My Kind Of Town

In my twenties Chicago became my adopted hometown. I lived in the suburbs, Des Plaines, and made my frequent trips to the city to go to acting class, see friends, and, basically, do all the things that unattached twenty-somethings do. It is the right of passage of the young. You are now off the leash and making all of your decisions. That is why many of us let it all hang out during those frenzied years. And, if you are going to let it all go there is no better place than that fine lady of a city by the lake, the Mistress Chicago. And, many nights I seduced her..... Back then, the late 80's and 90's, Chicago was still aglow with the magic of the 1985 Bears team and their charismatic coach and players. For those too young to remember, I cannot overstate the euphoria that those Bears teams gave the city. You could feel the crackle of electricity literally at your fingertips. The buzz in the city was pronounced. When you walked into a nightclub or restaurant-- and, it seemed like all the players had restaurants going-- there was a strong sense that you might rub shoulders with a famous person. Because of my youth, which gives you the energy to go all night, I drank it all in. Literally and physically. I remember standing by the bar at the ''U.S. Blues Bar'', the forerunner of today's House Of Blues. It was a small basement bar beneath The Fireplace Inn [ which had great ribs] on Wells Street, kitty corner from Second City. The unknown Chris Farley was hammered out of his mind most nights there after his show at Second City. He seemed ok, I really didn't talk to him. He seemed more intent on showing people his manhood-- which, if I was him, I would have left in my pants, if you know what I'm saying. That bar is my choice for my all-time favorite bar in my lifetime. Great music, local and national celebrities like Farley, Steve Dahl, Joe Walsh, Buzz Kilmon, Jim Belushi, Dan Aykroyd. It was all hosted by the great Steve Beshakis. Steve was a childhood friend of John Belushi's and the bar itself was a shrine to his fallen friend. Steve always teared up when talking about John, which was often. Sadly, last year, Steve died horribly. His apartment caught on fire and he got out, but, went back inside to retrieve his beloved cat. The fire got them both. But, I have fond memories of that place. That was Chicago back then. The whole street seemed to know each other. Maybe, because middle-age is settling in on me I view that time a little more with a nostalgic glow... These thoughts came back to me because yesterday I made my yearly trip to the city. I took the train because getting there is a nightmare and the parking sucks. Funny, those things didn't seem to bother me when I was young [ another sign of age]. I enjoy taking the train, though. There is an interesting group of people who ride them. You have the business community. You have the tourists. You have the bizarre people who talk to themselves. A nice mixture. After getting to Union Station it took exactly 36 seconds before the first homeless person hit me up for change. He was a homeless veteran. What homeless person doesn't advertise himself as a veteran? And, I brushed off the pleas to buy the paper that the homeless sell. Why would I buy this? To see an article on the new cardboard box Darrell Johnson has on Lake Street? Gee, I hope the article comes with pictures!!!! Ducking the pigeons that also follow you I made my treck east towards the lake. This is a nice thing I do for myself. I have no set plan, Chicago will lead my day. At a stoplight I pulled a woman away from a speeding car that was gonna hit her. She was texting and wasn't paying attention. This is normal nowadays. There was no thank you for my efforts, so, now I'm thinking I should have let the car hit her. I could have then taken her phone, which was sweet. Two cab drivers ahead of me were arguing in a language that I couldn't comprehend. It got rather heated and the police were called. Order was soon restored and the cops went back to Dunkin Donuts... I walked but I also marveled, as I always do, at the immense beauty that this city offers. When I was a kid I loved the sight of these buildings. I still do. It is extraordinary that this much imagination and physical human labor goes into making these giants. Standing under the Sears Tower [ I won't call it by its new name, sorry folks] I looked up and up and up and up. And, then I had a dark thought. Two similar buildings were hit in New York and came down. God Help Us if this ever happens again. This gave me a shudder in the warm air. Never again, I said to myself. Never again... Darting through many streets and trying to avoid the everyday people I managed to walk by the old, late, great, Sun Times building that is no more. It is now Trump Tower. I must admit it was impressive. And, looked mighty expensive, too. But, being a sentimental romantic I missed the aura of that Sun Times building. The greats were in there shaping the news for us-- as, were their counterparts across the street at the Chicago Tribune. Now it is Trump Tower. Reason Number 2,136 for me to hate Donald Trump... My stomach growled, always a dangerous thing to hear, so, I made my way to the House Of Blues. I shamefully confess I have never been to this location before. I have been to the one on the Sunset Strip in L.A., which is amazing. The Chicago one is located between the Marina City Towers and seemed a little small to me. I was expecting a more ''Chicago'' vibe to it. It seemed rather corporate. Maybe, because the original partners, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi's widow, Judy, are no longer the principal voices. However, they did serve me a tasty burger. As I was eating I saw a nice sign overlooking the stage: ''This joint is dedicated in loving memory to Jake Blues. Rest In Party- Elwood''. Nice little tribute, Dan.... Back out into the sunshine, my next stop was the Billy Goat Tavern. I never thought much of this place, but, it is a famous Chicago landmark, so, what the hell, I will give it a shot again. It is located underneath many stairs on Lower Wacker Drive, just off of Michigan Avenue. This seems dangerous. How many nights has a customer had a snootful and then attempted to walk up those dastardly stairs? I walked in and immediately was reminded of why I hate this place. Sure, Mike Royko and other famous people have been here, but, famous people can be wrong, too. I still think the place is a shithole. One thing that really bothers me is sitting at a bar with stools that are too short. It makes me feel like I am sitting at the kids table during Thanksgiving. My doctor tells me I am 5'9, 204 pounds. In my minds eye, I am 6'4 and 175. But, this bar made me look like ''Tattoo'' on ''Fantasy Island''. I looked around and observed the people there. There were fat, sweaty, profane, farting people who were touching their crotches a lot. And, then their were the men.... I had a beer and made a fast getaway. No loss. Back into the world of normal looking people who bathe I decided to people watch. This is always a fun sport for me. Ah, summertime in the city!!! Women wearing summer dresses and shorts!!! Jimmy like this !!!! You ladies-- God, I love you all!!!! After the weather, this is the best thing about summer... I stopped into the NBC building and broke a rule. I went to the bathroom in the building that was supposed to be just for employees. Ole Rebel Me. On my way out of the building I heard my name called. It was some recently graduated students from the high school I worked at. It was a nice, quick reunion. They were amazed that ''Mr. Scoleri'' has a normal life to live like they do. We parted with well-wishes being shared to all. Then, I went to Navy Pier. I haven't been here in many years. The last time I was there was with an old girlfriend of mine and her niece and nephew. This thought was triggered by looking at the huge Ferris Wheel . I had to go up on that thing with them. I have never been too thrilled with rides that are meant to scare you. If you want to be really scared I will take you to some neighborhoods in the city. But, up we went that day. At some point, I remember praying that I would go to India and work with lepers if I survived this ride. After the ride was over, we got back on the ground. My girlfriend and the kids were a little shaken up. I was huddled in a corner sobbing openly.... Fortunately, I did not need to go on that ride. I walked passed the restaurants [ Billy Goat being one of them. I gave it the EVIL EYE]. Then, after a safe distance I turned and looked at the Chicago skyline. What a beautiful sight!!!! We often forget in our travels around the country that we have a glorious city at our fingertips everyday. My heart was filled with smiles as I slowly made my way back towards the train station... I made one more stop before I got on my train. It was at the Vietnam Memorial Wall. It is a small replica of the original wall in Washington. There is no need for an explanation of why I was there. I needed to be there. Seeing all those names on the walls of the dead-- well, sobering and sad are the only words to use. The majority of the fatalities seemed to happen in the years 1967-1970. Many names, all of them unknown to me, but, in a strange way, are known because they gave me my freedom to be in Chicago on this day. There was one man with me at the wall. He was in his 60's I would guess. I watched him but didn't say anything to him. I did not want to intrude on his grief. He had tears in his eyes as he searched the names of the people he knew. I watched him sigh. The pain never goes away for the survivors of war. I left him to himself and his memories. As I was walking away I was hoping no one would be with him. He needed to be alone with his long-ago lost friends..... Sitting on the train I decided it was a most successful day. I do this once a year by myself and I enjoy it. Now, I will go to the city with family and friends sometimes, but, this is my day. A time to discover. A time for new adventures. A time to rediscover old stories. And, as I saw at the Vietnam Memorial, it is a time to celebrate life.....