Kelly & Ponce hit up Chicago!

Miles traveled: 743.5 miles by car and foot.

Total miles traveled by Ponce: 743.5

Longitude: -87.63721

Latitude: 41.92084

Heading home on I-57!

This weekend Kelly and I, Ponce, took a fabulous trip to her favorite pizza place in the world which is located in the greatest city in the world (obviously, this is all based on her opinion, but I'm not disagreeing...). First, we did our long trek to her house in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, which is a west suburb of Chicago. Once we arrived, we were exhausted and went immediately to sleep. The next day, Kelly, her brother, and I got in the car and headed to Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinders!

Front of the menu.

I know what you're thinking, why did she bring me to a pizza place? How is this place significant? Not only is the food in this Italian pizzeria amazing (I should know, I had some!), but this house is part of history. Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinders, located at 2121 N Clark, Chicago, was one of two important locations during the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, which occurred at 2122 N Clark (right across the street). Seven mob associates were killed in a warehouse at 2122 N Clark on February 14th,1929. The house that stood at 2121 N Clark (present day Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinders) served as a lookout for Al Capone's men during the massacre. This incident was organized by Al Capone to kill off opposing prohibition mobsters ran by Bugs Moran. Al Capone ran the South Side Italian mob and Bugs Moran ran the North Side Irish mob. This was all part of Capone's ongoing battle to control Chicago and alcohol distribution during prohibition.

Outside the old lookout house.

Alright, so enough about the history of the place. First off I'd like to say I got a first hand look at the world famous Chicago traffic when we headed downtown, as we were stuck in it for probably 30 minutes. We can blame all the Cubs fans and music festival goers who were all heading to Chicago the same time as us, at least that is what Kelly kept saying (don't they know we had history to document for school!?). When we got to the pizza place, I was amazed to see that there was a spot LITERALLY out front (a rare find in Chicago I heard, especially on a holiday weekend). The wait for the pizza place was 30 minutes and the owner doesn't take names 'only remembers faces' (he's really good at it too!). I thought for sure he would remember my face, as I was the only dog there. :) Since it was a beautiful day, Kelly, her brother, and I strolled up and down Clark in the beautiful sunshine. We also had to run into a Walgreens to get money, since Kelly forgot the pizza place only accepts cash. Thank gosh we only had to walk 3 blocks, but I enjoyed the nice walk. Once we walked back, the street was filled with people, as it was when we got there. We finally got our table and ordered our pizza, which either comes in 1/2 pound or 1 pound pizzas. They're made inside a bowl, which when ready are brought to your table and flipped onto your plate! It was truly delicious. During your meal you can read about the history of Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinders, which talks about the massacre. It is located on each one of the menus.

The CPOG Story that talks about the massacre.

Once the dining experience was over, we were headed home. Kelly decided to take Lake Shore Drive so I could see some of her other favorite aspects of Chicago, including North Ave Beach, Oak Street Beach, Lake Michigan, John Handcock Center, the Willis Tower (apparently it is actually the Sears tower...at least that is what Kelly said), and Buckingham Fountain. Kelly asked her brother to take pictures of me with the towers in the background, but he isn't exactly a team player. :( However, I had a great time with Kelly this weekend. The pizza was a nice break from my typical Iams meals, since I am a dog. :) I also enjoyed learning about a part of Chicago history, seeing the sights, and I actually think Al Capone is a pretty cool dude!

Nom nom nom nom!