opened) - and thank goodness for that, since those activities are the ones most likely to spread coronavirus.

It may be nonsense in your opinion, but there are very little of how I spend my summer available to do this year.

The 4th of July is a parade and fireworks, both are cancelled. The option to watch fireworks in my living room from Washington, DC and New York are likely cancelled, too.

Most of the state fairs I planned to visit have cancelled, I am still waiting on Illinois and Missouri to give up the ghost.

The LTHforum picnic is just one week past the Labor Day period where somehow somethings might happen. Already the Cook County Forest Preserve is offering refunds or no-penalty postponements to next year. This offer is up to Labor Day weekend, but extending past this is hardly unimaginable. If the LTH picnic does carry on, who wants the responsibility for adequate distancing, sanitation and goodness knows what else may be demanded?

I don't go to farmer's markets, I tend to drive out to the farms. This I can probably do, but then I might paint myself into a corner with canning projects.

Ravinia Festival is gone, too.

I might spend more time just over the border in Wisconsin, if they have more to offer than Illinois.

I can do what I have done for the last few months: stay at home.

Regards,
Cathy2

That's absolutely NOT the same as shelter-at-home. There are plenty of things you can do. Heck, yesterday I got together with friends - properly distanced, hanging out in their back yard. You could do that too. You could get your hair done. You're just sorry you can't go to events with large crowds. We're all sorry about that, of course. I hope you're not actually saying you would prefer that these events take place so that lots more people become infected with coronavirus - including, possibly, your family, friends, and yourself - are you? Otherwise, it's just a different world for now, one in which coronavirus is still spreading, and people need to make adjustments to prevent it from being any worse. We're all in this together.

Cathy2 wrote:Ravinia Festival is gone, too.

I might spend more time just over the border in Wisconsin, if they have more to offer than Illinois.

They're still cancelling all their large events too. Including Milwaukee's Summerfest, which they had previously postponed to September. As the event organizers stated, "given the information available today, and the uncertainty surrounding very large gatherings, we cannot in good conscience proceed with the festival this year. The immediate future presents multiple levels of risk for our fans, and we choose the side of safety."

I stayed home to relieve the pressure on the medical system. I expected two to three weeks, not what we have endured.

In these months, I have seen one friend and one family member outside of my immediate family. I have not yet gone out to socialize, except via virtual means.

I could see on the news over the last week, plenty of people are congregating anyway with safety often abandoned. Let's wait and see what happens next, because there is a living and breathing experiment in progress.

I am finished here, so if you disagree, that's your prerogative.