Farewell Summer...

So I haven’t been feeling well lately; this weekend has been spent curled up on my little white couch and catching up on my “Friends” episodes. Saturday night I HAD to get out of my apartment, the cabin fever was causing my friendly walls to slowly close in on me. My remedy was to go for a little stroll around 10 pm. Not a big deal; I am in a very safe, upscale neighborhood in Chicago, and walking out into the crisp fall-like air I was greeted with friendly faces passing in either direction. Not until 5 am does this city really go to bed on the weekends. .. or ever.

I walk towards the lake and keep walking until I find myself in the bright lights of Navy Pier. What a fabulous idea! I will walk down the pier and people watch and finish the night watching the fireworks. This is something I’ve wanted to do lately knowing summer is coming to a close. I have a roof-top deck and easy 5 min access to Navy Pier that displays fireworks twice a week from Memorial Day to Labor Day and I’ve watched them ONCE. ONE TIME all summer did I take the excruciating time and labor to ride my elevator to my deck to watch the sky light up in free entertainment for 15 minutes. 

As I walk through the crowds of tourists holding out cameras and drinking to their hearts content, I’m smiling. What an amazing city. It always re-affirms my love for the city to be surrounded by people who can’t take it for granted. It’s a shame to me, really, that it’s the tourists that really soak in all this city has to offer. They come here and waste not a second in living this city life to the fullest. Each summer, I’ve made a list of things to do in this city, and am proud to say that I normally do pretty well at checking each tour and attraction off come September. But with the hundreds of new things going on each given weekend, I definitely find myself lacking.

 Navy Pier is deceptively long. It takes a good 20-minute walk to get from one end to another. But no worries, it is great people watching and the view of the city skyline gets better and better the further out you go. I see a great spot to perch myself onto for the Saturday night light show but decide against it and keep walking. 10 minutes later, toward the tip of the pier, I approach a great crowd surrounding a stage with live blues and jazz music. You can carry your drink around Navy Pier so it comes to no surprise that the crowd is a little excited.

The band is awesome; playing all the hits that makes your head bob and toes tap. Small, white bulb lights string from the buildings lining the center of the pier to the ends, giving the scene a very old-school carnival like feel. Food venders tint the air with smells of elephant ears and cinnamon roasted almonds. MMMMMM, reminds me of Christmas, when those same treats are sold in all the indoor malls.  I buy a 7-up in a Dixie cup for $3 (rape!) and settle on a railing with the band playing behind me and Lake Michigan and the city skyline in front of me. This is the life.

The fireworks show starts, and with more live music to accompany it! Chicago puts on quite a show and the crowd is thrilled. I am too. My little Saturday night stroll has turned into an effortless evening of entertainment that was waiting for me right outside my door all along.

 I feel sad that it’s almost Labor Day… I feel like summer tricked me. Like she told me to sit in the corner with a blindfold on and wait until she told me to come out. I take the blinds off my eyes and summer’s gone… was she ever really here? Its kind of a bummer since this is the most

amazing city in the summer, and also is the driving reason why any sane person would EVER want to live here year around. Summer is our treat, our champion reward for dealing with the cold, dreary days that will surely follow. Normally summer is SO outrageous that fall is greeted with a huge sigh and a “thank god”..  after three months of non-stop parties and street festivals. But, alas… que sera sera. It is almost fall. Well… we always have next year. And Chicago… your summer is worth the wait.