Great coffee in a great neighborhood-Metropolis Coffee Co.

If you live in Chicago, you very well know where all the "hotspots" are. This also includes where you can get a great cup of coffee from a local mom and pop shop.

Enter Metropolis Coffee Company.

When I was house hunting I knew I wanted to stay in the neighborhood of Edgewater. I could write a whole post about this neighborhood(which eventually I will). One great feature of where I live is this coffeehouse. I am truly spoiled and lucky I live five minutes walking distance to this place. It's been voted many times as the most popular coffee in the city and they even get customers from all over the country.

You know they sell the best coffee when other local coffeehouses sell Metropolis Coffee as well. Even some of the hotels downtown offer this coffee for their guests.

This place attracts students from the nearby university, parents with their toddlers, the mobile office worker, and groups of friends catching up. It's the ultimate example of the neighborhood coffeehouse.

Metropolis is known to roast and brew their own coffee,which means you can get a freshly roasted cup of coffee each time. The baristas are friendly and know their stuff. Taking a bag or two home is available for those last minute visitors you want to impress.


The coffeehouse is cozy,warm, and always decorated with local art that you can also purchase. Pastries and other delights are available to accompany that hot cup of java. And of course, free Wifi.

When the weather is nice, you can take that coffee to go and walk just a few feet towards the lake. Metropolis coffee in hand walking along Lake Michigan is truly paradise!

So if you happen to be venturing on the Northside of Chicago, this is the place to be. Good coffee, good atmosphere and best of all, it's local. It's truly the anchor of this neighborhood and a good representative of what Chicago coffeehouses are all about.

Need a cab? Contact Chicago Cabbie.

Hailing a cab in Chicago can be a hit or miss. In my case, I stick to public transportation for the most part.

But if I ever DO need a cab, I definitely will be contacting Chicago Cabbie. Notice I said "contact" as oppose to "calling".

That's because contacting Chicago Cabbie is as easy as following him on Twitter and sending out a Tweet request. Social Media at it's best. I love this concept.

Many people don't hail cabs because most cabs don't accept credit cards. Chicago Cabbie accepts credit  card as a form of payment! Also, they provide free Wifi service so you don't have to use up your own data, how cool is that?

For more information follow Chicago Cabbie on twitter @ChicagoCabbie.

Meet Melania...

Hi there! Sorry since it's been awhile since I have blogged, but as you have read in my previous post, I was getting ready to become a mom and have been busy being one! Life does definitely change as the cliche goes when becoming a parent. Many responsibilities come into play and your child becomes your #1 priority.

Not only that, I had to also transition into being a "working mom", which means I do the daily 9-5 grind as well. Luckily, I have family to watch her so no need for a babysitter or daycare. My family has always been this way, I was babysat by family members only too, gives you a peace of mind knowing that it isn't some stranger watching your own kids. It may work out for some, but it's just not our thing to have outside family members watch our kids. What's great about my job is though is that I never work nights and  weekends, so at least I have that going for me.

I really miss blogging so hopefully now with winter approaching, I will be spending more time doing what I love: writing and reading. You may see more baby posts but I will continue to write about my navigations of city living, and this time it will be navigations of city living as being a parent as well, which is always a hot topic around here.

Play dates in the city-do they exist? And can I keep my coffee dates?

 As I get closer and closer to becoming a mom, I have already thought about what life is going to be like having a child. One of the many things I have been pondering about is whether or not it will be difficult to meet other parents who have children in the city.

 I can imagine living in the suburbs how easy it can be because majority of couples who have children live out there. As far as the city goes, it can pose a challenge. I dearly love my friends who don't have children in the picture or even marriage on the horizon and I will continue to keep in touch with them. I do know that a lot of times, people's relationships change once they have kids, but I really hope that won't be the case with me, and that I can continue to have a variety of friendships. But I do know that meeting other couples with kids would be beneficial as I can bond with other parents who are either going through the same thing I will be going through or have already been there and can relate to me.

There are some parenting groups that I have seen here and there in Chicago, so I will just have to explore them and see if they are worth checking out. I do know a couple mothers that have already offered to hang out once I get established in the future so I will just have to see how that will go, it's a good start.

If you know of any great Chicago parent groups or organizations let me know in the comments section!

And Happy Mother's Day for those who are already mamas!

Ann Sathers coming to the Edgewater neighborhood

The Granville redline stop corridor has been getting more and more new businesses every time I turn around. With the huge shocker of Banana Foster Cafe closing abruptly, I am happy to learn that the empty storefront will now be the new home of another Ann Sather location. Ann Sather  is owned by Alderman Tunney from the 44th Ward and has few locations throughout the north side of Chicago.

I purchased a home in this area so I am really happy to know that the businesses are continuing to pour in. Plus, having an empty storefront on the corner of a busy street is never good, so this is definitely welcoming to the neighborhood.

It will be fun to check out their brunch and lunch menu steps away from my home with my family when it opens.

My guest post on MyThirty Spot

So here it is! I was a guest blogger on mythirtyspot.com for their Love for 30 Project. The project is about what is it that you love about your 30's. It was really fun writing the post and it was a good reflection on where I am in my life today. Check it out:

Food, Fashion, Fun, & Friends in Your 30's

Coming soon to a blog near you...

Look out for my guest post in the following week for a site I wrote for called My Thirty Spot. I really enjoyed writing the post and it is an honor to be a guest blogger for the site. I will post the link as soon as it is featured!