Oooh!!!! Ahhh!!!
Yup, it's the big fireworks day at the Taste and get ready for idiots in Grant Park. They'll be out and about most of the day, drinking on the lakefront, getting into arguments over something silly and then fisticuffs. That's just a small minority of people. Another fun group are the high school kids. They roam in packs with no real intent in mind. Watch out for groups of eight to ten 17-year-old girls, walking aimlessly and yelling really loud into their glittery cell phones.
The rest are wholesome families. They're fairly harmless.
Everyone will gather for the fireworks at dusk, at that point many streets downtown will be closed. That includes Lake Shore Drive, so if you were planning on driving to the Lakefront and pulling along the shoulder, think again.
After the massive display of pyrotechnics finishes up, it's time for the mad dash out of the Loop. A couple of years ago, my buddy and I raced to the METRA Ogilive Station from Grant Park on foot and got there in 10 minutes. They piled us on the Union Pacific West Line train, and we were off to my folks house. In and out, wasn't a bad way to go.
If you are going to take the CTA, it should be a pleasant evening outside, you know, just in case a train gets stuck on the tracks for a few hours like in 2007. Should that happen, Mayor Richard M. Daley know's what's next
"If you are caught an 'L' and you don't know what is happening, people get a little panicky and they get a little upset." Daley said three days after the incident. So don't get upset! Okay?
**Dance Friday featured John Mellencamp's "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." What a great song, simple enough for both my mom and my dad to play on the guitar. I can't play, but apparently people think I can sing. Don't bring any glass to the performances in two weeks.
**Cubs game at Wrigley today with the Brewers in town, but if you want to check in on Aramis Ramirez and his bum shoulder, he'll be out in Geneva. Cubs affiliate, the Peoria Chiefs, will play my former employer the Kane County Cougars at the remodeled Elfstrom Stadium. I haven't been, I hear it's wonderful. Expect a great family crowd, good entertainment, and damn good fireworks that I've watched for nearly 20 years.
