Windy City Weekend

My weekend trip to Chicago was a well-appreciated getaway as I left the quiet corner of NW Iowa and entered the hubbub of the big city.

Whenever I am in Chicago, I can never decide if I would like to live there. The part of me which craves action, outdoor seating at cafes and restaurants, street festivals, concerts and culture says "yes" in an instant. Chicago, like Berlin, is a tree-filled city making the concrete jungle of skyscrapers and buildings of downtown Chicago attractive and inviting. Plus, right on Lake Michigan, it has the beaches and water promenades, not to mention lots of parks, right within the city. Chicago is also a friendly, Midwestern city, which attracts me a lot.

But, then I remember that a big city like Chicago would wear on me over time because of the distance of travel from one point to the other or the crowds and stress and traffic, as Berlin sometimes did. Plus, it is always nice to have a house and a yard instead of a shoebox apartment. But, regardless of any future-planning, reflection or analysis, I had a nice time this weekend while I was there.

I flew with Southwest Airlines, and boy did they offer up the entertainment. On both my to and from flights, a female flight attendant on each plane sang a little song over the intercom. One was a song about the impending take-off, and the other was a "thank you for flying with us" number. Both were quite good and really creative. One flight turned into a small stand-up comedy act between the flight attendants as they dealt out sarcastic or witty comments throughout the flight. Unexpected as it was, I enjoyed it and appreciated their good spirits.

On Saturday, despite having a bad cold, Ali took me with her husband and daughter to a street festival which turned out to be kind of a gay festival with lots of gay men walking around without shirts. There was even a tent with speedo-clad twister players. It was entertaining and fun to be outside in the action. The weather turned out to be great - warm and sunny. She also let me indulge in a meal sitting outside at the restaurant we went to which was almost reason enough to go to Chicago for the weekend, even if it was a little on the warm side. For once this summer, I didn't freeze inside an overly air-conditioned restaurant!

I'm holding a garden gnome because Travelocity, who had a booth at the festival and use a gnome in their commericals, was offering free poloroids with the gnome. (Alessandra, Ivan, Ali, me).

Later that night Ali took her daughter and me to the Grant Park outdoor orchestra concert. We got there just as the concert was starting (thanks to a necessary H&M whirlwind run right before the concert - man, I miss having that store nearby), but found a tiny patch of green grass to spread our blanket not already claimed by the hundreds of others out to enjoy the concert. Many people had brought lawn chairs and a fancy little table dressed up with a table cloth and even some flowers to have a wine and baguette picnic. It was a great way to spend the evening.

After the concert (I love Mahler, but Mahler 5 is, by the way, not really suited for an outdoor concert - too many quiet, boring parts making rustling or other inevitable outdoor noises far more noticeable), many people stayed around to socialize. Ali, Alessandra, and I also stayed and enjoyed the wine and the evening before heading over to Navy Pier for fireworks. All in all, it was a nice little trip and just what I needed this summer to satisfy my big city itch.