It's been awhile since I've been to Chicago and I believe the last time I was there it was for Touch and Go's 25th Anniversary music festival in 2006. I can't believe it's been that long actually, but I suppose that makes sense. As they say, "man how time flies!" I've always loved Chicago and after reading "The Devil in the White City", it's made me a bit more fascinated with it. This was a spontaneous trip on my part as my friend Ben called me up about 2 weeks ago to meet up for dinner/drinks. I hadn't seen him in months, so after catching up a bit he asked if I wanted to go to Chicago with him to see a South African group called Die Antwoord. Of course, being I'm sort of on "vacation" right now and am always down for an adventure, especially if it involves checking out some new music and traveling out of town -- I was totally down. The next day, Ben purchased tickets and I booked a room at the Two Urns Bed & Breakfast in Wicker Park and we were set!
Ben on 3 hours of sleep driving us to Chicago.
Our B&B apartment building in Wicker Park.
Ben works at the King and I Thai restaurant in Loring Park and so we have completely different schedules. He's become accustomed to the bar shift lifestyle, whereas I've become used to the regular 9-5 lifestyle. Asking him to pick me up at 8AM the morning of our trip was a bit of a struggle for him to say the least, as he only got 3 hours of sleep. On top of it, we were embarking on this road trip knowing it was going to be the hottest day of the Summer so far. The weather forecasted a high of 103º in Chicago with humidity dew points set to fry eggs on asphalt. After a very hot and sticky 6 hour drive, we arrived to our B&B and settled in a bit before heading out to check out the area. We walked around Wicker Park, the Ukrainian/East Village and a little bit into Bucktown. Ben bought some music at Permanent Records and we stopped for drinks at Cleo's before heading back to shower and freshen up for the show at the Double Door.
A cute cat nestled inside a CD box at Permanent Records -- the mascot of the store. Apparently she's been doing this as a kitten and still feels she fits perfectly inside it.
Reading Chicago's alt weeklies and grabbing happy hour at Cleo's in the East Village.
A huge Western store along Damen Ave. that we pass under.
There was a lot of great graffiti all around the neighborhood.
Die Antwoord's poster outside the Double Door.
We were hoping the weather would drop a few degrees by the time the sun set...but we were sorely wrong. After grabbing a quick bite to eat at Cafe Absinthe across the street from the venue, we ventured into the club, which I kid you not was at a scorching 90-some degrees inside. It was a perfectly sized venue, not too big, not too small and they came on 10 minutes after we walked in. The show was sold out and I have to say, the energy in the club by the locals was impressive. It was high energy, hot as hell and in a mere 15 minutes, everyone in the club was soaked (and I mean SOAKED) in their own, the audience's and the venue's ceiling sweat. Seriously...the ceiling was dripping on us...that's how f'ing hot it was! I don't believe I've been this sweaty since being in SE Asia. The kind of hot where you can't drink alcohol as you're dehydrated and naturally detoxing at a rapid rate. Normally, in situations like these...well, actually...I don't think I really allow myself to put myself in situations like these because I'll either pass out or leave! But as we drove specifically into town for this show, I sucked it up, went with it and let as loose as my sticky clothes would allow.
Introducing "Ninja" on the left and Yolandii on the right. Photo courtesy of dieantwoord.com.
Die Antwoord not only shocked me with their talent, but if you watch any of their online videos -- you see the satirical nature of their antics and aren't really sure if you can take them seriously. Not only were they serious on stage, but they were talented, entertaining and truly represented South Africa's "zef" rap-rave scene. They brought their international flavor and flair and the audience happily drank it all up. They truly reminded me of when M.I.A. first came out on the scene and for the first time in a very long time, it was a newer sound and energy on the indie music front. That's my opinion anyway. It was refreshing to see a show where I knew very little about the artists and to leave feeling like I saw something really special. Die Antwoord is die zefste shit ooit my blaar! Tsjek dit uit! Bompin!
After the show, we went to a nearby bar called Estelle's for a night cap and then retreated back to the B&B. The next morning, I was the only one who woke up early enough to enjoy the "breakfast" part of our bed & breakfast stay. I have to say, I really enjoyed the experience of staying in an urban B&B, nestled into a hip neighborhood of a city. The owner was knowledgeable and incredibly helpful and she cooked a delicious breakfast for us. I got the opportunity to meet other guests over breakfast and chatted with them about what they had planned for their day and why they were visiting. I'd most definitely recommend and stay at the Two Urns again.
A delicious breakfast of apricot crepes, chicken sausage and great ambience at the Two Urns.
Being we had to check out at 11AM, we decided to walk down Milwaukee Ave. to grab some coffee at the Filter Coffee Lounge which allowed us to soak in some much needed A/C before venturing out to shop in the hot sun. After doing some awesome vintage shopping, we stopped for lunch at Cumin, a delicious restaurant serving modern Nepalese-Indian food. Ben was a bit hungover and tired from the night before...so having Masala made with goat meat wasn't exactly the best hangover cure! Yikes. I was doing just fine though as I knew we'd be enduring another hot day and I did not want to be hungover in it. After 3 hours of shopping, we headed towards Lincoln Park near the shores of Lake Michigan to take a dip. Ben's cousin Carrie lived nearby, so we figured we'd kill some time and cool off near the water while we waited for her to get home. Once we got to the beach, I was the first to venture into the water only to discover it was FREEZING cold. Being I was overheated, the water felt like pins and needles on my feet and there wasn't going to be any swimming! We decided instead to just plant ourselves on a large rock 20 feet from the shore and splashed ourselves to cool down. The breeze caught the coldness of the water and functioned as a natural air conditioner and soon we were feeling loads better.
One hungover Benjamin venturing out in a zombie-like state.
The very cool Filter Coffee Lounge.
Vintage shopping on Milwaukee Ave. in Bucktown/Wicker Park.
Some locals hanging out in the hood.
More cool graffiti on Milwaukee Ave.
Tasty lunch of modern Nepalese-Indian fare.
A beautiful view of downtown Chicago from Lincoln Park.
Ben much cooler after dipping his head into the icy water.
Sitting on our rock in the waters of Lake Michigan.
Ben's cousin's place in the Old Towne neighborhood of Chicago.
That evening, Ben's cousin Carrie and her fiancé Joe were graciously allowing us to stay the night in their guest room. They own a condo in Old Towne, a darling chic neighborhood near downtown Chicago. After showering and having happy hour at their place, they took us to a wonderful Italian restaurant called Topo Gigio that was walking distance from their pad where we dined al fresco. The food was magnifico! Mwah! We decided to let them choose where to get after-dinner cocktails and they chose a well-designed lovely rooftop bar called the Vertigo Sky Lounge inside the Dana Hotel perched on the 26th floor. Being it was a week night, by the time we got there and ordered drinks, we were promptly asked to move inside as a sound ordinance only allowed it to be open until 11:00 PM. However, the inside lounge still allowed 360º views of the Chicago skyline and we stayed for quite awhile chatting about life in Chicago.
The next morning we had breakfast at a great neighborhood spot called Elly's before hitting the road. Although I wish we could have stayed through the weekend as the Pitchfork Music Festival was set to begin the day we left, it was a really awesome short trip. Ben hadn't left Mpls. in awhile and as usual, I'm always itching to travel - so it was a nice escape!
Here's the video I made from the footage of the Die Antwoord show:
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