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…and Eats

…and a Doughnut-Themed Gym

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Hotspots-a-Go-Joe, Edition VIII/i

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West Town Reviews:

Co-Work:

Jupiter Outpost, Starbucks

Eat:

Girl/Goat, Glazed/Infused, Jupiter Outpost, Publican Quality Meats

Kitchen Stuff:

Northwest Cutlery

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Starbucks West Loop – Randolph & Morgan

(3.8 / 5) Google lists this Starbucks in two neighborhoods, as though this Starbucks is located simultaneously in two planes of existence. This confusion isn’t Google’s fault. I suspect that Chicago’s neighborhood confines rotate according to the Mayan calendar. I only fault Google for trying so hard to validate this confusion instead of trying to clear it up.

Pros:

1. Free parking in front of this Starbucks! That’s no trivial matter; it’s expensive to park in Chicago.
2. If you’re hoping for something good to eat, you probably couldn’t pick a better neighborhood than this one.
3. Good number of seats with desk space.

Cons:

1. Only about half of the seating is serviced by electrical outlets.

Many of Chicago’s trendiest eateries are just east of this Starbucks. Not all of them are open for lunch (but Wishbone is). But if you drive here in the afternoon, work, and then cut out around 5 or 6 for an early dinner, maybe someplace like Girl and the Goat. You’ll be eating the dream.

Hungry?

Glazed & Infused

(4 / 5) 🙂 Because you love doughnuts.Who doesn’t? But these aren’t just ordinary doughnuts. Yeast-raised rings with homemade raspberry glaze? Long johns with real maple glaze & peppered maple bacon? No, neither of those is the real story. The thing to get excited about is this: You can finally work out and eat doughnuts without having to cross the street! (See picture, left.) I hear that they hang doughnuts from the ceiling over the mats where people do sit-ups, so that you sit up, bite the doughnut, and down. Sit up, bite the doughnut, and down. You simply have to do enough sit-ups to counterbalance the particular doughnut that you’ve eaten, and your life is in perfect balance. 🙁 My only criticism of Glazed is that it’s not Stan’s. Stan’s is the best.

3/31/145:00 PM

Because you love Oprah, you’ll want to see her old stomping grounds, Harpo Studios, which is a very short walk from the Randolph-Morgan Starbucks. But you don’t have to walk … when you drive there in you NEW CA-A-A-A-A-R!

Need to sharpen your knife?

Northwest Cutlery

(5 / 5) 😀 Because you love sharp knives. Northwestern calls itself a “candy store for cooks,” but I don’t think that’s the way I’d describe it. I’d call it a cocaine store for cooks! I want everything in that store, I want it fast, and I want it now! I take my knives to Northwest to get them sharpened. These guys are amazing! I recommend them as highly as I possibly can. Not expensive, either. Drop your knives off. When they see that you’ve got serious-as-shit, professional-quality knives, they’ll say nothing, but you’ll note the glint of solidarity and understanding in their eyes. They’ll ask you if you want to wait while they do them. Return that admiration to them for their work ethic and willingness to please, but say no. Instead, tell them you’ll be back in an hour, and tell them it’s because you’re going head over to Publican. They’ll practically high-five you. Return to the store to pick up the knives as you’re finishing the last few bites of paté that you grabbed for “dessert” as you were leaving, and they’ll practically hover round and initiate you into their brotherhood.

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Coffee, Free WIFI: West Town, Chicago

Other places to log on: Archer Heights, Boystown, Edgewater Beach, Fulton River District, Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Pilsen, Ravenswood, Rogers Park, West Loop, Wicker Park, Uptown

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