[ID: A series of photographs taken on a recent trip; they include the interior of a spice store done in warm wood and stocked with endless jars, a delicious-looking bagel, a retro-looking store with a neon sign reading "Newspapers - Magazines" above it, a Little Free Library shaped like a church, and the entrance to an El platform with two sets of stairs, between which is an old-timey sign reading "TO ALL TRAINS" and pointing to either stair.]
I did a little mini-vacation recently, staying over for a weekend in Evanston, just north of Chicago and accessible by the El. I had a great time -- bought some herbs and spices to mix my own italian seasoning from The Spice House, got a chocolate bagel with a cherry shmear at Lefty's Righteous Bagels (DO recommend), and saw some sights. Most of my touristing got done on Sunday so a lot of stuff was closed, but I'm thinking I'll do another day trip (perhaps when it's significantly warmer out) to hit up the stores and sights that I missed.