Yesterday evening was supposed to be spent with my boy watching Chariots of Fire in Grant Park as part of the Chicago Park Districts’s Movies in the Park series, but unfortunately the 9-5 extended well into the evening hours for him. I didn’t want … Continue reading
Nothing says America like fireworks and baseball. Happy Independence Day to all my American readers (and good wishes for a happy day to all my international ones!!)
I wanted to take a day to pass a recommendation about a great store that my family came across a few years ago. They had such great service and recommendations that it was the only place I considered going to when I decided to challenge myself with the 5K I’m training for. And if you live in the Chicagoland area (specifically the Southside or southern suburbs) and are an avid runner, sometimes runner, want-to-be runner (or heck, have a kid in sports) then you should be at Running for Kicks.
Located at 7158 W. 127th Street (the corner of Harlem and 127th) in Palos Heights, IL, Running for Kicks does a great job matching you to your shoe. Their main brands include Asics, Mizuno, Saucony, and Brooks, amongst others. Mel is the owner, and he clearly knows what he is doing and practices what he preaches, as he’s been running in the Boston Marathon for years. Walking in, I knew I wanted Mel to take care of me, and I got the luck of the draw! As any good running store will do, he first evaluated my feet and walk to see what kind of shoe would work for me best. As I actually already knew, I over-pronate (inward) and have falling arches, which meant I needed extra support on the “medial post” of my shoe. Mel preaches that your shoe should feel great when you first put it on, and that “breaking them in” is unnecessary. Therefore, I was given 3 pairs of shoes and had to run up and down the parking lot in each pair, ruling them out one by one. Out of the Mizuno, Brooks, and Saucony choices I had, Saucony won by a landslide!
Of course, good running shoes aren’t cheap, but I knew that going in. Mel also helped my brudder pick out a pair, and we walked out very happy with our purchases. Before leaving, however, we were welcomed to the training/ group running sessions that the store hosts every Monday (6 mi run) and Wednesday (track run) at 6pm. He also shared with me a running plan for me to use as I trained for my 5K. Everything Mel told us was super supportive, which was appreciated as I was running around like a goof trying to pick out some shoes!
Again, I would highly suggest going to see the pros at Running for Kicks for your next pair of shoes. Happy feet mean happy runs and a happier you!
You can also check out their Yelp! page here.
Everybody loves a night out at the movies with friends or someone special, but we don’t love paying $10 each ticket, plus snacks! Solution: Chicago Park District’s “Movies in the Parks”! Parks throughout the City of Chicago bring in large … Continue reading
On our way to the White Sox Garage Sale on Saturday, MammaP and I noticed a few tents set up in a parking lot along 35th Street. This could mean only one thing: Farmer’s Market! How exciting (and perhaps, provides a few more clues for international readers to finally know where in the U.S. I’m located, lol)! With some time to kill before our next planned event that day, we decided to check out what was being offered.
The Bridgeport Farmer’s Market is very small, with only about 4 vendors this day. We learned that they are open every Saturday from 7am-1pm, and no credit cards are accepted. Located only a couple of blocks from the Cell at the corner of 35th and Wallace, parking on the nearby side streets is available when Sox traffic isn’t building yet. We looked through what the cheese and bread vendors had, and eventually wound up buying a bunch of beets and a head of cabbage, in addition to a pepper lettuce plant for the yard. The lettuce plant was put in the herb pot when we got home, and we will see how that grows – and tastes – hopefully soon. I’m not sure what we’re going to make with the cabbage and beets yet…
Overall, the Market wasn’t anything special, and was extremely small and not crowded at all. Research online says it is now on its 4th season, so traffic must be decent enough that they keep it going every year. The location isn’t too bad, especially for the nearby residential area, but you certainly couldn’t buy everything you needed for the week when you visit. I was glad that Bridgeport has a market, and hope it grows in the future!
Here’s the yelp! page for the market: http://www.yelp.com/biz/bridgeport-farmers-market-chicago
I Just Want to be Outside 