Lollapalooza & Living Large
Three days of non-stop music. Highlights of the festival, in descending order: Green Day (I can’t describe how good this show was. And I’ve had quite a few days to think about it), Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, Mute Math (I’d never heard of them, but they rocked. And probably still do). As is often the case when traveling with a larger group (there were between four and six of us at any given time), we didn’t end up seeing all the bands we had planned on. However, we did acquire VIP passes that, throughout the weekend, gained us access to VIP tents full of free VIP food and VIP beverage in addition to VIP seating. And VIP golf carts to take us from stage to stage if we so desired. Which we did. The corresponding jewelry was a burden I was glad to bear. A special thanks to Alex for hooking us up with these!
The Arcade Fire closing out the weekend.
Green Day converting the masses. With Kiera's help.
Buckingham Fountain at the center of Grant Park. Yes, that is the one from Married With Children that shuts off as the theme song ends.Cubs at Wrigley & Harry Caray
I grew up going to Fenway Park, so to me, that’s what a baseball stadium should look like. But I’ve got to say, this place is pretty magical in its own right. Sitting in the bleachers (why bother sitting anywhere else?), drinking overpriced beer and eating freakishly delicious hot dogs (more on that later), I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Perhaps the highlight of the game was the kid behind me, calling the game play-by-play in a dead-on Harry Caray voice. “Look at that couple over there sitting behind home plate. Can’t keep their hands off each other… He kisses her on the strikes, and she kisses him on the balls!” He had everyone within earshot in stitches for hours.
John Hancock Building’s 96th Floor & Our Special Cab Drivers
After a long hard day of watching baseball and listening to live music, we all showered up and headed for the John Hancock Building’s 96th Floor where there is a beautiful restaurant and bar with 360 degree (I don’t know how to type that little degree symbol) view of Chicago and the square mileage that surrounds it. If you end up in Chicago, I highly recommend stopping by and checking out the space. If you don’t want to, here’s what it looks like.
While this was good and fun, what was ultimately and infinitely more memorable was the means by which we arrived at the Hancock. You see, we were staying at the Congress Hotel which is right on Grant Park (and is also disturbingly reminiscent of the Overlook Hotel from the Shining). Very convenient location for the festival. The problem is that about 75,000 other people were in the immediate area as well. This makes finding a cab rather difficult. So, after wasting a solid 15 minutes trying to obtain a cab, and walking several blocks in the process, we asked a car stopped at a red light if they’d take us to the Hancock for $20. They agreed. Meet Joe (left) and Seneca (right). Absurdly friendly brothers who scoffed at the thought of going to Lollapalooza and were just going out to “meet up with [their] ladies”. We certainly bonded in those 10 minutes that the four of us were crammed in their back seat and I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t hoping/partially expecting them to waive our $20 fee, but alas, a deal is a deal and we paid, very happy with the customer service.
Hangge Uppe & The Importance of Washing New Clothes Before Wearing Them
Because all of that wasn’t enough for one day, three of us headed over to Chicago’s biggest, most frat-tastic dive bar, The Hangge Uppe. (It’s just pronounced The Hang Up). With a line stretching around the block, a member of our pack started talking to a girl at the front of the line. They did a little Discovery-Channel-hosted-by-Sigourney-Weaver-mating-dance, we joined them in line, and shortly thereafter the girls left, tired of waiting in line. Two hours of waiting line avoided.
The only story I’d like to share (remember) about that place is this: Once inside, you drink, dance around like a maniac, and sing along to every song they spin, all the meanwhile pouring sweat from every pore. I happened to wear a new (unwashed since purchased) white t-shirt. I don’t know if this is common, but as I started to sweat, the shirt started to stink. Subtle at first. Gradually it achieved the most foul, mildewy, damp, disgusting towel odor I’ve ever encountered. The bar tender told me they just sold their last “Hangge Uppe” t-shirt, and I was destined to spend the rest of the night as a walking stink-bomb.
Food
Everything I ate in that city was delicious. I'll do my best to keep it condensed:
Hot dogs seem to be very important in Chicago. There are Chicago Dogs and then there are Wrigley Field hot dogs. All I can say is A) They are the most intense hot dogs I've ever eaten, and 2) My "Hot-Dogs-Consumed to Days-Alive" ratio is higher than I'd like it to be.
This crazy looking thing that looks like a Ninja Turtle was hit by a drunk driver is what Wrigley Field and the Chicago Cubs call a hot dog. Who am I to blow against the wind?Rockit - This place has the most over the top, ridiculous Bloody Mary bar I have ever seen. A $5 bloody mary gets you a vodka and tomato mary, and a full bar of nonsense to put in it: pepper, three types of hot sauce, horseradish, cajun shrimp, four types of olives, salami and cheese, sundried tomatoes, celery, jalapenos, caper berries, those hot, water filled little peppers that come in your salad at the Olive Garden... the list goes on. If you're in Chi-town on a weekend morning, go there. You'll be happy you did. We sure were.
Artists Café - On the park and open late, which isn't common. Had a killer late night grilled cheese with basil and bacon and lots of grease, if you're into that kind of thing. Legit late night snack.
Lou Malnati’s Pizza - A Chicago institute, Lou Malnatti's is your traditional deep dish pizza. And I don't care if you're from New York and like thin pizza. This is a tasty way to spend your lunch.
A special shout out to my buddy James for hosting us this weekend. Love you buddy!
No comments:
Post a Comment