Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I'm Jacqueline a.k.a. Jazspin (a nickname based on my initials that I use on a bunch of sites) and I'm a freelance writer based in Chicago. I'm not the greatest cook, but I've learned a ton thanks to Serious Eats (and other sites) and of course, I love taking advantage of all the delicious eats Chicago has to offer.

This actually looks strangely good.

I think my home state of Michigan could be Mackinaw Island fudge, although I'm not sure what my current state of residence, Illinois, should have.

Everyone is offering such good advice. Good luck from someone who's been there - and I've always found that citrusy things helped a lot (eating the fruit, drinking the juice, or even dishes or salads that have a lot of citrus in them). Maybe the rays of sunshine come through in the fruit!

Coffee seems to be a common one - and although I love the taste of coffee, the smell is even better. I usually think pumpkin pie falls into this category too, although I have had a few amazing pies.

Beamish is an awesome beer - similar to Guinness, but a little sweeter and more chocolatey. Another favorite of mine is Shakespeare Stout - it even made 3Luxe's top three beers!

Link: http://www.3luxe.com/best_ofs/Beer/Shakespeare_Stout

Also, finding some local microbrews would be a good idea as well - and trying all the different beers is just fun! I know that most bars that carry a wide variety of beers in Chicago (where I live) have "tasting menus", where you can try two or three ounces of a bunch of different kinds of beer. It's a good way to sample new styles.

I'm glad you included some Detroit-style pizza! If anyone here has ever been to Buddy's (a small chain of pizzerias in the Detroit metro area), their pies are the perfect example of this style.