I am in Chicago. I LOVE Chicago. It's big, bright and busy. The people are friendly. Things are open LATE into the evening or even ~gasp~ 24-hours. I know. It's radical.
Now, you know I love Boston. And this trip has pointed out some ... deficiencies ... about Boston that, while I had been aware of, I hadn't realized JUST how much I had been affected by them. Yes, things are open late and that's wonderful.
However, there are actually things to do here in Chicago that don't involve drinking games and fake i.d.s. Places to go where the median age ISN'T 21 or 60. Being 35 and out on the town doesn't mean you have to pretend to still be 25 or that you really did want to catch that lecture at the BPL. Last night, having no tickets to see anything, no real plans, and no idea what the hell we were doing, we stumbled onto a jazz restaurant. We were seated immediately, next to the stage. The jazz was live and hot. The drinks were cold and delicious. The food was spicy and sinful (that could have been the description of the jazz for that matter!). The plans for tonight involve a piano bar that's open until 3 o'clock in the morning. I'm hoping we close the place.
And there is something else here ~ there is culture beyond rich, white, and Puritan. Yes, Boston has history. Boston has the BSO, the theatre district, and sports, sports, sports. But if you are looking for something to do that involves or embraces another culture, good luck in finding it on an average night. Here, we are choosing between jazz, blues, swing, reggae, and piano bars. The faces in front of the counters are as diverse and the faces behind the counters.
I have no doubt that if I lived here, I would grow bored of the same old places in the way that it always happens. And I would see the sides of Chicago that make it someone's boring hometown. But tonight, right now...Wow! If you are between 27 and death, come to Chicago. Trust me. ;)
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.
0 comments:
Post a Comment