Why I heart Chicago

I know these posts are supposed to be an expression of my non-edited grouchiness, but I'd like to take this opportunity to express how much I love Chicago in the summer. With siblings in town to entertain last night, I was expecting the usual hodge podge of tourisity  hell that makes them so happy, but we actually ended up having a great night. Did it involve Chinatown? Yes? Rock and Roll McDonald's, um, yes. A tour of the city? YES! But I'm telling you, I loved every second of it. Even the part where we ended up at Bed Bath and Beyond. It went like this. My brother and sister took the train into town and I picked them up at that craphole that is Union Station, but, despite the cop encroaching upon my idling car ticket packet in hand, it was pretty quick and painless. They were hungry so I took them to Letizia's for lunch and we chilled on the back patio. Next we hung out at my condo for a while before heading to Bed Bath to buy an Aero mattress for my diva-of-a-brother. He agreed to split that shit with me, so it actually ended up being a good deal as I'm sure I will put it to good use. Then we went back to my place and got ready for dinner in Chinatown. I took them to Lao Sze Chuan, a perpetually packed classic and my go-to Chinatown spot. The service sucked and we all overate, but all in all, I think they were happy. Next stop, BErry Chill, a recent obsession and a chance to show them something they definitely don't have at home. Naturally they loved it and scarfed their yogurt in about 5 min. NExt up. Chicago hauntings ghost tour. Not my idea. Ok, my idea, but I only brought it up because my brother is a ghost tour junkie, neither of them drink and I thought it woudl be a fun thing to do late night on a Sat. Although a bit on the long side, it actually wasn't quite fascinating and the tour took us all over town. It stopped at various "haunted" spots all over town and the best part was scaring my sister at the Jane Adam's Hull House where Rosemary's devil baby supposedly once lived. We were taken to the site of the EAstland disaster, the Saint Valentine's Day massacre and a the haunted oriental theatre. it was all actually pretty cool and interesting. Now my point about Chicago. The tour was fun, but what was more fun was the reaction of the throngs of people in their cars and on the sidewalk's reaction when they saw us drive buy in the black Chicago hauntings bus. Some laughed, some waved, some looked perplexed. What I loved was that here we were, a tourist in my own town and we're driving around the city while hundreds of other things were going on, plays, movies, parties, events, black tie galas, people on outdoor patios, poetry slams, concerts, the symphony, the opera, people hanging out late night in West Loop boutiques, people in line to get into clubs. Of course we didn't see all of that, but it's cool to think that it all goes on at the same time in Chicago on a warm Saturday night. We were just to spot some ghosts, but I love knowing I live in a city that's so alive in the summer.