CM Punk’s Chicago
By Natalie Slater
World Wrestling Entertainment superstar and Chicago native CM Punk has seen it all, from crazed fans in Guadalajara to grateful troops in Baghdad. But nothing is more exciting to the former heavyweight champ than a rare overnight stay in his Wicker Park condo. What makes Chicago his kind of town? We spent a day following in his footsteps.
The Bongo Room
1470 N. Milwaukee Ave.
What does a 6’3”, 220 lb. professional wrestler eat for breakfast? Anything he wants, and when he’s at home, CM Punk wants a big, fat breakfast from his favorite Wicker Park brunch spot, the Bongo Room. He orders an egg white omelet with chicken sausage and a side of pancakes (like strawberry-banana or pumpkin-carrot cheesecake). “The cute waitresses don’t hurt, either,” he says.
The Tattoo Factory
4441 N. Broadway St.
Punk can’t get tattooed every visit home. (You try body slamming a 250-pound guy with a throbbing new tattoo on your shoulder!) But even when he’s not getting new tattoos, he stops by the 32-year-old Uptown tattoo shop to hang out with his favorite artist, Mike Baalke. “We just make fun of everyone,” he says.
Reckless Records
1532 N. Milwaukee
A few blocks from his bachelor pad stands a symbol of CM Punk’s Chicago roots: punk rock and hardcore. Sure, an international wrestling superstar cashing paychecks from Vince McMahon doesn’t have to buy his music used, but there’s something nostalgic about flipping through the album covers and finding a great deal.
Chicago Comics
3244 N. Clark St.
Once a comic book nerd, always a comic book nerd, even if you kick people in the face for a living. There was a time when Punk made his way to this landmark comic book shop every Wednesday for “new comics day.” Now that he travels most of the year, he stocks up on trade comics whenever he has the time.
Smoke Daddy
1804 W. Division St.
Eating on the road is fun at first, but it gets old fast once you discover most of the world eats flavorless burgers and factory-produced fries. That’s why Punk hits up Smoke Daddy for some “rhythm and barbeque” whenever he’s home. He says they have the best BBQ in the city and for just $3, their sweet potato fries are “unreal.”
The Weiner’s Circle
2622 N. Clark St.
Infamous for its charbroiled hot dogs and abusive employees, The Weiner’s Circle in Lincoln Park is CM Punk’s go-to spot when entertaining fellow wrestlers from out-of-town. The fearless employees have been known to call Punk and his guests every name in the book, but they got theirs one night when WWE favorite Matt Hardy hopped the counter and began cooking incoming orders.
The Music Box Theater
3733 N. Southport Ave.
The more late night activities Punk can fit into a visit, the more time he can spend with old friends. This historical theater plays everything from the family classics to midnight showings of pure horror schlock–Punk’s favorite. He spent his last birthday at a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. “The drag queens got up and on the mic and said, ‘We have a celebrity in the house! We_would like to thank CM Punk for supporting us!’ I almost died.”
Milwaukee Ave from the Flat Iron Building to the Sears Tower
No matter how late he’s up, and no matter what the weather, CM Punk wakes at the crack of dawn and runs down Milwaukee Avenue. From the Six Corners to the Sears Tower and back, he takes in the diverse neighborhoods and remembers why this is the only home he can imagine. “I love running through my city and seeing all the people,” he says. “It’s pure romance.”
CM Punk .pdf from Echo Magazine
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