Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Thanksgiving is not easy...




In the introduction to his new book, Sam Sifton lays it out: "Thanksgiving is not easy." Sifton knows whereof he speaks; he's now the national editor of The New York Times, but before he took on that solemn responsibility, he was the newspaper's restaurant critic and a food columnist for its Sunday Magazine.

Sifton cites Thanksgiving stresses like drunk uncles, tense travel, itsy-bitsy ovens, family feuds and, of course, the dinner itself. But he offers to help with that last bit. He's written an entire book on Thanksgiving dinner — not a thick book, but a thorough one — intended to get you through the last crumb of pumpkin pie.
It's called Thanksgiving: How to Cook It Well, and here's one of Sifton's central pieces of advice: Forget innovation. Be conservative. "There should be no swordfish at Thanksgiving," he tells NPR's Linda Wertheimer. "There should be no beef tenderloin at Thanksgiving. Ham is an abomination at Thanksgiving. There should be a turkey. Turkey is why you are here."


CONTINUE READING OR LISTEN TO THE SHOW...Talking Turkey (and Pie)
            

Thursday, November 15, 2012

START THE CELEBRATION


This Saturday, November 17, 2012...Make Your Holidays Magnificent!

Kick off the holiday season and create your special memories on The Magnificent Mile in 2012!
The BMO Harris Bank Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, the nation’s largest evening holiday celebration, jump starts the holiday season on Saturday, November 17 with a full day of:



  • Family friendly activities in Lights Festival Lane
  • Rockin’ concerts by top musical artists on the BMO Harris Bank Stage
  • The best holiday shopping
  • A grand Tree-Lighting Parade down Michigan Avenue marshaled by Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse from Walt Disney World Resort in Florida
  • Fireworks Spectacular show over the Chicago River


Read more details and times of activities...

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Possible New Waterfront Homes...but in a very surprising location


Kennedy-Hines team unveils changes to plans for Wolf Point

By: Ryan Ori

The developers that want to build three towers on Wolf Point unveiled a host of changes Monday to the $1 billion-plus riverside project but have left its overall scope intact.
Five months after the first community meeting held by Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd), the venture of the Kennedy family and Houston-based Hines Interests L.P. returned to the nearby Holiday Inn to unveil new designs for the residential and office towers. The buildings still would rise 950, 750 and 525 feet but would taper at the bottom, creating more open ground-level space on the 3.9-acre parcel.


 Read more about Wolf Point...

FindLaw Survey – Americans Encouraged by Housing Market

findlaw-survey-homebuyers-encouraged-by-housing-market
A new FindLaw survey found that American homebuyers are much more encouraged by the housing market in 2012 than in 2010.
By Peter Ricci
Consumer sentiment towards the housing market has been gradually improving in Fannie Mae’s National Housing Surveys, and a new FindLaw survey has found that the situation is improving other notable ways.
According to the FindLaw survey, which sampled 1,000 American adults, the percentage of Americans who reported sitting on the sidelines and avoiding the homebuying process has dropped by more than half from 2010 to 2012, falling from 63 percent to 30 percent.


FindLaw Survey – Americans Encouraged by Housing Market

In addition, the FindLaw survey also found:
  • With housing prices at affordable levels and mortgage rates at record lows, the number of respondents who said that economic conditions motivated them to buy a house increased by 38 percent.
  • Also, less respondents said that the economy was playing a negative factor in their homebuying decisions, with 49 percent reporting that the economy had no impact on their decision.
Stephanie Rahlfs, an attorney and editor with FindLaw (which is a Thomson Reuters company), said the FindLaw survey results were especially encouraging among higher-earning individuals. 
READ MORE...
/http://chicagoagentmagazine.com/findlaw-survey-americans-encouraged-by-housing-market/



Rearranged for Change: Real Estate Home Staging