For 7 months, residents of the Second City battle through the harshest of winters by getting around a city driven by public transportation and cabs. If you do decide to jump in your car to run errands, chances are, when you return you have to plow through six inches of snow into a parallel parking spot. (sidenote: Chicagoans are probably some of the most resourceful and creative parallel parkers in the nation) To put it simply, winter here SUCKS. And it's ALMOST long enough for one to forget why it is that people actually live here.
And then it happens. The clouds clear, the birds sing, the smell of charcoal fills the air, and the sound of something special humm's in the distance. What's that? What could that sound be? Oh yeah, that's the beautiful sound of live music and street fests! I remember those! There are few things more fun than spending a Saturday afternoon bouncing from vendor to vendor with a beer in hand while you listen to a cover band play their best rendition of Sweet Child of Mine. And if your really lucky, you may witness amateur musicians at their finest--that's right, outdoor Karaoke booths! But don't worry, if live music isn't your thing, you can still have a blast. Art vendors, jewelry stands, t-shirt booths and various huts filled with strange knick-knacks are all lined up in a row ready to offer an opportunity to spend on impulse. If your looking to fill your stomach instead of empty your wallet, there are plenty of food vendors that offer every type of ethnic cuisine. But seriously people, where else can you find a two-block stretch of a city completely blocked off and devoted to it's wonderful inhabitants?
So, my advice to visitors and those who are new to the city--take a four month hiatus from museums, movie theaters, basically anything indoors and get out to as many festivals as humanly possible, because for the next few months Chicago is the greatest city in the world.
