It all started on Friday, July 3rd. Both our offices were closed since the 4th fell on a Saturday this year (woohoo!). We started our patriotic celebration by sleeping in. Then, we went out to breakfast at one of our favorite places, Tre Kroner. (If you're ever on the north side of Chicago, you really have to check this place out - best Swedish pancakes on the planet!) After Tre K, we ran a few errands such as grocery shopping for the next days BBQ and running our recyclables to the recycling center. We returned home, slathered on some sunscreen, filled the camel back (with good ole H2O btw, not beer) packed a blanket and a couple sweatshirts and we were off to brave (drum roll please) The Taste of Chicago and Annual July 3rd Fireworks downtown Chi-town.
The Taste is a huge event every year downtown where various places from around the city set up booths and you go around trying their food. It always draws massive crowds (estimated 3 million this year) as does the fireworks display. Jon and I had never been to The Taste before and figured it's something every Chicagoan should try at least once. We generally don't care for super large crowds, but wanted to go and we mentally prepared ourselves for the can-only-walk-one-inch-at-a-time-crowds. We arrived at the Taste around 4ish and commenced to peruse the merchandise if you will. Then we bought our tickets (can only buy food at the Taste with tickets/coupons) and proceeded to buy and try. The booths had entree size options and taste size options. We started by splitting a few taste size options like fried ravioli, cheesecake, and pirogi's. Then we wandered around towards Buckingham Fountain to sit for a spell. We decided we had better get any other food we wanted to try and get back to the Fountain to pop a squat and set up camp for the fireworks. We decided this about 30 minutes too late. As we entered the massive food area crowd again we quickly realized that the crowd had grown considerably since we stepped out of it and sat down. It had grown from a large crowd and slightly annoying to get around in, to a freaking huge crowd that was moving as slow as molasses. No foolin'. It took us about 1/2 hour to walk 20 feet. Again, no foolin'. Part of me had wanted to give up and just go back, but we had come so far we had to push through. So after we got a few more tickets, we headed over to the Harry Carry's booth for some homemade potato chips (amazing), fried dough (elephant ear: cardiac arrest on a plate wonderfulness),
and to the booth next door (unfortunately, we've forgotten the name of the place) for some Italian Ice (mango, strawberry, and lemon - in a word: fanfreakingtastic). We spent exactly the amount of tickets we had left, which was pretty nifty since we weren't planning on heading back to the taste to use them up any other day. Thankfully we were able to cut behind the booths/tents to avoid the super crazy large crowd, and just walk through a regular large crowd to get back to the little grassy knoll near the fountain to lay our blanket out and relax until the show was over.We sat, ate, and talked for a good 2 hours until the fireworks started. There were large speakers posted in the area to hear the soundtrack while we watched the show. It started with the 82nd Army Band and Choir (they were phenomenal) just before the show started. The show started with the end of the 1812 Overture (one of my faves, of course) and then it cut to pop music provided by a local radio station. Although the songs selected were fun and appropriate, I was sad that we didn't get to hear more of the 82nd Army group.
The fireworks were fun and an impressive show. As soon as the show was over the police announced for everyone to leave. Actually, they said to exit West (which is hilarious because if anyone walked East they'd quickly end up in Lake Michigan). I don't know the exact count of how many people were there, but I'm fairly certain is was around 1 million. The crowd slowly moved West to board the "L" and head out of the downtown area. There were a LOT of police around, which was pretty comforting to me. And given the sheer magnitude of the crowd, I felt that "crowd control" was done as well as it could be. Jon and I made our way to the Blue line, trying to step out from the larger sections of crowd as much as possible as I was getting a bit claustrophobic. We eventually crammed into one train like sardines (again, seriously not exaggerating) and it got better the closer we got to our stop as people got off the train at stops before ours.
Once home we crashed and slept to prepare for the next day.
Saturday, the 4th, was not quite so busy. We slept in again and had a yummy breakfast together while listening to our favorite NPR show, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. Then Jon did some laundry while I baked a blueberry pie to take to our friend's BBQ later that day. Around 3 pm we headed over to our friends house. We were the first of many to arrive - in the rain. Oh yes, rain. Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain. The forecast all week had said sunny and 80-something. But, either the
weather people are incompetent, or they lied. What do you think? (I know, that's a little harsh, I'm sorry. Besides we had a great time despite the rain. Jon thinks that it was a conspiracy between the weather people, the grocery stores and the City officials to get people to buy more stuff in anticipation of good picnic weather that they had been saying we would have) With a couple of tents set up outside in the backyard and a large Ikea umbrella to hold over the grill and grill master - it was as if it wasn't raining at all. Okay... so we all knew it was raining but had an absolute blast anyway. 
There was food and beer a-plenty, games, jokes, good conversation, campfire, ghost stories, bags, ladder golf
, and of course - fireworks. What would the 4th be without eating a ton of food and blowing stuff up? No fingers were blown off nor eyebrows singed, so all in all a successful 4th celebration. (Yes, Jon's left hand is still intact - though apparently the stuff of legends now - think origin of Great Lakes legend).Our long weekend has come and gone and I must say it makes me sad. But, it was a fantastic weekend. Jon and I had so much fun hanging out together on the 3rd and with a bunch of good friends on the 4th. We couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Alas, mini-vaca is over and it's back to work and our regular scheduled programming. But fret not dear friends! For Team McFadyen is sure to have more fun-filled stories and adventures to share ... stay tuned!
C
1 comment:
That blueberry pie was scarfed up before I even got a bite! Glad you guys could make it to our party!
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