The LPCS Executive Committee began the Sheffield Garden Walk in true Lincoln Park fashion by fueling up at CBA for a busy day of Trixie hunting, Chad networking and, of course, Blue Moon drinking. A round of Xandu on wheat bailey washed down by B-Relaxed Jackfruit with vitamin B Vitamin water. After CBA we stopped at Starbucks to get a round of iced grande sugar free vanilla non-fat lattes.

Our consultant Trixie took us to the “West Armitage” shops such as Out of the West, Rugby, and Barker & Mewosky, just to name a few. After a quick visit to the West shops, we headed East while Trixie shopped in Lush, Kiehls, Active Endavors, Paul Frank, American Apparel, United Colors of Beneton. On the North Aldo, Metropark, Club Monaco and of curse Barneys Coop. We then stopped at the Starbucks at Webster and Halsted for another round of iced grande sugar free vanilla non-fat lattes since we had worked though the previous round.

We walked down Dayton and viewed the Garden Walk houses.  Post-mating Trixies had moved beyond battling for top status with expensive purses and were now instead dukeing it out with extravagant gardens.  Her husband, likely by this age a partner at the firm, can do nothing but sit back and fund the whole experience while relaxing with another beer.

Next on the list were lunch, dinner and beer at Minnie’s on Halsted. After four hours of gluttony, watching the sun set, making friends with our server and getting a free round of beer and shots, we were ready to hit Kelly’s Pub.

The LPCS Executive Committee whole heartily endorses Kelly’s Pub. During the Garden Walk, they setup a large outside tent under the ‘El’ tracks, which provides for a wonderful Chicago experience. We marked our territory by taking control of a table. As the El cars passed overhead, our beeramid grew. By the end of the night it was five tiers high, until a drunk Trixie’s huge bag toppled our monument to debauchery.    

Over the weekend Andy and I went to Roscoe Village for cupcakes. Just as in the Saturday Night Live digital short Lazy Sunday, we found a place for kick butt cupcakes: Dinkel’s Bakery in Roscoe Village.

I doubted that life existed up there and Andy was determinted to prove me wrong so we took the Brown Line up past Addison. When we found the Starbuck’s on Lincoln Ave, I let my guard down; the words “Starbuck’s” and “Lincoln Ave” were familiar. A few dollars and a milk chug later, I was satisifed.

Starbucks across the country will be giving away a free 12 oz or “tall” cup of coffee next Thursday, March 15th, from 10am to noon.

Chris forwarded me an email about a version of Barbie for Lincoln Park. “This yuppie Barbie comes with your choice of BMW convertible or Hummer H2. Included are her own Starbucks cup, credit card and country club membership. Also available for this set are Shallow Ken and Private School Skipper. You won’t be able to afford any of them.”

For generations, boys and girls have enjoyed Candyland as their first board game. In 2006 we have turned Candyland into Chadland. This color photo game requires no reading on the part of the players and is easy for even the blondest of Trixie’s to follow. Players have their servants or proxies move their primary-colored auto of choice cutouts around the rainbow path, moving through Lincoln Park by matching the corresponding bars, starbucks and shopping destination spaces from the same on the pick deck. The player who reaches Barleycorn on Lincoln first wins. Prove to your newest Trixie that you have what it takes to “win the big game.”

Playing cards thoughtfully designed for non-readers are coded with colorful images matching the jeweled stepping-stone path through the district or an occasional token matching one of the shop’s symbols: draw a starbucks card, move to the nearest starbucks location; draw a Sports Bar card and earn a visit Kinkades on Armitage. There are occasional pitfalls, too: land on the wrong square and you might be stuck on a CTA bus until a brown line card is drawn. With all these enticing, Chad appropriate images (and drunk girls and beer plainly visible at path’s end), Chad’s can’t help but be delighted by Chadland. It’s delicious!

This game is suitable to two to four players; Trixie’s and Chad’s can even play it alone. As a primary learning tool, Chadland fosters a Trixie or Chad’s exposure to directions to local bars, shopping, the brown line, starbucks recognition and drinking skills. The game promotes thinking as well as delegation in the form of teaching one’s proxy or servant to play. By playing games with others (clearly other’s servants/proxy’s is understood here), Chad’s are encouraged to socially interact in a more controlled manner with their Trixie’s, which helps develop character for future endeavors at the firm.