When we moved to Chicago, I had six big boxes of CD's. I packed them with care so that they wouldn't get damaged. And when we got here, they remained in the boxes to be forgotten. Most of my music is on my computer or my ipod. Now that we've begun the process of packing for the move, I just rediscovered all my CD's. I'm not quite sure why I still have them. I guess they're just a way for me to keep a physical reminder of my memories.
Growing up, I lived in an apartment complex that was mixed with families and senior citizens. My friends and I were around 7 or 8 years old and we would go door to door to help out the seniors in exchange for a couple of dollars. Carole would need her trash taken out every day; that was $0.25 a bag. Mrs. Jones would need her dog walked; that was $1.00 a day. After a month, if I didn't spend all my earnings on the ice cream truck or jaw breakers, I could save up enough money to walk down to Music Plus and get a cassette tape. Afterwards, I'd run home to play the tape 10 times over, memorizing the lyrics and reading all the liner notes imagining one day I'd be among the list of names. I'd put on 10 black bracelets, a pair of fingerless lacey gloves, a skirt over my leggings and dance till my mom would come yelling at me for using all her black eyeliner. I still have some of those cassette tapes: Madonna, The Cure, Duran Duran. They were tokens of when I first fell in love with music. When I look at these cassettes, they take me back in time and a part of me doesn't want to let go of those memories. As if throwing them away meant that my memories would be lost forever. Or, it could be that I'm a pack rat and I'm just rationalizing why I need to keep these things. Truth be told, I don't even have a cassette player to play any of these cassettes. I'm actually listening to these tracks on Spotify as I type this blog.
So, nostalgia aside, I guess it's time to move on and make more room for new memories. One of the cool things about our neighborhood is that there are no less than six record stores within a half mile radius of our apartment. They buy and sell used vinyl, cd's, dvd's, and books. I figure selling my CD's to them will give them more inventory for their store and in turn, help them stay afloat in this economy. So in the end, all those memories I've been holding on to will go towards a greater good. I'll be able to help a local store and create new memories for people I will never meet.
The music itself will always be the source of my memories. When I hear a song, it will always take me back to where I was when I first heard it or how it made me feel. Not only that, but I'll always have the people in my life to remind me of the times we shared and the music that was playing in the background.
Support your local record store!
Reckless Records
3126 N. Broadway Street, Chicago
Gramophone Records
2843 N. Clark Street, Chicago
Discus CD Exchange
2935 N. Broadway Street, Chicago
Amoeba Music
The Grandaddy of them all with stores in Hollywood, San Francisco, and Berkeley.
Record Store Day
A celebration of local record stores nationwide every April.
SPIN Magazine's Top 15 Indie Record Stores
Monday, July 25, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Taste of Asia
If you learn one thing from me as a result of reading this blog, let it be this: Don't ever eat at a restaurant that serves more than one type of Asian cuisine. You know exactly what I'm talking about. The place down the street that serves sushi, sweet & sour pork, pho, and pad thai. Now that is one confused Asian. I was walking through my neighborhood earlier and spotted a new restaurant called Taste of Asia. The name makes it sound so exotic and enticing. I wish the owners the best of luck, but they won't be fooling me anytime soon. Asian food is all so very different. Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, they all have different flavors and methods of cooking. It's just not right to lump them all together. It would be the equivalent of opening a restaurant called Taste of Europe and having Italian, French, Spanish and German dishes all in one location. How appealing does that sound?
One of the things I miss most about living in Southern California is the Asian food. There are entire communities like Little Saigon, Koreatown, Chinatown and Little Tokyo and they all serve up the most amazing foods. Here are some of the places I miss the most:
Sushi on a conveyor belt may not sound so appealing, but when you've got specialties like Baked Lobster Roll and Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice, it's hard not to give this very affordable place at least one try. Remember you can always order direct from the chef, but it's usually hard to ignore all the yummy sushi zooming by you at the bar.
Located in a strip mall, this unassuming, tiny contemporary space serves up some of the freshest sushi available on the west coast. The albacore, yellowtail and scallop are a must in my book.
It's what your college ramen had the potential to be, but never did you dream in your wildest dreams it could be this good. Boiling hot and savory, the noodles are swimming in a sea of broth and accompanied by your choice of pork,.chicken, tofu or veggies. My favorite is the Tan-Tan Men, (pictured above), a spicy egg drop soup with ground pork and bean sprouts.
The name may be French inspired, but the food is all the way Vietnamese. Probably some of the best Vietnamese food I've had outside of Vietnam. What they're most famous for is their Nem Nuong (pictured above). A delicious spring roll with grilled pork, lettuce, and cripy scallions accompanied by a special house dipping sauce. If I could bathe in the sauce, I would.
Freshly made mochi ice cream straight from the source. It doesn't get any better than that.
Empress Pavilion
Yelpers have recently panned this iconic Chinatown establishment and I hope it's not all true. But, from my fond memories, all I can recall is some of the most delicious dim sum treats. Usually packed on the weekends, go early to snag a table without waiting in the long lines. If you're on the go and want to pack a picnic, there's a take out counter next door which has all the same items ready to go.
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