The 2010 tall ships festival is going on at navy pier. To avoid the crowds I went after work. I got a $1 discount by getting the ticket online in advance, not too bad. There were about 20 tall ships from all over the world. Some of them could be boarded and others offer sailing tickets — which sold out really early. I got the boarding ticket for $5 extra.

I visited quite a few ships — the inland seas, the roald amundsen all the way from the north sea, the friends good will, the madeline and the pride of baltimore. All were extremely interesting, the masts, the array of ropes and knots, the small crew quarters, galleys and how pristine they are all kept.

By far the biggest attraction, and with the longest queue (I think it took me about 45mins) was to board HMS Bounty. This the American replica, built for the 1960 Marlon Brando film. Still, it was authentic enough for the visitors and I, like many, spent a few minutes just sitting on deck enjoying the lake and the day.

Didn’t stay for the fireworks, though I probably should have. At 9pm, it would have been late when I get home. Had a couple of beers (note to self: cheapest beer at navy pier = haagen dazs café, $2.75 for domestic draft) and chinese fast food for dinner.

Another summer festival, this one the Korean festival. Only a 10-minute drive away, so no excuse. Plus unlike the ginza festival, no entrance fee. They closed 2 blocks of the street, and the stalls varied between food, community groups, a Hyundai dealership and others selling crafts or korean toiletries and other stuff. There was a sand wrestling competition area and inflatable castles for kids.

My main purpose is for the food, naturally. I had the spicy rice cake (dukbokki) and fish stick in soup. I remember the first time I had the spicy rice cake, on a bitingly cold day in Seoul, I had no idea it was that spicy. Since acquired a taste for it, cos I know what to expect. The fish stick is just like any fishball, just in a flat form. Stayed away from all the fried food. Everything washed down by an OB beer. Just one, cos I’m driving. Didn’t get the jinru either, cos I’m driving.

The food and beer came to $15, which is a better value and more authentic than the $20+ half chicken I had yesterday. The lady at the food stall gave me too much change actually, but I gave the correct amount back to her.

Full set here

This is my second year at the air and water show. Last year I went in the afternoon on the second day at the south end of oak street beach. This year, I went at 10.30am on the first day and decided to go right where the action was, at north avenue beach. I figured, it’d be crowded but it should be feasible to find space for one person. I was right. I got a spot at one of the concrete jetties facing south, it was perfect. It was also extremely hot and though I had sunscreen on, I could feel the UV. I brought a beach towel to sit on, I ended up huddling underneath it for most of the day, to block out the sun.

The show started with skydivers, and then there were military planes, helicopters and aerial gymnastics from at least 3 teams. It was fantastic. The buzz and roar of the planes, the skills of the pilots. I wish I knew more about planes to be able to recognise them.

The highlight was of course the finale, the blue angels flying F/A-18 Hornets. There was a lot of anticipation, about where they’d “sneak” up on us, people were watching the skies all over. Then we saw a huge plume of grey smoke from the lake and there they were! Great end and I didn’t feel like I’d been sitting on concrete under the baking sun for 5 hours.

It was only a 10-15min walk to the ginza festival. I was pretty hungry and thought I’d get dinner there. It turned out to be a very expensive dinner. The entrance of $4 (normally $5 but I had a coupon), plus food and drinks used a ticket system of $1 per ticket. Half a teriyaki chicken was 10 tickets, a beer 5. I had 5 left over so I had a red bean dessert and a serving of edamame. I suppose I could have watched the performance, but it wasn’t interesting. The stalls sold stuff that seemed to come from somewhere between a $10 shop and Sogo. I had to remind myself that I’m not in Asia, and some of these crafts and merchandise are pretty unusual here.

 

So since Papa and I scoped out taste last weekend, it was our turn to take Mum there. Unlike last week, they didn’t let people in till 11am on the dot. Silly, cos they could have just let people in 15mins early to buy tickets instead of a huge crowd building outside the gate rushing in.

We kept to taste portions and tried many of the ones we liked last time — polish sausage sandwich at kasia’s, lou’s deep dish pizza. New was Iyanze, an African restaurant. The jerk chicken with rice was very nice, and the unusual bissap sorbet (frozen hibiscus tea) perfect for the hot day. Savoury was rounded by steak and chicken taco.

Dessert was sugar-free chocolate cheesecake from eli’s, watermelon from dominick’s. I had a frozen yogurt and berry cone while parents shared a rainbow cone. We stayed under the shade of the trees near the Congress entrance, right opposite the free amp lemonade stand.

It got very very crowded. We were full and had used up all our tickets. Time to go home to relax.

 

I needed to pick up my running packet for tomorrow’s race, so I dragged my dad along to Taste. We took the 147 bus and was there in no time. I remember my own advice, of getting there at 11am when they start to avoid the crowds.

Couldn’t find the running crew to get the packet. I’ll get it before the race tomorrow. We explored all of the stalls, and took our pick of what looked interesting. Polish sausage, pierogi, catfish, turkey wings. I liked the sausage deep dish pizza from Lou’s, and we both had a huge rainbow cone to finish.

Tickets weren’t cheap. $8 for a strip of 12. Most normal sized portions were from 8-12 tickets, with sampler sizes 2-4 tickets. It was hot and I really wanted a beer, but at 9 or 10 tickets, that’s like $6. I waited till I got home.

I was invited to Car’s family for Thanksgiving. There was a lot of preparation last night, and I helped with mushing the stuffing (they call it dressing so I’ll follow) — minced beef, celery, onion, bread, egg and sage. The turkey we stayed up till 3am last night to put in the oven. It’s 25 pounds and calculated time is 8.5hrs, I think it was cooked a little longer at the end. Other members of the family brought some food. I filled up my plate and went to town with eating, I was very full afterwards. I think everyone was happy too.

from top: mash potato (sweet potatoes hidden behind), polish sausage w/sauerkraut, turkey, cranberry, italian sausage, cornbread, dressing, brussel sprouts

My second Landshark event today was the oyster festival at Roscoe Village. According to the original blurb in Time Out it’s supposed to be a Guinness and oyster event; but somehow Guinness disappeared.

The entrance fee was $5, and of all the events I’ve been to this year, this $5 was a waste. First off, I expected oysters — as in raw bar oysters. Was very disappointed that there was only one stand, selling baked stuffed oysters at $20 for the half dozen. I guess Americans have this paranoia about serving raw seafood, but if that’s the case why have the festival in the first place. Tasted okay, and nice with beer, but nothing like fresh raw oysters, right? Sigh.

Still hungry, so I had a lamb kebab and another beer. Took the bus and was home by 5pm.

The Air & Water Show took place over this weekend. I found a spot at the lakeside between Oak Street Beach and Ohio Beach, it wasn’t as crowded as the main area at North Beach. Weather-wise it would have been better to come yesterday, cos today it was overcast and rained a bit. I had my hat on so I wasn’t bothered, I was more annoyed at the lack of blue skies and good light. I got there just before 2pm. Seemed like I just missed whatever was on the program before cos it was a good 30-40mins before the display started again.

I must confess I have no idea what models the planes were, just that they were very impressive — both the planes and the pilots’ flying skills. I was a bit too far south to be in the middle of the action, even though I could see pretty well. First there was a series of single plane displays. The biplane was especially crazy.



The main attraction was of course the US Airforce Thunderbirds and even I knew they were flying F-16s. The cloud cover gave them an advantage to sneak up on us, I was looking around trying to spot them approaching. All in all it was a magnificent display of precision flying. And the noise!! Especially when they flew over my head.

I had both my camcorder and my camera. The photos needed to be photoshopped, and somehow the audio went missing when I converted the mpg to mov. Need to fix that sometime.

video of thunderbirds (no audio): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PM7HgiddXM
photos full set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/invisiblecompany/sets/72157621936484447/

I spent 9 hours (1-10pm) on Sunday at lollapalooza, which is one of America’s prime music festival events. It’s a 3-day event, but as I looked at the lineup, I decided I could only do one day, especially since I had to go to work friday. I was a bit bummed that I missed Depeche Mode on Friday and Gomez, TV on the Radio and Tool on Saturday. Ah well, next year.

 

It was a HOT, HOT, HOT day. We were allowed sealed bottle water, and throughout the day I made sure I was hydrated. Okay, I had 3 Bud Lights in addition to the water, watermelon and smoothies I enjoyed. I also diligently bought and used sunblock; and a cute fedora I bought at one of the stalls. The first pic here shows a fire department “mobile ventilation unit” which they used to fan water for a cooling shower for the participants. The second pic shows what seems to be all 225,000 attendees.

 

There were 8 stages, and with Grant Park 1 mile long, it was essential to plan. There were only a couple of overlaps where I had to decide, most of the time it was obvious who I wanted to see. I caught the end of Bat for Lashes, who I’ve never heard of but will likely buy their album now. Then mid-afternoon it was Airborne Toxic Event, who were more subdued than I expected. I wondered if I should have gone to see Kaiser Chiefs instead. I was fairly close to the stage, although being short it was difficult to see over the shoulders of people in front of me.

A short break afterwards, during which I chomped down a portion of Jack Daniels bbq wings washed down with a watermelon wedge. Then it was back to the same stage to see Vampire Weekend, which got us jumping and doing screams. I only know their most well-known songs, and I sang along like the other audience members.

It was then time to explore the other side of the festival, more food, looking around the stalls, bypassing the autograph area. Found myself in the dance pit section, where DJ Boyz Noise was spinning. Then caught the end of Dan Auerbach before heading to Lou Reed. Unfortunately Lou was disappointing, so I walked the whole mile back to the south end, got a tamale/taco combo, a smoothie and a frozen kefir (like frozen yogurt), my last Bud Light and found a seat on the lawn to wait for The Killers.



Brandon Flowers and gang did not disappoint, opening with Human, rocking hard through their repetoire and finishing with a flourish with Read My Mind, Mr Brightside and All These Things that I’ve Done. We sang “I got soul but I’m not a soldier” over and over and over again, it was brilliant. Two encores later, I joined the thousands on my way home, very satisfied, very buzzed and feeling a little like I was 21 again.

True to plan, I went to market days today. Not sure what I expected, but there wasn’t a market there, heehee. Instead, it’s a bit like midsommarfest only more crowded and more boisterous. Suffice it to say that market days are held at N Halsted, the same stretch where Pride takes place, to give an idea of the participants. Lots of stalls lining both sides of the street, from organisations soliciting for members, marketing by major companies (T-mobile, Comcast etc) to food and drink, craft, jewelry, clothing stalls.



I had a Polish Plate at one of the stalls — stuffed cabbage, polish sausage, sauerkraut, potato pancake, 3 perogis — at $10 not cheap, but nice tasting and filling. Better than the burgers, pizzas and fried noodles at other stalls. I also tried a Bud Light Lime, which tasted really bland, but what did I expect?

  There were several stages set up along the route, and I stayed to enjoy a couple of the bands. There was a rock band, Hag (“it’s a good word,” said the keyboardist) made up of middle-aged women who belted out 80s classics like Vacation and Gold Dust Woman. The lead guitarist was good, even though she looked like someone’s really nice mom. I also watched an Abba tribute band, and they attracted a HUGE crowd. Old and young were all bouncing up and down with the well-known tunes.

 

Again, it being boystown, and a hot day, there were plenty of, well, skin as well as more outrageously dressed individuals. Everyone was plenty willing to let me take their pictures, even posing. A woman asked if I was Press, which gave me warm fuzzy memories of GCLS.

Take a look at the full set, there are some fairly “oooh la la” pics there. The set turned out really nice. Sunny day helped, but I did buy a new MRC circular polariser, which I’m sure vastly improved the pics.

[facebook readers: click on “view original post” to see pics]

 

Midsommarfest is:

one of Chicago’s most unique street fairs. Born out of Andersonville’s Swedish heritage, Midsommarfest retains its quaint, international flavor. Old-world Swedish traditions, including a festive dance around the Maypole, are incorporated into an unrivaled array of entertainment for families and adults.

Considering I live 3 minutes away, it’s a no-brainer, especially when the weather was so nice. I thought I’d get some good pictures too. But no, it was too crowded and the stalls not that interesting. There were lots of arts and crafts, food and beer. Religious, political and community groups were well represented. I took a picture of one of the stages, and one of the spit roasting pork, that was it.

I actually went back home, dropped my camera and went back. Tried a 10” long Italian sausage sandwich, a corn dog and a sangria that everyone was drinking. It was a nice way of spending the late afternoon.

 

It’s Shrove Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, the day before Ash Wednesday. I learned that Americans call today Fat Tuesday. Because of all the fattening goodies traditionally eaten today? I dunno.

The feasting started in the morning when a colleague brought in paczki, “to make everyone Polish for a day,” as she said. A Polish pastry, a little more cake-like than doughnuts. This one came with glazed strawberries and whipped cream. I don’t like whipped cream, but this one is thicker and has a clotted cream flavour, which I enjoyed.

Debated with myself all day about whether to make pancakes. It’s too tempting at the end, traditions need to be upheld. Even though i have no whisk or ladle in PT, i made do with a fork and a large spoon. Lemon and sugar of course.

mm and I celebrated chinese new year at a, um, sushi restaurant. one of those conveyor belt places that is usually very crowded but today at 1pm, we didn’t even have to wait. We ordered a mixed tuna plate, with 3 different kinds of tuna ranging from normal to fatty. Also had a bottle of sake.

  Then we were pottering around the stores, and were at burberry when there was a huge racket which got louder and louder. It was the lion dance, coming to the store to “fetch the green” — I’m sure there’s some lucky meaning but it escapes me right now. We were at the right place at the right time.

I went to the taste of chicago today. I avoided going at the weekend because of the crowds, and today i got there at 10.50am, just before the 11am opening. The place was practically empty and I had time to walk around looking at the stalls deciding what to try. Tickets were available for $8 for a strip of 12. Most stalls had 3-4 menu items costing around 6-10 tickets, although they have one “taste of” item for 3-4 tickets obviously for tasting.

There were the expected sandwiches, pizza and the like but I focused on trying food I hadn’t tried before. First was a chorizo arepa, because I was watching a program on the Food Network over the weekend on arepas. This arepa wasn’t anything like the ones on TV, the sausage was okay but the pastry was dry. The second thing I tried was a mustard fried catfish. Now this one was good. The breading wasn’t thick, the fish was fresh and the mustard gave it a nice gentle kick.

 
On the theme of fish the next stall offered shark. I’ve eaten all sorts of unusual food so i wasn’t fazed by the shark. It was actually quite nice. Like tune in taste although it’s white not red. Better than crocodile definitely. Not to fishy either. I was kinda full by then but one dish from my earlier inspection stood out — goat with fried plantain. I didn’t care for the goat, it was very tough, even tougher than mutton. The plantain was good — sweet and filling.

 

Dessert time. The New Orleans style restaurant offered up a tasting portion of beignet and a large piece of watermelon was the perfect thirst quencher.

 

The best till last. A combo of lemon and watermelon ice. Yep, a great day out.