A Taste of Chicago by Margot Justes

I may have mentioned once or twice before that I love to travel, but I also love going out to eat and trying new things. I was raised on simple fare and going to eat in restaurants was not the thing to do. You ate at home.

The one thing my father instilled in me was the love of travel; we moved frequently and lived in some pretty amazing places. Maybe that is why to this day I have wander lust and always want to see more.

Growing up in that environment allowed me the freedom to sample different cultures, but as I matured and became more independent my taste for travel grew as did my palate.

I live near am amazing city. I'm 35 minutes away from Chicago and that means world class museums, theatre, opera, orchestra and food. The restaurants are simply amazing. All of that... just minutes away.

Not raised on fast foods and to this day, the only fast food  I buy is from the Pita Inn, love their falafel. Falafel is basically ground chick peas and assorted seasonings formed into balls and quickly deep fried. Stuffed in a pita bread with tomatoes, lettuce and tahini sauce makes a yummy sandwich. (Tahini sauce is made from sesame seeds)

Chicago and the surrounding area offers amazing restaurants, from The Lettuce Entertain You chain of restaurants, like Everest that provides an exquisite dining experience, to the very casual and delightful R. J. Grunts with a funky menu in the Lincoln Park area.

And of course, any discussion of fine restaurants must include Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, and I don't even have to whisper the chef's name, but I will...Rick Bayless.

Inexpensive fare to the very high end and everything in between can be found in Chicago. And because we're so culturally rich and diverse, all ethnic foods abound.

One of my favorite restaurants in Chicago is the Russian Tea Room, first because of its location, as you step out of the Art Institute and look across Michigan Avenue, you can see the sign. They serve traditional Russian fare and the black bread as the saying goes-is to die for.  Their afternoon tea is reasonable and delicious.

Another favorite is Sayat Nova, a Middle Eastern gem on Ohio Street, off of Michigan Ave. A small intimate place with a big sign. It has been in that location for decades, charming Middle Eastern decor with a great menu selection from kebabs to couscous. And the lentil soup is amazing.  

Cheers,

Margot Justes
A Hotel in Paris
Hearts & Daggers
Hot Crimes Cool Chicks
www.mjustes.com

Went Shopping with Granddaughter by Margot Justes

My daughter and granddaughter came for breakfast, so I cooked their favorite dishes. My daughter loves kiszka, so I got one for her. (Kiszka is a sort of Polish sausage made from barley and beef blood) My granddaughter loves scrambled eggs and Polish sausage. I cooked that along with tomatoes, various cheeses, and pretzel rolls. She loves pretzel rolls. It was a feast, and I might add the coffee was sublime.
They came over to pick up a bed I no longer wanted. We disassembled the bed, packed it in the truck and went shopping for a little chair I wanted to put in the spare bedroom. There is a queen size bed there already, a sleeper couch in my office. I have enough sleeping accommodations. The additional trundle bed took up too much room. A small chair is all I wanted.

Back to my shopping for the little chair. I love Dania, they have lovely contemporary pieces that do not cost an arm and a leg. Maybe a couple of fingers at most.

My daughter and I found a lovely small, comfy chair. My granddaughter found a semi circular, orange couch. It was love at first sight. We tried to talk her out of it. She was willing to look around, but always came back to that orange couch.

I am now the proud owner of a round, orange couch. The room is painted a light green. It is a good thing that other than the dining room furniture, nothing matches in my house. I buy pieces I like and it always seems to work out. Maybe it is an inherited trait.

Cheers,
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com
A Hotel in Paris
Hearts & Daggers
Hot Crimes Cool Chicks

The Island of Delos by Margot Jutes

I thought I'd post this blog again, it's been a couple of years and wanderlust is visiting me once again; time to plan another trip. Hope you enjoy the post.

About a thirty minute ferry ride from Mykonos is the island of Delos. And what an island  it is. Almost uninhabited,  there are approximately 25 people there, all either archaeologists or security personnel.

The island is bare, there are no snack shops, no hotels, no restaurants, the wind can whip up in a quick frenzy,  it is in fact quite desolate.  A museum, the only modern accommodation for the tourist, books and other Delos souvenirs can be bought, but that is the extent of the touristy trade. The rest of the island is in ruins. Magnificent ruins.

What makes this island unique are the ruins. Amazing ruins. The whole island is covered with them. It is an immense site and one not easily forgotten.

Delos is said to be the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Archaeological traces indicate the island was inhabited as early as 3000 B.C. Some of the ruins are so well preserved that you can actually imagine what the structures looked like and how they were utilized.

From the Doric Temple of Isis to the Archaic Lions to the mosaic floors, the sites are truly inspiring.
Off the beaten path, I observed an archaeologist crouched on a low portable chair, a pad and pencil in hand as he meticulously measured something on the ground and then put it on paper. I snuck up on him and watched as he quietly continued his research. Time stood still and the serenity on the island was disturbed only by the fierce whipping wind.

If you ever find yourself in Mykonos, do take the time to visit Delos. I promise, you will not be disappointed, you will in fact be enthralled. The terrain is rough, wear comfortable shoes, you will be walking in worn and uneven footsteps that are three thousand years old . It doesn't get better than that.

Cheers,
Margot Justes
www.mjustes.com

Swept by History by Margot Justes

I spent a long weekend in Alexandria, Virginia visiting my daughter. I took my granddaughter with me, and I must say she was incredible. I  plan to make this an annual event with her. She said she loved it, even though she got a work out.

It was hot and humid and the little munchkin didn't complain. A few stops at Starbucks along the way helped, bottles of water and hats were required at all times.

We walked all along King Street, took a boat ride to Mt. Vernon and visited Washington's home. My granddaughter is interested in American History and she certainly got quite a glimpse.

We spent a day in DC and visited the Vietnam Memorial. It is one of the most poignant and profound memorials I have ever seen. 

The Lincoln Memorial is nearby and we climbed up and paid a visit, and the view of the Washington Memorial is quite amazing from that site. We walked by the White House, and she took many pictures through the fence.

The Smithsonian was not left out, we stopped at the National Gallery and daughter Dina introduced me to an amazing portrait done by Chuck Close. A marvelous, huge portrait of a remarkable, worn, feisty and spirited face. Truly an astounding piece. Finger painting at its best. I will have to visit again. I'm making plans to go back end of September. After all, I have to visit my daughter.

To round out our history lesson, we stopped at the American History Museum.  

Cheers,

Margot  Justes
Hearts & Daggers
A Hotel in Paris
Hot Crimes Cool Chicks
www.mjustes.com

Are blogs effective by Margot Justes

Blogs take a bit of time to write, at least for me. I know that marketing has to be a factor in sales, and that name recognition goes to marketing and sales.

A midlist author needs that crucial name recognition to build a readership, and so it goes. E-book sales are a huge business and growing rapidly, and many of us are taking the plunge and going indie, and trying to build on that name recognition.

How to do it? One way is to blog and post all over e-net creation. That is an upside, our name is out there. There is also a downside. How many read all the blogs that are posted?  People are busy with everyday life.

Are blogs effective? Do the readers really get to know us through them? Is a shorter version of communication better? There is Facebook and Twitter, and many other social networks that take far less time and are a faster way to communicate.

What do you think? Are blogs effective, or have they outlived their usefulness?

Cheers,

Margot  Justes

Hearts & Daggers

A Hotel in Paris

and coming soon Hot Crimes Cool Chicks

www.mjustes.com

Words on Paper and Time by Margot Justes

It's been a while since I've blogged. Time has a way of disappearing. There is work, the one that actually pays bills. There is family and somewhere in between there is solitude. The type you need to put words on paper. The solitude where you escape to a world of your own creation. Somewhere in between there has be time to do errands, take care of house and make time to read.

Then of course, it's time for bed and you realize the day is done. Time has flown.

That is what happened to me the last few weeks. I have a deadline for my short stories.

Amy Alessio, Mary Welk and I are back together for a short story anthology.

Coming soon to a Kindle near you, Hot Crimes Cool Chicks.

I have a request for a full submission for my paranormal manuscript, and have to wait until my editor is ready-should be end of this month. Have to work on another novella due in September, and so it goes.

The one thing I have learned is time is precious, and anytime I can spend with family, is always my priority. Except for today, got an afternoon call from Solonge (older daughter) and she asked if there was time to go boating-I said no. She caught me in the middle of cooking-yes indeed-I was actually in the kitchen making chili.  A dear friend is ill and I promised him some homemade chili. It's actually quite excellent, if I say so myself. It was something small but important for me to do. I gave Solonge an option for breakfast tomorrow morning.

Back to my point, I really have one. Time is short, we need to pick the things that are truly important to us and do them first, and if there is time, well then we go on to the next item on the list.  I think we'll find that no matter how hard we think our life is, there is always, always someone worse off. Enjoy your life and make time meaningful.

Cheers,

Margot  Justes

Hearts & Daggers

A Hotel in Paris

www.mjustes.com

An Incredible Talent by Margot Justes

Renaissance in a literal translation means rebirth. I'm specifically writing about the later Renaissance period that started in the 14th Century in Florence, Italy.  The massive movement affected, politics, literature, industry and of course art; and that is just gliding over the surface.

The impact on art was profound, a new realistic approach to painting where perspective became important-more specifically something called linear perspective-where parallel lines converge so as to give the painting an illusion of depth and distance. That is the accepted definition.

When we look at a painting, we don't say 'ah, I see the linear perspective', we just see a painting and recognize distances and depth and sometimes an added dimension.

There is a recent BBC article written by Robin Banerji about the quintessential Renaissance man, Leonardo da Vinci, despite being dead for centuries.

The latest article states that his anatomy drawings were quite accurate and better than the 19th Century Gray's Anatomy, and according to the article his anatomy studies were "hundreds of years ahead of its time." A series of drawings of the skull were anatomically correct and  perfect. The article goes on to say that the drawings were as good as what can be drawn today.  Leonardo died in 1519, that puts things in perspective.

Among his many talents, Leonardo da Vinci could paint what he saw perfectly.  That is not as easy as it sounds. I imagine it as he photographed it in his head and later developed it on paper.  A perfect visual image rendered in pigment.

 Till next time,

Margot  Justes

Hearts & Daggers

A Hotel in Paris

www.mjustes.com