45 years ago yesterday...

As most of you(I hope) should know, yesterday was the 45th Anniversary of the date that Man landed on the moon(chalk another first up for Uncle Sam).  It was a momentous occasion for all involved, and at least 600 Million people watched it on Earth.  Now, there is a connection to Chicago in there, but not for a few more days.  Stay tuned till then...

Riding L.A.T.E. into the night

     A couple of weeks ago, thousands of people gathered around Buckingham Fountain at 1:00 in the morning.  But don't worry, it wasn't for some cultish ritual.  There were bikes involved.  The production was all about the 2014 L.A.T.E.(Long After Twilight Ends) Ride, a 25-mile bike ride throughout the streets of Chicago to benefit Friends of The Parks, a park advocacy group in Chicago.  The night started off with packet pick-up at Buckingham Fountain, as well as various sponsor tables, a central registration table, and a stage with live music acts performing.  At the appointed time, we set off in various waves into the Chicago night.  After taking a quick straightaway down Columbus, we rode into the downtown areas, bearing south on State Street until we ran into Chinatown.  At that point, the bikes were turned North towards our next destination of Humboldt Park, the location of the rest stop for this year's ride.  At the rest stop, all of the riders got a chance to grab some water, get some snacks, use the restroom, and enjoy the views out of the boat house there, which are quite something else if I say so myself.  You be the judge:

     After emptying our bladders and filling our stomachs, we set back out on the trek.  Our ride took us north to Foster Avenue, when we turned Eastbound and (eventually) Down.  Riding at that stretch, I had a particularly enjoyable encounter with a fellow rider who was blasting oldies out of a speaker attached to his bike.  While I was jammin' out to the tunes of yesteryear, we made the turn onto the Lakefront Trail and headed South.  At that point, we barreled down 6 miles of pristine Lakefront land, with the last few miles being punctuated by the beginnings of daylight and ultimately the sunrise.  Afterwards, we rode through the streets of downtown just as the city was beginning to wake up from its slumber.  The 2014 L.A.T.E. Ride was a complete success, the advocacy for the parks was achieved, and I will certainly be doing this again next summer.

Trivia Tuesday: Up is Down

     Okay folks, I'm starting a new feature on the blog, one designed to work out your brains a little bit, as well as see how closely you're paying attention to my entries.  Every Tuesday, I'll be coming out with a new question that can be answered by looking back at one of my past entries.  Some weeks may be harder than others, so don't get too discouraged.  And now without further ado, here is the FIRST Trivia Tuesday Question:

In which entry do I make a reference to Pirates of the Caribbean(and for bonus points, what was I talking about when I made that reference)?

     Best of luck, and I'll be back next Tuesday with the answer

Running with the Bulls(no, not the NBA team. RUN!!!!!!!!)

     This past Saturday, many would-be daredevils took to the paths of Hawthorne Race Course to test their mettle against a behemoth of nature-a bull.  Modeled after the infamous yearly Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, this run was the first held in the area.  The organizer got the idea for the run after trying to make a pilgrimage to Pamplona in 2012 but had to defer for monetary reasons.  So, he decided to bring the run here so that people didn't have to shell out upwards of $4,000 for the privilege of being chased by angry bulls for half a mile.  Now this event was slightly tamer than the Spanish version, what with the bulls being less angry than normal, and with horsemen tailgating the bulls ready to lasso an overly-rowdy animal.  But none of the roughly 6,000 people in attendance at the event seemed to mind.  They were all just too ecstatic over running with the bulls.

A Chicago Style 4th

     Today's commemoration of Independence Day featured the regular apportionment of barbeques, parties, get-togethers, and of course fireworks.  However, this year saw a few tweaks to the accepted pattern.  First off, the Dave Matthews Band was lined up to do a gig at Northerly Island, and so there were an influx of DMB followers to the area of the Museum Campus.  Earlier in the day, there were several parades in the area, one of which attracted both Bruce Rauner and Pat Quinn.  That's right, the season of politicians parade-hopping has kicked into high gear(hopefully we'll catch some respite come November.)  Of course, no July 4 would be completel without a breathtaking fireworks display coming from Navy Pier, and the ensuing celebration more than pleased the assembled throngs of Chicagoans.  All in all, Chicago celebrated our nation's 238th birthday in a grand style.

Dueling Art Fests

     A couple of weekends ago, two different art festivals were happening in the Old Town neighborhood(oh, what the Yippies would think of that!). First up, the Old Town Art Fair was celebrating its 65th year. As with years past, just about 250 nationally acclaimed and recognized artists were out peddling their wares. Along with many of the old crowd, there were also roughly 100 newcomers to the fest who were putting their own mark on things. The Fair is actually one of the top three juried art festivals in the entire country. In addition to all the acclaimed competition, the Fair also boasts a garden walk, a food court, and a live music stage.

     Meanwhile, 225 juried artworks were encamped on Wells between North and Division as part of the 40th Wells Street Art Festival. This one featured, in addition to all of the art, several different restaurants were represented, including Bistro Margot, Fireplace Inn, and Adobo Grill. In addition, there were also several musical acts, with the Trippin' Billies and American English headlining the musical performances. Needless to say, this fest's attendance skewed somewhat younger than the other one.

     Unifying it all, St. Michael's Church was in the middle of everything hosting a BYOB food truck party featuring delicacies from Gino's Steaks, Pierogi Wagon, and Chicago Cupcake, to name a few. Additionally, bands such as Beatnik Ramble, Vanilla Extract, and many others were playing at the BYOB party as well.  All told, the two Festivals were a success, contributing just a bit of culture to the city's weekend calendar.

The World Cup returns to Soldier Field

     Today, tens of thousands of (mostly) young folks crowded around to celebrate a sports occasion(and no, I'm not talking about last year's Blackhawks rally).  This time it was to gather as one in Soldier Field to watch Team USA take on Belgium in the Round of 16(and unlike the last time I wrote about World Cup action going down in Soldier Field, there was no low-speed car chase involving an NFL Hall of Famer).  There were guys, there were girls, there were rowdy folks chanting "USA! USA! USA!", there were people imbibing too much, there were folks calmly watching from the seats, and there was even Ronnie Woo-Woo.  Ronnie Woo-Woo?  Yes, Ronnie Woo-Woo.  In his pinstripes and everything.  "Woo!  Soccer!  Woo!" indeed.  However, even with all the team spirit, cheers, and vuvuzelas, the United States ended up falling to Belgium 2-1.  It was a good showing, Tim Howard put on a show for the record books, but it ultimately was not enough.  Here's to 2018, America.