Wedding Blog

One day, on a random lunchtime visit to the Chicago Cultural Arts Center gift shop, I spotted the Per Annum 2008 Chicago Diary. At first glance, it looked like an unsexy, very run-of-the-mill day planner. But the clerk convinced me that it was so much more than that– and she was right.

In a short span of time, I’ve become virtually obsessed with this diary. I tell everyone I know about it, and because they’re all tired of hearing it, I’m telling you guys It has weekly calendar sections, like any other day planner. But it also has address and phone number listings for every hotel, bar, restaurant, post office, hospital, government agency, gas station, etc. in Chicago. This little book is a virtual treasure trove of information– it’s unbelievable. It has a map of the El and metro system, a map of O’Hare airport, and detailed maps of every neighborhood in Chicago. It even has a vintage wine chart, mortgage and loan payment table, and metric conversion chart.

A lot of this probably sounds like useless information you would never need (I’ll admit that I don’t anticipate a moment when I’ll need the vintage wine chart), but you would be surprised. In the last few weeks, I’ve completely lost track of the number of times the Diary has gotten me out of a jam: when I’ve needed directions, when I lost the phone number or address of a restaurant/store, when I couldn’t remember which El stop I needed to use, when I needed the number for a cab. And it’s not even 2008 yet!

It’s my firm belief that these diaries would make fabulous gifts: they currently have diaries for Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Manhattan. And they’re so slim– they easily fit into most purses. If someone in your bridal party (or even your fiance) lives in one of these cities, it could make a really useful and fitting gift. Perfect way to begin the new year!

images courtesy of Saks and Per Annum