Welcome Back Summer!

Chicago in the summer

While last weekend was Memorial Day which is traditionally the unofficial start to summer but this year I feel like it was only the beginning of a 12 day festival which wound up yesterday.  So after the whirlwind that was last week I started out my weekend a bit early on Thursday night with some kickball.  Friday was a great day with great weather!  Went to Cheesie's for lunch with a friend and turns out she knows the owner.  Also turns out the owner recognized me from the previous week.  Cheesie's is a new grilled cheese pub that opened up just blocks from my house!  I may or may not have gone back a second time Friday night too.... Whoops!.  So far I have had the Caprese, The Frenchie, and my favorite thus far The Melt.  I also tried bites of The Mac and the Jalapeno Popper.  This place is dangerously close to my house. 

View of the Tigers vs Sox game at US Cellular
 (sorry for the quality taken on my cell phone)

After lunch I hung out and waited for everyone to gather so we could head down to the Tigers vs the White Sox game at US Cellular.  I must say I still do not like this stadium but more I go there the more it is growing on me.  I will say they have good food and drink options!  It was a perfect night for a game.  It was in the 80's with a nice clear sky and a cool breeze coming in out over the lake.  The Tigers however managed to lose this game 6-4 but on the plus side there were 4 home runs and fireworks after the game.  It was a really good evening regardless so a handful of us went to Cheesie's and got dinner and then went back to my place where we sat on the front porch and had a few drinks and watched YouTube videos.  I think my new favorite YouTube video is Captain Jack Sparrow (ft Michael Bolton) - The Lonely Island.

I woke up Saturday and had missed boxing which I was kind of bummed about but oh well every now and then its ok to miss something.  I started out my day of Saturday by just running some errands before going to meet up with some friends at Maifest up in Lincoln Square.  It was a good afternoon and a great festival but I was slightly bummed I missed out on Do-Division.  I met lots of new people and also ran into a few people I just have not seen in a while.  I had one more stein then I needed but it was just in the moment of celebrating Maifest.  My friends told me to get in a cab so I did and we ended up at Big Star. I used to really enjoy this bar until it became pompous and over crowded.  This particular trip will most likely mark my last trip there ever.  The door guy not only pushed me but also called me a 7 year old because I answered "Sure Whatever" when he yelled at us for standing along the drink rail in the back of the bar.  This really just proves this place has become to pompous even for their own good.  Its really too bad.

Rachel and I at Maifest

By this point in the evening after my 2 steins of German beer and 2 margaritas I am sufficiently drunk but I still make an appearance at my friend Brandon's rooftop party.  Clearly I never learned anything in college because I drank a couple glasses of jungle juice which pushed me over the drunk edge and into the realm of wasted.  I left my bike at my friend Rachel's place before we went to Maifest so I took a cab back to her place to pick up my bike and in my awesome state of mind I decided it would be a good idea to bike home.  I did get honked at by the 151 bus and I think run off the road but other than that it was an easy trip home "I think".

Sunday morning came way to early.  I had a 6:30am wake up call to go and run the United Run for The Zoo 10k which benefits the Lincoln Park Zoo to keep it open for free to the public.  This is one of my favorite races I have run.  The course circles through the zoo and you run right past the lions, the polar bear, the rhino, and the zebras among many other animals.  The rest of the course takes you out along the lake and through Lincoln Park and Lakeview.  For being as hungover as I was I said forget that and somehow pushed through to run a time of 46:15!  That was over 9 minutes faster than my time last year when I was just getting back into running.

I had a bet with Newman on who could finish the race fastest.  Me running the 10k or him walking the 5k.  We talked after I finished and I was dumb enough and gave him my time and so he decided to run the remainder of his 5k to get a better time.  I think since he ran I win and I will be collecting my reward of 1 Hot Doug's sausage.

After the race Nicki, Newman and myself wandered through the zoo and looked at some of the other animals that are not on the course and then went out to lunch.  The rest of the day I was super lazy till it came time for a BBQ at Rachel's.  This is my first proper BBQ in Chicago ever though at the time I didn't let anyone know that.  It was a great success.  I brought some asparagus to grill out along with a recipe I got from my neighbors at the cottage called Texas Caviar.  Both where a big hit!

If you think the weekend just ended on Sunday you would be wrong. Yes I went to work on Monday but as soon as I got out of work I made my way downtown for New Music Mondays.  This week Iron and Wine played to kick off the free summer concert series in Millennium Park!  I think we ended up with a total of 14 people in our group to picnic in the park.  We could not get with in the gated pavilion where wine is openly allowed so the security lady came over and announced to the whole in the area that she knew we all had alcohol and that she didn't care but we need to get creative because she can not see it.  That was the best thing I think any one in an authoritative position has ever said before.  The night was perfect.  The temperature was in the 90s and there was a nice breeze coming in across the water to cool things down a bit.  Overall it was a perfect night with friends, music, wine, food, and outdoors under the city skyline!

Mass amounts of people in the park for Iron & Wine

Rachel, Nicki, Erin enjoying Iron & Wine

Summer has officially started in my mind!  There is so much to look forward to I started a separate calendar just for things to do in the city this summer.  This is my summer of doing.... not just talking about doing.  So if you know anything good to do or new things to check out let me know chances are I'm in!