The Almighty Lolla Day 1 Post (Thursday, August 3rd, 2006)
So since the trip to Chi-City was quite long and I don’t want to type it all out at once, nor do you want to read it all at once, I will do it day by day here. I’m pretty sure that most of you don’t care anyway. This is mostly for me, as I want to be able to look back on this trip, as I was doing this afternoon and just keep thinking about how this was one of the best trips, if not the best that I have ever taken. So let us begin, shall we?
Mr. Suave showing off the new ‘do and navigating us around Chicago, as I was Cobra Commander.
On Wednesday I got my hair cut quite short, like crazy short for how I’ve been keeping it lately. I really liked it when I first saw it, even though Libby was quite afraid that she had cut off too much, but I dug it from the get go. Then after quite a long shower to get the mountains of hair off of me that made me look like either Robin Williams or a sasquatch, we bleached it. Libby said that she liked the color that it was when it came out, so we decided to keep it blonde as you see it now. In that glorious time of crackafication (my term for turning those revolutionary black hairs into the cracker ass crackers they become) we packed up the toiletries and our clothes. I originally, foolishly thought that I wouldn’t buy many shirts, and packed three more than I needed, yet underestimated the amount of socks I would need, so I had to wear doubles twice, yuck. The rest was fine except we didn’t go anywhere really nice, so the metrosexual pink shirt wasn’t needed. Anyhow, the bleach came off and then it was that time when I was so excited that I could not get to sleep. All I kept thinking about was how cool it was gonna be when we finally step into the airport on Thursday and really do something spectacular that I’ve never done before. At about 2 AM I finally get to bed. I wake up at 6 AM so I can make it to work by 7. I get up, feeling oddly refreshed and rejuvenated even after just a few hours of rest. It is the adrenaline rush that is associated with either anxiety or impending fun, either way, it was getting me through the morning. The anxiety was reached first when I arrived to work and realized just how much stuff I needed to get accomplished before I left at 11.
I had to pay at least 40 invoices to make my numbers acceptable, I needed to print out all of my e-mails, as well as go through older ones and catch up on them and make sure that they are taken care of. Then had to go through my old receivers, get those all up to date and or paid and then had to straighten up and do all that jazz so if anyone was to touch my desk, it wouldn’t be a pig sty. I get that all accomplished by 10 minutes after 11 and haul ass out of there to make to DFW for the flight at 1:45. As I enter Libby’s car, Steph immediately says that she likes my hair, and I get in contact with Ben to make sure that he knows when we will be there. Ben is always prompt, so I knew he would be there before we were. After a missed exit to the airport and quick turnaround, we reach it at just before noon. The line in security was short, so we breezed to the front. She goes through without a hitch. But as I cross, the immediate beeping begins. For a second, Libby thought that this whole “Lollapalooza” thing was just a hoax and that I was really a terrorist, but those ideas were soon put to bed when I realized that I forgot to take off my belt. With that disaster diverted, it was on to meet Ben. We meet up by the gate, A23, and then we realize we have an hour and half before we board, so we head to TGI Lick My Pussay’s…. I mean TGI Friday’s (one of many Dane Cook references from the weekend). I have a crappy, rather cold steak and they both have the crappy, rather cold chicken. We also learn that DFW doesn’t have Coca-Cola. I think the McDonalds have a waiver because they serve only Coca-Cola. Either way, the lunch is full of merriment and we talk about how cool it is that we are actually going to Chicago. The flight was rather uneventful, Brooke wasn’t our Stewardess, so Ben didn’t have to choke a bitch (chalk up one to the many Dave Chappelle references). While waiting and while on the plane, I was reading Catcher in the Rye. Mostly because I have yet to read it, and because I was watching The Good Girl the other day and I thought “What’s your name, Catcher?” In a southern accent of course. I love that movie. Anyway, I only get to about page 25 or so as I was distracted by plane paths, destination time, weather what to do when we get there and the Cosmo sex/relationship quiz which apparently we score quite high on. Other than initial high five or “Shake and Bake” fist touch (more on that in Friday’s installment) it was the the trips first, and that was the fact that it was only 78 degrees in Chicago. It was around 98 or 96 in Dallas, but about 20 degrees less in Chicago. It was glorious to think that we could escape the heat of the metroplex. After yet another distraction from the immature, adolescent world of Holden Caulfield in the form of Everybody Hate’s Chris, I decide to put the book away for good on the trip. We then get sucked into our flight path on the TV screen and “The Grid” outside the window. The grid is just, in its own sad little way quite beautiful. Just imagine miles, and it is miles as it looks big even from 39,000 feet up of crops. The crops all neatly tucked in huge squares and one square often having a small house and a lake. Just to see the multicolored boxes of crops, the roads and the houses made it breath taking. The view got even more spectacular as we neared Chicago and flew over Wayne Campbell’s hometown, Aurora, IL. We could see houses much bigger because we had began our decent into O’Hare International Airport (ORD). Eventually we could even see basketball goals and cars quite close up. Then as quickly as it came, we touched down in beautiful Chicago. I hate landings on planes, but having Libby there to hold made it all better. We made the flight in an hour and 58 minutes, so it was 4 minutes faster than planned. That wouldn’t prove to be so for the rest of the trip. >Hint Hint for those of you who don’t know< It was a mad rush to get our luggage and get on a subway to downtown, as our train was supposed to depart at 4:20. It was straight up 4 when we got off the plane, and a good 5 minutes to baggage claim and another 5 to the subway. That left us zero chance of making it, though it did lead me to get a much needed pick me up from my now lack of energy in the form of a my Starbucks drink. A special prize to those who know exactly how I get it. Void to Libby and Ben, however. So we wait for like 20 minutes for bags to come, but while waiting, we get one of the most valuable and now souvenir things from the trip, the CTA map (see picture above.) The bags finally come through and it’s a mad dash to the trains. Of course we don’t make the 4:25 to Downtown, so we wait for the next one. We get on and it is hella (yeah, I brought it back, big whoop, wanna fight about it?) packed. We cant sit for the first few stops, then Lib and I can get a seat and poor Ben has to stand next to some guy that smells bad. It wasn’t much better for us either, as we set next to some chode pretty boys (yeah, I wish I had those looks and possibly their money as they were dressed quite nicely.) We arrive at Madison station in downtown, and unbeknownst to me, we could have gotten off two stops later to make the trek about 6 blocks less at Jackson street, but wee solider on. The 8 block walk to Grant Park to get our wrist bands was not the most fun but we made it none the less. It lead to the Van Buren Street Crosswalk and this amazing view of downtown Chicago. (pictured below)
Right about now comes in the map picture from above, where I was looking at it to find out which bus to take to get up the Magnificent Mile to our hotel. I discover that two are needed, either the 147 or 151 and then a transfer after Superior to the 3. We skip the transfer and get off where the 147 ends on Michigan Ave (Mag. Mile) in front of the Virgin Megastore and apparently by the magical, elusive Lowe’s Theatre. We walk the 5 blocks to the hotel past a Walgreen’s (The Wal, Dane Cookism #2) and
a really beautiful school that I wish I had gotten pictures of. It was really small and apparently the first one in Chicago or something like that. My hands were full with luggage to really do anything. It also isn’t very fun or easy to manipulate luggage on a bus. We pass by a few really great clothing stores, the biggest Border’s Books I have ever seen (four stories) and some really upscale stores. We finally make it to the Water Tower (Hancock Observatory at the top) which is on the same street our hotel is on, Chestnut. It is a rather glorious sight as we have already walked a good 17 blocks when your used to walking from just your car to the Air Conditioned building. Feet were the least of my concerns at the time, as I was pouring in sweat. But we check in, then find out that it is only a one bedroom hotel. Now I may be mistaken, but when I booked the thing, I specially remember asking for a double bed room. Maybe Hotwire left that out so they wouldn’t put in a more expensive hotel, but it was rather crappy for Ben, who can never let any be discomforted and thus slept on the floor for the entirety of the trip even when we offered him the bed the first night with us in it huddled on less than half the bed and to himself on subsequent nights. Polo, the coolest hotel clerk ever, except for maybe myself, decided to not upcharge us for bringing Libby along. He also tried to move us into a suite at no additional charge, but that feel through the next day as the people that were supposed to check out on Friday didn’t. We make it upstairs, and it is ever bit four star. The room is immaculate, they have an armoire TV stand, great very expensive wallpaper, nice everything basically. The view was incredible too, these were taken on Friday, but I will show you here just how much we were in downtown.
Ben showers to get ready for a much needed dinner (it was already 7 by the time we made it to the hotel) and then for Blue October at the Double Door. I ask Polo for a good, inexpensive restaurant recommendation, and he suggests the Tempo Café. We never did find it that night, nor did we get to try it. But we did find a cool 50’s retro diner in Johnny Rocket’s. It was inviting, so we went there. The burgers were a little pricey, but then again so was most stuff in Chicago. 34 dollars later and stomachs fuller we leave. But it was fun for a few reason: one, the onion rings were incredible and two, they called the soda “pop”. That’s how we knew we weren’t in Kansas (Texas) anymore. No more blatant disregard of name brand association and calling every soda “coke”. They call it Coca-Cola and Pepsi and Dr. Pepper, not just coke, dang it. Also, oddly enough DP seems to be more prevalent up there than Coca-Cola, and Pepsi by far is in more places than anything else. Ben had to suffer and get either root-beer or something else, as Coca-Cola wasn’t in too many places. A quick block north (two from the hotel) was a really cool Adidas store. But that was closed, then we walked a few more north as I thought that Chicago Ave was north of the hotel, so we walk another 2 blocks, then I realize that Chicago is actually south of the hotel. But in those two blocks it was hella (haha) packed. Just tons of really showy guys in Porches, Ferrari’s and other nice cars and dance clubs galore. We were evidently in a hotspot. But we turned around and headed south to the hotel for Libby and two more blocks to Chicago for us and Ben and I reached our destination, Chicago street. On the way we saw a Bentley Dealership, it was insane. We have to ride the 66 over to the Blue line subway on Milwaukee to get to the Double Door. Apparently we get on before all the traffic as the bus gets jammed with people on each stop. But we make it in one piece to the blue line, and then ride on over to Damen (Matttt Daaamooonn!!) Station. Now this is the really awesome part of Chicago. The L (elevated rail line) it can make you feel as though you’re in a movie when your are waiting for a train or getting off of one. My bosses husband pointed that out to me today. He felt as though he was on a movie when getting on one in Chicago, and I felt like one. In this case, it was one of the greatest movies of all time, High Fidelity. I love the part (yes, I mentioned before in my previous blog) when he gets off the L and heads over to the Double Door (which is right across the street from where Damen lets you down) Now I keep getting confused as to which club he goes to see Marie Lasalle at, I think its Lounge Axe, but I could be wrong. I think he used to spin at the Door. Either way, something takes place there during the movie and he is seen from time to time either on a train or waiting for one. That’s how it is in Chicago, many different classes of people ride the train. But I will watch it as I go to sleep tonight. So we wait for Blue October to go on and they go on really early, like 10 or so. That’s ridiculously early for a show, but oh well. So they rock it on stage, do the hits, the good new stuff (minus “Drilled a Wire Through my Cheek” as that song sucks). Ben is upset they didn’t play the older stuff from Consent to Treatment. I was upset they didn’t play “Somebody”. And I am really, really really getting tired of the song “Hate Me”, but it was one of those magical musical moments when Justin wasn’t even singing the chorus, and everyone in the crowd was and it was really loud, very cool to witness. After representing our Texas boys well, we head back to the blue line to take it back to downtown. This time we had to go downtown since the 66 stops running at 12:15 and I didn’t want to chance us getting stuck on Chicago Ave with no bus coming. So we take a bus from downtown to the hotel. We stopped at White Hen convenient store, which are everywhere. They are quite expensive, and I thought water was genuinely that expensive in Chicago, the cheapest liter was $2.39 there. I still bought two Fiji Bottles ($2.69) instead. Also, I found out that convenient stores can sell liquor and the next day find out you can drink on streets, how cool is that? No more Bible Belt baby! So we finally get home and find that Libby didn’t close the door all the way. It wasn’t wide open, but the door didn’t quite close all the way. Thankfully we were on the 15th floor and nobody but us and room service would go to that side of the hotel. It was a long day but I easily drifted to sleep and was ready for the big day that was ahead of us.