Usually in the summer we can live a healthier lifestyle. COVOID-19 has made this summer different. Do not let COVOID-19 stop you from taking care of your overall health. You can take precautions to reduce your risk of contracting COVOID-19 and still live healthy.

Most of us have more time available to us now than in the past. We can use that time to create healthy meals. We can experiment with healthy recipes. I used cauliflower rice instead of brown rice in one of my recipes. I am not saying that I will never eat brown rice again; however, I now know I can switch to a healthier option.

This time of the year there are several fruits in season. Instead of eating a surgery dessert, you can eat a peach, nectarine, plum, or watermelon and cantaloupe slices. You can try making different types of salads incorporating fruit.

Since we are limited in the restaurants we can patronize, now is the time to try recipes at home. You can add spices to your meals. I add cumin, allspice, garlic and turmeric to skinless chicken. I add rosemary to my veggie pasta. Not only will the spices give your food extra flavor they also have health benefits. For instance, cumin helps with indigestion, rosemary boosts memory and turmeric helps reduce inflammation.

Now is the time to load up on vegetables. Corn, cucumber, zucchini, eggplant, squash are all in season during the summer. If you can buy local. Search the Internet for recipes that incorporate summer vegetables.

Do not let COVOID-19 make you inactive. Although gyms have reopened in a lot of places, I am not ready to go back yet. I have an elliptical and a bicycle at home that I ride. I also use free weights and go outside to walk. I set fitness goals and track them for the week.

My determination is that on the other side of the COVOID-19 pandemic I will be better than I was before it started. I know it will take effort on my part. I will need to adjust and be flexible. Things are different now; however, each of us have control over our lives to pursue our goals and be our best selves.

Welcome back,
Your dreams were your ticket out.
Welcome back,
To that same old place that you laughed about.

Hi kids! I’m back! Did you miss me? Did you even know I was gone?

My brain was working on blog overload, so I needed to take a short break. I decided to try to shut things down for a week. It worked out okay. Not once did I hear the guy who lives in the White House say something bizarre and head immediately to my computer to write words about the lunacy.  Sure, I screamed at my television a few times, but not once did my fingers hit the keyboard in response. I think that’s progress. My therapist, if I had a current one, would be so proud.

So maybe…hopefully…you’re wondering what did he do during his sabbatical? Well folks, let me inform you that there is life outside of writing. Who knew? Even in a pandemic, you can find activities to keep yourself occupied which are safe and somewhat sane…although that sane thing depends on who you ask.

There were four things I wanted to accomplish during my vacation. Let’s take a quick peek at how it went:

Day trip:
A couple of weeks ago, I read a Tribune story about how you can find the best grilled cheese in a small Wisconsin town. The article made it sound fairly romantic. It was only a three hour car ride. To quote the guys from Animal House, “ROAD TRIP!!” Well, the romance was a little overrated, as was the grilled cheese, but it did kill a day.

Reading:
I’m a voracious reader. I set a goal of each year to read between seventy-five to one hundred books. I was well on my way to reaching the goal when the country shut down. I’m not sure what happened, but I quit reading. I went from reading one hundred or so pages each day to struggling to pick up a book. Twenty pages was a lot. It took me more than two months to finish a book about the women’s tennis tour.

My goal was to knock off two books this week. First up was “The Last Trial” by Scott Turow. The follow-up was the latest by John Grisham, “Camino Winds.” I made it through both of them…YEAH! They’re easy reads taking just a couple of days of reading each. I recommend the Turow book….the Grisham one, not so much.

Btw…just so you don’t think I only read legal thrillers, I’m now working on a new autobiography of baseball legend Willie Mays.

Television:
I already admit to watching plenty of the tube, so why would this be on my list? Because I found a program that isn’t MSNBC, ESPN or the Gameshow Network. My new cell phone came with a free year of Apple TV, so I finally got the chance to watch “The Morning Show.” Jennifer Anniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carrel all on one show has to be a lot laughs, right? Well, not so much, but it’s excellent television. Ten episodes of an hour each took three days. Well worth the time!

Music:
If you’re from my generation, chances are Bob Dylan is one of your go-to musicians. To be honest, I’m in the minority about him. I love his songs, but I like them better when they’re done by other artists. Still, when Dylan puts out new music, you have to give it a listen. His latest work is Dylan’s first album of new music in eight years. At age seventy-nine, Bob still has plenty to say. It’s worth the seventy-five minutes of your time to hear him out. (Teaser alert: a longer review is in the works!)

So those are the highlights from a pandemic staycation. It can be done! But, now that it’s over, I’m ready to start reporting making snarky comments again. Has Trump or any of his flunkies done anything strange lately? OY!!!!

Who’d have thought they’d lead ya 
Back here where we need ya 
Yeah we tease him a lot cause we’ve got him on the spot, welcome back,
Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.

*Song lyrics from “Welcome Back” by John Sebastian

Related Post: Can you have a staycation during a pandemic?

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Pongee was raised on the south-side of Chicago, a political-science graduate of Southern Illinois University of Carbondale. I embarked on my real estate career as a college student in 2005 at the age of 20, buying my first condo in Chicago. After buying 2 condominiums during the most recent tumultuous real estate market collapse, I was able to endure and purchase flips and rentals.

  As of late I have done both rentals and flipping, my current portfolio consists of properties with a mix of multi-family, commercial and single family. My competitive edge is building a real estate portfolio by buying undervalueddistress properties in urban areas. I am passionate about real estate, but most importantly inspiring millennials to invest in real estate.

This passion birthed my first book “Real Estate & Chill “ which was released in February 2018. My zeal for educating millennials on real estate investing led me to teach in Andre Hatchett’s “Black Real Estate School” and I was featured in Crain’s Chicago Business Newspaper. I was also featured on Dr. Boyce Watkins Intellectual Chocolate YouTube Channel as well a radio interview with 1690 AMin Chicago and recently published article for XoNecole and featured in Medium.

I have added the title author to my two sons Benjamin 9, and Franklin 6. Together, we have creating a series of children’s books, Little Owners focusing on entrepreneurship, financial literacy and community leadership.  “Ben the Banker” and “Franklin the Franchise Owner” released December 2019 and “Riley the Real Estate Investor” and “Robert the Real Estate Investor” released January 2020. I enjoy raising my two sons in Chicago with my husband, who is also my business partner.

To learn more about Pongee Barnes and her books and services visit the following  

 IG: https://www.instagram.com/little_owners/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/littleowners/
Website: littleowners.com

This blog post is the 25th in a series about my (and twin sister’s) preventative breast cancer screening journey that began when we were 30 years old in July 2019. Here is a list of all of the posts written about our journey at Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to date.  To keep tabs on new posts, sign up for the “A Daily Miracle” email list at this link. To order a tshirt raising awareness for breast cancer, fill out this form by Friday, July 24th–shirts are $20 and $8 goes directly to support Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota!

Here is my twin sister’s schedule for her third infusion of TDM1 from July 6!

On Monday, July 6th, my twin sister had her third infusion of T-DM1 at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. This is the “chemotherapy-light” regimen she started in May 2020 that will take place every 3 weeks for 14 infusions total (approximately 10 months). She does this in addition to a daily dose of Tamoxifen, a drug to keep estrogen levels low, which lowers the risk of estrogen-positive cancer returning. All of this follows six infusions of TCHP, a chemotherapy regimen she completed before her double mastectomy with reconstruction that removed all of her cancer in March 2020 (WOOHOO!!!).

Thank you so much for your continued prayers for 1) No reactions to her new chemo drugs 2) Her complete healing and 100% effectiveness of the treatment so her cancer never ever comes back!! 3) Side effects to be minimal / nonexistent!!

So far, everything is looking fairly good with a few exceptions: First, her eyesight took a turn for the worse last week–she all of a sudden realized that she can’t see things far away very well like street signs while driving. She has an eye doctor appointment scheduled this Monday morning, so stay tuned for results of that! It’s our hope that she simply needs an updated contact lens prescription and there’s nothing serious going on, but there is a possibility her vision got worse as a result of her chemo and Tamoxifen regimen. Side effects of Tamoxifen can include cataracts, so we are hoping it’s nothing like that or something more serious. Your prayers for her eyes and eye doctor appointment are appreciated!! 🙂

Also, her platelets and neutrophils are on the low end, so we are definitely asking for prayers that her levels recover before her next infusion coming up this Friday, July 24th. In addition to praying fervently, my twin sister is going to eat lots of healthy foods rich in Vitamins A, K, and B12 in addition to lots of folate-rich foods and iron to help with that! According to her oncology team and the director of Mayo Clinic’s integrative health clinic that we went to see at the beginning of my sister’s chemo journey in October 2019, she is not allowed to take mineral supplements at this time because there is not enough research to support how supplements interact with and potentially change the effectiveness of her chemo treatments. We went to see the director of Mayo Clinic’s integrative health clinic in Rochester in October 2019 and he said that eating healthy right now along with maintaining a healthy lifestyle emotionally and mentally is the best thing my twin sister can do during her chemo treatments.

With regard to healthy foods, here is a page out of the book Beating Cancer With Nutrition that we’ve all been going through and trying our best to follow together, in addition to a page from Eat to Beat Disease that one of my best friends shared with me this week:

Here is a page from the book Beating Cancer With Nutrition with healthy foods to eat!

A page from Eat to Beat Disease from one of my best friends with healthy foods to eat to beat cancer!

Here is my twin sister knocking our her third infusion of T-DM1 at Mayo Rochester, with a smile on her face!!! 🙂

My sister’s third infusion of T-DM1 at Mayo Clinic Rochester

My twin sister and her husband headed in on July 6th for her blood test at 1130am and headed to a meeting with her NP about blood levels after that. It turns out that my twin sister’s platelets and neutrophils are on the low end, so we are definitely asking for prayers that her levels recover before her next infusion coming up this Friday, July 24th!

After her checkin with her NP, she and her husband went upstairs to Gonda Building Level 10–where Mayo Rochester does all chemo infusions–and had her half hour chemotherapy infusion! This third infusion went well!, and my sister even got to chat with one of her favorite chemo nurses for a half hour while she waited for her chemo drug order to be placed! It’s all about the little things and silver linings on this journey and we are so grateful for some of the nicest most wonderful doctors, nurses, and technicians we’ve ever met that work at Mayo Clinic in Rochester 🙂 We are convinced some of them are angels in disguise 🙂

After her third infusion, she headed home with her husband and was feeling pretty tired. She told us she prefers having her chemo infusions on Fridays instead of Mondays because that way she has the weekend to rest and recover. This time around her infusion was on a Monday, so on Tuesday she went back to work (from home) and was tired and a bit nauseous in the sense nothing really sounded good to eat. Even in the midst of these adverse physical circumstances, she’s maintaining a positive attitude and giving glory to God in the process.

One example of her faith that never ceases: We are going through the book of Colossians as a Bible study, and my twin sister recently shared that a major lesson she’s learned during her cancer journey is about how God is supreme over her health and her cancer diagnosis, and that no matter what cancer diagnosis she gets, God is good and knew it was coming. God knew every single chemo infusion was coming, and He is still good!

Her faith in the Lord and the providence of God is an inspiration!!!!!!! We love her soooo much!!!

Here go my twin sister and her husband into her third infusion of T-DM1 at Mayo in Rochester! We love the Mayo brothers!!

My twin sister’s three-month plastic surgery follow up appointment

My twin sister went to see her plastic surgeon on Thursday, July 9th, for her three-month follow-up at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

At her three-month follow-up appointment, rather than seeing our plastic surgeon, she saw one of her residents, who was “very knowledgeable.” Because Mayo is a teaching hospital, residents and fellows often pop in and out of procedures for training. For example, an anesthesiology resident started my IV before my double mastectomy with reconstruction operation, and radiology residents/fellows conducted my stereotactic core biopsy and MRI biopsy respectively while overseeing physicians oversaw both procedures.

At her three-month follow-up appointment, she got all good news! She also found out several things:

• First, the average life of our implants is 7.8 years, so we get to go in and have MRIs to check on the viability of our implants around that time and have them replaced accordingly.
• Second, at my twin sister’s one-month follow up appointment, she had a stitch sticking out of one of her incisions, but that has cleared up now and she is looking and feeling good!
• Third, she had some pain on her left side and a very small bump on the bottom left side of her implant, which she was slightly concerned about. But the doctor let her know that it’s nothing to be concerned about because it’s simply the edge of her implant that she can feel under the alloderm hammock that holds it in place. Because it isn’t causing a huge issue or discomfort, it is totally fine. As plastic surgeons, they can’t guarantee 100% smooth edges, BUT they offered my sister the opportunity to have a fat graft anytime to smooth out that one edge. However, the resident said everything looks symmetrical and the risks of doing that would likely outweigh the benefit, plus, he mentioned that my twin sister has no fat to graft. What a great problem to have! Ha!
• Finally: Her scars are looking good and she has no physical restrictions!

Like many other hospitals worldwide, because of delays due to COVID19, the plastic surgery department is backlogged like crazy. For example, TRAM-flap reconstruction surgeries are booking 18 months out! When we asked why she didn’t get to see our actual plastic surgeon at the appointment (because it’s always nice to see the actual doctor!!), my twin sister said the resident told them that our plastic surgeon is in surgery/the operating room four days per week making up for all of the surgeries that were postponed in March and April due to COVID19. My sister said: “She is very busy and everyone says there are no areas of concern!” Praise the Lord!

Here go my twin sister and her husband into her three-month plastic surgery follow-up appointment at Mayo in Rochester!

Superfan tshirts!!

If you are reading this blog you probably noticed the matching pink tshirts we wear to a lot of our appointments! They are “superfan” shirts that I made before my double mastectomy with reconstruction operation back in December 2019, in honor of our amazing team of doctors. The tshirt text reads: “When life gives you breast cancer, join up with Team Mayo Clinic: Rochester, MN!” with a list of our doctor names in cursive at the bottom. I made them for our whole family and our doctor team and had the whole family wear them as I headed into my surgery on Tuesday, December 3rd!! We also packed shirts for our doctors in gift bags and brought them along to the hospital. Our doctors loved them when they opened them!!! We wore the matching tshirts to my twin sister’s surgery, too 🙂 and whenever we go to the Mayo Clinic Breast Clinic on Gonda 2, the checkin staff recognize us and ask how we are doing!!

We got a few requests from friends who wanted tshirts after we made our initial order, so we are ordering another batch of them!! T-shirts are $20 each, and $8 each goes directly to support Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota! If you want to join us in raising breast cancer awareness and funds for Mayo Clinic, fill out this form by Friday, July 24th! 

Here are our “Team Mayo Clinic” tshirts you can order at the link above!!

Next steps

My twin sister has her eye doctor appointment to figure out why her vision is blurry this Monday, July 20th; and has her fourth infusion of T-DM1 this Friday, July 24th! To be honest, I’m not sure how my twin sister has done it. I’m still kind of fatigued six months after my surgery and all I had was a double mastectomy with reconstruction surgery.

My twin sister had a double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction operation, PLUS six infusions of TCHP, PLUS she’s on Tamoxifen for five years, PLUS she’s going through T-DM1 now, AND she had to go through Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome as a result of fertility treatments that allowed she and her husband to harvest 28 eggs that they will have children with after her treatments are all over 🙂 In addition all this, she has been working full time as a lawyer basically this entire time (she LOVES her job, which is amazing to see :)).

I just have to sit and wonder at the awesomeness of God being her joy and strength through all of this. My sister is a living example of God’s promises and purposes for us laid out in 2 Corinthians 4:

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Thank you all for your continued prayers!!!

This blog post is the 25th in a series about my (and twin sister’s) preventative breast cancer screening journey that began when we were 30 years old in July 2019. Here is a list of all of the posts written about our journey at Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to date.  To keep tabs on new posts, sign up for the “A Daily Miracle” email list at this link. To order a tshirt raising awareness for breast cancer, fill out this form by Friday, July 24th–shirts are $20 and $8 goes directly to support Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota!

There was a big change in the 2020 presidential campaign last week when the dems suddenly decided to run Bernie as their nominee.

The latest political bait and switch.

When Biden’s poll numbers start to drop (and they will) the dems have an ace in their hole.  Bernie.  They want everyone to believe Bernie is really running.  Bernie’s popularity (not to mention his mental health) is more stable; his supporters more committed.  He is a far better man.  And a far better candidate.

And he will be used.

But nowhere did I, an ardent Bernie lover and supporter, hear from Biden anything that really sounded like Bernie.  Nothing clear and outspoken and honest.  Nothing that Bernie really promulgated over his last two campaigns, or what he stood for during his long and thoughtful career.

What I heard was lip service paid to Bernie.  Not to mention AOC’s Green New Deal.  (She endorsed Bernie in the primary, saying she was uninterested in going backward with Biden.)

Nowhere did I hear Medicare (for all), public college tuition (for free), or get the bums on Wall Street out (of the political mix).

Not the way Bernie says it.

But the transcribers of history told a story of the newly conjoined Bernie-Biden twins.

Bernie the enabler?

Biden also said, “Buy American!  Get our manufacturing back home!”  Or some such.  And plagiarist that he is, he also sounded like Trump.  Hard to know who the real Biden really is.  Bernie?  Or Trump?

Perhaps Hunter Biden the son will have to come out of his drugged crack-haze and re-create his job of getting dad to give China whatever will make it happy.  “Scowling at China is Trump’s job, dad,” he’ll say.  And voila!  The Chinese will have to give Hunter an even bigger cash payment to get his father to stop saying what Trump says.

The administration of which Biden was a part for eight years gave China whatever it wanted from us–beg, borrow or steal.  Lunch-bucket Joe was a phony.  He could have spoken up for all this stuff for eight years as Obama’s vice.  But he didn’t.  But now he says he will.  Yeah, sure.

Did Bernie hear something Biden said that was really like Bernie?  Or did he just hear what he wanted to hear? Because the only real thing that indicated Biden would be conducting a platform like Bernie’s was Bernie said he would.  In fact, Bernie said Biden would be the most progressive president since FDR.

Bernie the enabler?

Biden was the exact opposite of Bernie in his career up until last week. Not to mention FDR.

Poor Bernie doesn’t want to be Ralph Nader in his old age.  Or in his grave, once he’s in it.  So it seems to be very important for his personal legacy to play along, no matter what he hears from Biden.  So it won’t be Bernie’s fault if Biden collapses and doesn’t win.  Like Hillary.

For the second time over four years, Bernie’s going to beat the drum for a neo-liberal phony who thinks nothing of declaring war (or gassing up the ones we’re already in) or giving banks back tons of stolen money because they’re too big to fail.

But if Bernie’s ideas are so great, and Biden is so eager to pretend to be Bernie, why were the powers that be in the democrat party so eager to get rid of Bernie in the first place?  He was the real deal, and winning, scandal-free, totally corruptionless, honest, committed to fairness, enthusiastic, energetic, straightforward and a true mensch.  Unlike who they really have: the exact opposite.

Because that’s not the kind of candidate they really like.  And right now, they’re putting us on to get the Bernie voters under false pretenses.

What was wrong with keeping Bernie in the primary (as well as everyone else who wanted to stay) and let the chips fall where they may, even if it led to a drag out fight on the convention floor?   Now there won’t even be a convention floor.

One thing we learned this time around.   Tom Perez’ shark like tendencies make Debbie Wassermann Schultz look like an angelfish.

So after months of Biden hiding in his basement because it’s too scary to let him out to gaff, gaff and gaff some more, or give him an opportunity to tell a few whoppers, or plagiarize some memorable lines  written by someone else (even Trump) or remind everyone he’s a harasser and corrupt, and an ineffective insider–and violent to boot, the way he was challenging anyone during the primary who disagreed with him to a fistfight in the alley, they finally let him out to tell everyone he’s really Bernie.

Biden is no Bernie.  Bernie won’t gaff, challenge, threaten, lie, plagiarize, or be corrupt or creepy or a touchy-feely.  But Biden will.  And has.  So he stays locked behind a mask in front of bookcases, keeping his dirty little secrets in his rec room.  He’s an empty Biden, hollowed out–and now falsely filled with Bernie.  Like a gas tank in an old car that gets filled with Premium.

Biden is Bernie only because he is wearing a Halloween disguise.

He’s not Bernie.  He’s only pretending to be Bernie so he can maintain his high numbers and win.   He knows that eventually Trump will mount a campaign and he will use Bernie as a (false) sword and shield.    And then, if he wins, and after he’s through cutting a few ribbons, and taking a few trips to Europe and being made fun of at the White House Correspondent’s dinner (which all presidents love to be), he’ll say he’s getting old and he’ll retire.

Biden has nothing to offer but nothingness.  He will be an empty vessel that all neo-liberal democrat leaders will have their way with.  Which means maintaining the status quo and keeping their deep, rich gravy train choo-choo-chooing from Wall Street, Big Pharma, the Arms Manufacturers, Big Insurance Companies and many, many other big donors they shouldn’t be having anything to do with.

And for vice they’ll pick for him the person who was unable to compete on her own and win, failing  dismally as the actual candidate.  But you’ll get her anyway.  Even though she couldn’t get it on her own.  Lick those chops and rub those lascivious palms, dems, because Barack wants his female counterpart in line to be president in very short order.  (You can read all about the Harris plan here.)

Trump the Chump will probably go down the escalator of history as a mere seat warmer for the next phase (s) of the Obama administration.

And Biden, the  empty (lounge) suit can let everyone who hasn’t thought things through project onto him their favorite three words:  Anybody But Trump.

And what will we get?  A lot of meaningless virtue-signaling.  Sorry for the redundancy.

In the end, Bernie wasn’t good enough for the mainstream dems; and Creepy Joe with all his baggage (forgot to mention Anita Hill, but remember her, too) is going to be their guy.  But if it had been played straight, Bernie would be the nominee–and the president, too.  Going on twice.

Bernie’s ideas–as stated by a mushed up gaff machine like Biden–are the dems’ new platform.  So mushed  up, they sound like Trump.   Bernie with a side of Trump.  (Or vice versa. )  And in the end, all you get is Creepy Joe.

And Bernie–a wishful thinker hearing only what he wants to hear.  He may go down in history, at least this time, as NOT Ralph Nader, but he he will also go down in history as a convenient lackey and a total pushover.  And he’ll see his simple, fair and much-needed ideas vaporized by this group of liars and fakers.

But that’s the way “If you don’t vote for me, you ain’t black [unless you’re Corn Pop]” Biden rolls.

And Bernie got rolled.

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Today, in Part II of our 5-part series, “Dining al fresco on Chicago’s North Shore,” Show Me Chicago showcases Lake Forest.

Lake Forest is a 26 mile trek north  from Chicago.

Getting There

You can take the expressway, but if you have a little extra time you may want to consider the more scenic route through the historically significant, tree-lined communities of Chicago’s North Shore.

The Journey Begins

Take Lake Shore Drive north to where it ends at Hollywood and connects with Sheridan Road and continue north.

Stay alert on Sheridan Road as it twists and turns its way past impressive estates and significant landmarks.

Once in Evanston, you’ll pass through three downtown business districts  before coming to the lakeshore campus of Northwestern University at the northern border of Evanston.

Bahai Temple. Photo: Chicago Tribune.

From there, you’ll enter Wilmette where you’ll see the Bahá’í House of Worship (100 Linden Ave). The massive structure surrounded by gardens and the lake is hard to miss.

As you continue on Sheridan Road you’ll drive through Kenilworth, Winnetka, Glencoe and Highland Park where you’ll see many large estates and occasional glimpses of the lake.

You know you are almost there when you reach Highwood. Highwood has been called the playground of the North Shore with its many bars, restaurants and live music venues.

You can walk the extensive grounds at Ft. Sheridan from the gate on Sheridan Rd, to the lake. Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer

At the northern border of Highwood you’ll get a glimpse of historic Ft. Sheridan–established as U.S. Army post in 1887 (to 1993). In 1984 parts of Fort Sheridan were designated a National Historic Landmark District.

Although it is now home to the “Town of Ft. Sheridan” many of the original structures remain.

Almost There

Stay on Sheridan Rd. for another 2 miles, past the Lake Forest College campus (and Halas Hall) to Deerpath Road where you’ll want to turn left (west) to Western Avenue.

Lake Forest

Known as an affluent community with a rich architectural history and home to many of the captains of industry, Lake Forest offers natural beauty along with a rich heritage and a diverse mix of dining choices.

The city spans 17.246 square miles from the lakefront on the east side to the Tri-State Tollway (I-94) on the west side.

The heart of Lake Forest is Market Square (on Western Avenue just north of Deerpath Road).

Heralded as the first planned shopping center, Market Square was designed by architect Howard Van Doren Shaw in 1916.

Show Me Chicago will be covering restaurants in Market Square and surrounding area covering a 1/2 mile radius.

Market Square Fountain with sculpture by Sylvia Shaw Judson (daughter of Howard Van Doren Shaw) Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer

The Deer Path Inn

Deerpath Inn alfresco. Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer

If you are looking to soak up a little history of Lake Forest along with an elegant meal, head to the Deer Path Inn (255 E. Illinois) for breakfast, lunch, dinner or afternoon tea.

Just named the 2nd best resort hotel in the Country by Travel & Leisure magazine, the Deer Path Inn–is an elegant Tudor Style hotel with three different dining venues (two have outdoor courtyards) open to hotel guests as well as the public.

It’s hard to beat the courtyard (or the garden) for alfresco dining. They also have a casual pub and bar as well as the fine dining English Room.

Recently we had a leisurely breakfast in the garden among the greenery with a delightful backdrop of  chirping birds and music.

We shared the English breakfast (half portion). Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer

The Lantern

The Lantern. Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer

The Lantern (768 N. Western) is a longtime favorite of both Lake Forest College students and locals. It’s a great spot for burgers, beer and much more.

Upon entering the Lantern you’ll see photos of Chicago Bears from the 1985 Super Bowl Championship team who spent a great deal of their off-field time there. Even today don’t be surprised to see some of the former Bears as well as players from other teams gathering there.

If you look up you’ll see model trains circling the dining room–a popular feature with families (as is the balloon lady who’s currently on hiatus due to the coronavirus).

The Lantern offers both indoor and outdoor dining.

Left Bank

The Left Bank. Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer

The Left Bank (659 N.Bank Ln.) has been around in one form or another since 1963 when Bob Pasquesi and his wife Gert founded Left Bank  

It’s a great spot for hot dogs, tacos, pizza and burgers. And you never know who you might see from neighbor kids to celebs including Lake Forest native Vince Vaughn who likes to stop by when he’s in town.

 Sweet’s

Sweets has set up tables for alfresco dining during the pandemic. Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer

Sweet’s (280 E. Deerpath Rd.) has been part of the Lake Forest landscape since 1982 when local residents Susan and Jonathan Dick founded  the family run business as a quintessential penny candy and ice cream shoppe. 

Through the years it has expanded nationwide distributing original gift baskets and corporate gifts while still attracting kids and families.

Its welcoming atmosphere featuring wooden floors, cheerful yellow-stenciled walls and their iconic oversized copper kettle along with quality sweets keeps people returning again and again. 

Amidei Mercatino Open-Air Market

Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer

Thirty-one years ago, Amidei Mercatino (235 Southgate) opened his open-air market in an alleyway behind the Marshall Field’s Store on Market Square. Since then the charming marketplace has become a favorite with residents and visitors alike for fresh produce, healthy plants, local honey, jams, jellies and much more.

The Market is open daily from April to December. Every year, following Thanksgiving, the Market offers holiday decor and trees.

Gerhard’s

Gerhards. Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer

Gerhard’s (20 N. Western Ave.) Square is a delightful place to take a break from shopping and enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee and an elegant pastry, a mini-quiche or a healthy yogurt and fruit parfait. 

Dark chocolate mousse. Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer

For three decades, Gerhard’s owner Mary Greub has meticulously adhered to what she calls “Swiss standards” in preparation and presentation.

There are desserts for every taste and price range from doughnut and croissants to chocolate chip cookies, and  beautiful cakes. Perhaps the most popular dessert of all just might be the Dark Chocolate Mousse (pictured here)

Market House on the Square

Market House on the Square. Photo: Carole Kuhrt-Brewer

The former Lake Forest firehouse was converted to the Southgate Restaurant back in 1980’s.  Upon opening, it became an instant hit with its large patio outdoors and charming garden room, bar and dining room inside.

In 2012, it became the Market House on the Square. The restaurant focuses on farm-to-table while still offering many of Market House’s popular legacy dishes.

Market House (655 Forest Ave) sits on the southeast corner of the Square.  

More

Craving Mexican? Head to Authentico (770 N. Western Ave.), which bills itself as a traditional Mexican restaurant with a modern twist.

Looking for Italian? Francesca’s Intimo (293 E Illinois Rd.) fills the bill serving up a, zesty earthy cuisine accented with the flavors of Rome.

Foodstuffs, (255 E Westminster), a high quality gourmet food store also offers a sandwich, salads and soup menu to go or to be enjoyed at their outdoor tables.

The Gallery (202 E Wisconsin Ave) combines fine art with fine food. The revolving menus reflect the art displayed on the walls.

The Peanut Gallery (950 N Western Ave), a sibling of the Gallery offers a more casual atmosphere along with great burgers and more.

Lake Bluff Dining

To see Part I of Dining on Chicago’s North Shore featuring Lake Bluff, click here.

Sidewalk Sale

Check out the unique shops and bargains  and grab a bite (make reservations) Lake Forest and Lake Bluff shops. The sale runs through July 18

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