Sunday, July 19, 2015

Bridgeport Bed & Breakfast, Chicago, IL

Originally published May 5, 2009

When we ascended the stairs to Dave Samber's Bridgeport Bed and Breakfast after dining downstairs at his Polo Café, we certainly expected something great. Samber is a big personality and his café is a big deal. However the Bridgeport Bed and Breakfast is unlike anything else neither my wife nor I had ever seen...as a bed and breakfast.

However before I talk about the room that we stayed in, I'd like to speak for a second about common definitions. It seems that we all have these general understandings of what we expect something or other to be. You say to someone "apartment" and they imagine one thing; you say "hotel" and they imagine something else. The Bridgeport Bed and Breakfast may evoke certain images; particularly to folks who are familiar with this neighborhood of Chicago (or to folks like my wife and I who are familiar with the hardscrabble Connecticut town of the same name) however none of these would be correct.
The Bridgeport Bed and Breakfast has a special charm all its own; so much so that I think if we had accomplished our stay in any other way than to first dine at the Polo Café, speak with and learn about Dave Samber, see his event space next door, then go up to see these rooms, it would not have been nearly the same visit. Don't mistake that statement; these rooms more than speak for themselves. But it's the details that are important and these details that we learned before we saw the rooms that made this stay that much more magical.
Like apartments! Huge room! Three bedrooms; four beds, kitchen, dining room, bathroom, wonderful flow; that was just in our one suite; the suites at the Bridgeport Bed and Breakfast definitely were Suites! Our room was on the second floor, front side, called simply The Mayor's Suite. The room was decked out in all sorts of campaign paraphernalia from the five mayors of Chicago who originated from the Bridgeport section of town. These names include some synonymous with corruption or dirty tricks; Edward J. Kelly, Martin H. Kennelly, Richard J. Daley, Michael A. Bilandic, and the current "boss" Richard M. Daley. The Mayor's Suite sleeps up to six guests; but really, your whole posse could ride into town and find a spot to crash. This place was, by any mere mortals standards, huge!

The place was a strange mixture of nostalgia, kitsch, and modern accoutrements like old posters and drawings of these former mayors, a half made up kitchen (not really for cooking, but also not "not for cooking"), a wireless internet signal which is challenged in spots, and the huge flat screen, cable television which lay adjacent the king sized bed. This bed sits not in a separate bedroom but in the front room to boot! Totally pimp!

Sleep at the Bridgeport Bed and Breakfast was bliss. After a filling meal at the Polo Café and a fun show at Steppenwolf theatre, I felt on top of the world. The shower the next morning was great and chef Samber lives just above you so he was the first one down in the morning to prep breakfast of our choice! It was quite lively and nice. We were treated to whatever we wanted, however we wanted it (which should have been a tougher choice) - my wife had a poached egg; I had a pair over medium. There was a serving of spicy potatoes, toast, bacon, fruit, and a lovely salsa from head chef Samber.

We were a little sad to leave the Bridgeport Bed and Breakfast; it would be one thing if the only reason were the swooping rooms; but as a bonus, Dave Samber was such an engaged, engaging, and enjoyable person to be around. There is a reason that some people struggle all the while for success and others just have good fortune seemingly thrust upon them. It's not as though these successful, happy people don't struggle, don't have pains, don't put in the work. It's just a philosophy. You have to have a good outlook and you really have to know where to look. If you're ever confused, just stop on down to the Polo Café and the Bridgeport Bed and Breakfast in old town Chicago and look for the dancing chef. Wait too long and he'll find you; before you know it, you'll be dancing too!



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