I want to start this new blog by saying that I love my city. I love the culture, the food, the ample opportunities for entertainment, the sports teams, the summers. Maybe especially the summers. If you live in a warm climate all year round, you truly can't appreciate what you have. Right now, we are miserable. We are all just walking bundles of layers. Coats, scarfs, hats. Vanity is cast aside in favor of comfort, or at least the often futile attempts at it. But the summers...ah! They make us forget. They make us realize, with their street fests and beaches and patio dining and lively neighborhoods, why it is that we live here. It's a small window, so we live it up!
Sorry, I may have lost focus there for a moment. It's really cold outside and I can't wait for the seasons to change and for amnesia to kick in once again. Winter? Oh, it wasn't THAT bad this year!
I'm not saying Chicago is perfect. It's expensive to live here, the public transportation system could be more modern (compared to a lot of cities, though, we're doing alright), our politicians don't seem to be the most honest lot (although that goes for the whole state), gangs and crime are a constant concern (partly that's just urban life anywhere, though), etc.
And winter is really brutal. Lest I forget to mention that.
But for me, from my point of view, the positives far outweigh the negatives, and I'm proud to live in this great world class city.
Point of view is funny that way. Ask one of my best friends her opinion of Chicago and you'll be lucky to get her to admit one good thing about the city or its people. I try not to take it personally because a.) she's wrong, and b.) there is no such thing as one over-arching place called "Chicago".
Of course there are the physical city limits that contain the zip codes and area codes that define the city. And yes, there are the landmarks, the neighborhoods, the stadiums, and the buildings that bring to mind the word "Chicago".
But if one looks at it closely, it's all up for interpretation. Just like anything. What does it mean to be American? Well, the answer is bound to be different based on a wide spectrum of factors: personal history, income, education, social status, region, personal philosophy, culture. A child born into poverty on the West Side is bound to grow up with a different view of Chicago and America in general then a child born into wealth on the Gold Coast. Maybe there are exceptions to the rule, but it's just the truth. We all realize this. That's not to be divisive, because in a shared society, you hope at least, that the truths and values that we hold in common are what keep us going as a nation, city, state, as a people.
But difference is good too. Debate is good. Differing points of view make things interesting. My Chicago is bound to be slightly different than the millions of others who share the distinction of being "Chicagoan". And so this blog is going to attempt to share that point of view with you. I hope to not only write about the music, food & drink, and day to day experiences I have as a Chicagoan, but to also provide some pictures and maybe even a podcast at some point. I may throw in some fiction too, just for the hell of it. Chicago makes a pretty good character in stories as well.
But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. I don't know how frequently I'll update this. Hopefully at least three times a week. And I don't really have a set format. Maybe one day it'll be commentary on the mayor's race. Maybe the next it'll be a terrifying account of a trip on the Red Line (there's no shortage of those. My friend recently had to dodge a flying chicken bone). Maybe the next it'll be a review of a concert. I'm keeping things pretty loose at this point.
I thought about reviewing restaurants and bars too, but as a current restaurant industry employee, I'm not sure if that's a conflict of interest or not. Anyhow, there's plenty of people, maybe too many actually, who are more than willing to be critics. I'll still comment when I have an excellent experience out, but I don't have the stomach for ripping establishments when they don't meet my expectations. If I do have a terrible evening out that I feel I must write about, I'll most likely speak in generalities to protect the offending parties. Online commentary, even small-time bloggery, can often spread like wildfire and I'd hate to inadvertently cause trouble for myself or an establishment that was maybe just having a bad night.
Speaking of possible conflicts of interest, my next post will be a record review of local musician Phillip-Michael Scales, who performs under the name Briar Rabbit. Mr. Scales/Rabbit is a former co-worker of mine and a friend, so I'm going to be as objective as possible, but know from the get-go that I may be slightly biased. What are you gonna do? He asked me if I'd do it and I said okay. We'll see how it turns out.
So that's that. I'm certainly not the first person to write about Chicago, nor will I be the last, but I hope to bring something slightly unique to the table with my personal vision of what this city is, might be, and isn't. And I also hope to highlight the artists, establishments, neighborhoods, and people who beyond the buildings and city limits, make Chicago what it is.
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