After contracting a mild, possibly only psychological strain of my sister’s strep throat, I have taken the last couple days off from work. So hard to readjust to life in the real world after a kickass vacation. So the least I could do is write about it. This will also make me feel slightly less guilty about the last thousand hours I have spent playing Jade Empire.
Day 2 was the 3rd of July, which is when the city has it’s fireworks. The last couple years my family has secured a spot next to the Planetarium which provides a great view from across the lake. My dad was intent on scoring this spot again and although he didn’t leave till 11am (his original plan was 9) he was able to stake our turf.
By the time girlfriend and I regained consciousness, both my parents were down there. My mom called and insisted we come down. My sister Beth however had to sit (or lay) this one out as she was still down with SARS. We powered up with a sandwich from Starbucks and then took the million year bus ride to the planetarium. The bus literally stops at every corner in the city of Chicago. Nice view of the city though and far cheaper than the official tours that charge hundreds to do the exact same thing. I did have to put up with a lady from out of town asking some lame questions – pff! Tourists! Not like me, a true Chicago native…wait did we just miss our stop, ah oh my god what will we do this city’s too big!!
Actually we didn’t miss it though (I think this was our most impressive mastery of public transportation on any trip). We found my parents under a canopy tent. What they failed to tell us is that they had brought their own entertainment. Mom had her books and dad had his granola bars. By granola bars, I mean a granola bar box concealing a bottle of brandy. Neither had brought enough to share with the rest of the class. I asked mom what we were to do with the next 9 hours before the fireworks. “Sit around?” she said.
That was our cue to wander. We discovered the ice cream stand quickly which was just perfect on such a freakin hot day. My twist cone looked kind of weak next to her hot fudge sunday but it is was still tasty stuff. I even managed to keep most of it’s melted goodness from landing on my shirt. Most of it.
With nothing else to do we wandered. Girlfriend did get some great pics of the city which can be viewed at
Rita. Rita is one of Chicago’s most beloved citizens. She gained her fame by starting a musical institute for the city’s poor. She firmly believed that music should be accessible to everyone, not just the fortunate few, and she made that vision a reality. Since then she has been featured by CNN and honored several times. Recently the president of Cross sent her a pen specially made for her as a lifetime achievement award. So when someone of such renown offers advice, I pay her the utmost attention:
“The key is” she said “to wear a bathing suit on under your clothes. That way when you get down to the beach bathrooms, you don’t wait in line. You just take your clothes off, go in to the lake and pee.”
I like Rita.
There wasn’t much else to the rest of the afternoon, mostly spent eating. I did sample some of Dad’s “granola” which did seem to make the time go faster. We finally made it to the fireworks and they were solid as always. Probably the coolest thing is the way they reflect off the water and the skyscrapers. When they were done the crowd applauded wildly, the boats honked their horns and Dad said “ok, time for you to drive Rita and Thomas home.”
Excuse me?? but the city? big! scary! Dad said it will be all right, Thomas would navigate me. He failed to tell me the car was almost out of gas. Despite that and the heavy post firework traffic I was able get them home safely and us back to my parents apartment. It made me feel strangely grown-up. And ready to tackle another day. As a true Chicago native of course.