Festival Season is Here

So, I haven't written in a while. Mostly because I've been busy adjusting to my full time internship and being lazy in this intense heat. Either this is a bad summer or it's just a lot more humid and hot in the Midwest than it is on the East Coast. Mother Nature is kicking my little box fan's ass.

Although I haven't posted anything, it does not mean I haven't been up to exploring and taking advantage of all that Chicago has to offer in the summer.

Sky High Visit

Fourth of July weekend came and went but ended with a blast... my brother came to visit! He was in Milwaukee with his college roommates over the holiday and took a bus down to Chicago to hang out with me for a few days after. We did touristy things like went to the top of the Willis Tower (Sears Tower) and had pizza, and took a boat tour. Even though I took the architecture tour in May when Christina came to visit me, it was so fun and different the second time around... guess there are just so many buildings and history in this city!

At the Willis, Sean and I stood on the glass ledge that juts out 4.5 feet from the 107th floor--when you look down, you are standing nearly a mile up over the city. And another fun fact... Sean timed the elevator ride and it takes 60 seconds to travel the 107 floors.

It was great to hang out with Sean and show him around. We even ducked into the original Billy Goat Tavern (inspiration for the SNL "Cheezeborger Cheezeborger" skit). And of course, I had to take him to get some s'mores pizza! I'm already planning out his next visit filled with all the things we didn't get to do this time.

Man Food and Music

One of the charming parts about Chicago summers is the fact that there are multiple street festivals every weekend. It is my goal to attend at least one a weekend, and I have been pretty good with it. In June, a couple friends and I hit up Ribfest. It was as deliciously awesome as it sounds.

Last Sunday, my friend Bernie and I went to Burgerfest in the Ravenswood neighborhood. There were seven different burger vendors from the neighborhood so we picked a few different ones and split them in order to get the full festival experience (the photo is of our favorite one from John's Place, it was delicious and voted the winning burger of the festival). Not only did we get to indulge in delicious burgers (and I may or may not have drank a pina colada out of a pineapple), but I got to see one of my favorite bands.. the Gin Blossoms!

The concert was going great until it started to pour rain. After a 15 minute rain delay, the rain stopped and the band came back on and played a few more songs. Until it started pouring again. This time, however, one of the guitarists got a little shock so they cancelled the rest of the show because it was unsafe and there was no end in sight to the rain. I heard all my favorites.. except "Hey Jealousy," which the crowd kept chanting at every song break. During the rain delay, people started singing the words in hopes the band would come back out and play it. Bernie and I splashed our way home, laughing all the way at the ridiculousness of the whole experience.

Chinatown Festival

Today, my roommates and I went to the Chinatown Summer Festival. Although it wasn't as cool as I thought it would be, it was still a nice way to spend the afternoon. And I'm pretty sure I sweat out all the calories of that Crab Rangoon and bubble tea I had (the fried delicacy brought back flashes of my Freshman 15 as they were the main culprit). I was expecting there to be tons of food and authentic Chinese items for sale. However, there were only a few stands with food and many of the little store set-ups looked like a Dollar Store threw up on them. Too bad I had already bought my sponges and plastic wrap at Target the day before.

(That's me channeling my inner Ninja Turtle and playing around with some nunchucks)

Despite the many strange stands, there were a few shining moments. The sole purchase I made was from one of the places with bamboo plants and bonsai trees. I was very excited to walk away with my new lucky bamboo tree. Here's to hoping it brings me some good luck! And perhaps many more adventures this summer!