Driving backwards down a one way street
This entry was posted on Saturday, August 18, 2007 9:55 AM and is filed under Travels.
Last week I spent a few days wandering around my old Chicago neighborhood. Some highlights:
- Playing “bags” (a white trash horse-shoes-type-game popular with drunken tailgaters) in the alley on a weekday night with a bunch of college students at midnight. The group called me three different names: Uncle John (my two nephews), John (those I had known while I was a youth group leader), and Mr. Neill (ex-students).
- A night out with my ex-bandmates. Most people know me as a sarcastic wise-ass. I wasn’t born that way. Those two characters largely shaped that side of me. It was a night of much hilarity.
- Seeing the Poster Children play at Millennium Park.
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One of their 1st shows in three years… |
- Breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with old friends.
- A street festival in my old neighborhood. My neighborhood was such a crappy place to live back in 1990. I remember working as “street security” for empty festivals. Since then, the neighborhood has grown up. It’s now a destination – streets lined with sexy restaurants, cafes, and bars.
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All grown up… |
- Lunch at Al’s Beef…crappy lemon ice at Mario’s…lunch at Rosebud’s sidewalk café…tacos at El Milagro. My stomach is confused. It’s not used to eating good food.
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Same ugly lemonade stand. |
- Being recognized EVERYWHERE I went. People I barely knew would stop me, wanting to know everything about my new life.
Seeing Mr. Wallace’s car again:
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Two women marveling in wonder... |
Two years ago, I left Chicago thinking I hadn’t left much behind. I didn't feel particularly close to anyone or anything. After this trip, I have a better idea of just what I left behind. I can’t wait to visit everyone again next year.
