Windy City Recap

There's absolutely no way I can compete with living in Europe. While
there I could jet off to Scotland or France for the weekend, go to a
ball with an aristocratic friend, watch the Eiffel Tower at midnight on
New Year's Eve, devour crepes in Vienna and absinthe in Slovakia, and
go flying over England's beautific verdure with friends on two separate
occassions.



Going to a bar in Chicago just doesn't have the same ring to it. Even
if it's a lesbian bar. With a drag king (as opposed to drag queen)
show.



That said, I'm still enjoying life in a big city a heck of a lot more
than I ever would in a burb or back home on the farm.
Knowing that any moment of any day there is something going on,
someplace to be, enlivens me. Compare living in London with living in
Chicago and both have almost equal pros and cons. While London was rich
in history and every corner I turned there was a surprise, my social
life lacked in lustre what my friends in Chicago provide. And while
every street is straight (or at a diagonal--never a curve to be found),
having accidentally run into friends on the street twice in one month is something
that never would have happened in London.



So it ain't all bad, all things considered. In my month-and-a-half here I've been able to partake in the following:

1. a barbeque at my good friend Sam's


2. going to see an independent film, "Supersize Me," with my pal Alex


3. a night out with live jazz at the Chicago Historical Society, followed by going to a hip bar with my aunt and cousin


4. seeing FREE improv at the famous Second City--twice so far!


5. attending the fabulous Gay Pride Parade, which went right through my neighborhood
   
   


6. going to the Printer's Row book fair and seeing Julie Andrews (promoting a book she co-authored with her daughter)


7. visiting the Taste of Chicago with a French boy, Louis, and somehow ending up at a German birthday party on the Gold Coast!


8. seeing a play (The Rivals) and improv (at ImprovOlympic) with my pal Rory, and going to Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind with PDP friends

By far the poshest evening I had was last Saturday, when I hung out with my friend Andy. We:

1. Went to a rooftop party on the 40th floor of a skyrise apartment
   on Lakeshore Drive. The sunset over the city, with the skyline to
   our south and the lake to our west, was breathtaking. I fear I'll
   never again be in such an amazing place in Chicago.
   
   


2. Joined some of his friends at a live concert celebrating Bastille Day.


3. Ended up on a midnight boat cruise on Lake Michigan with the
   Stanford and Ivy League alumni groups, watching the skyline go by for
   hours.

It was an amazing night, one of my favorite kinds: sort of structured, but with room for interesting things to happen.



We'll see what else happens. I'll let you know.