Brunch for an Aries

Last weekend I attended a birthday brunch in River North for a friend of ours.  It was held at Troquet.  I have never been there before.  The weather was beautiful that day!  Unfortunately that also meant the traffic was awful.  I was 20 minutes late and felt terrible about it.  Oh well.

Regardless I wasn’t the only one who was late.  Lol.  Needless to say, once everyone arrived we ordered away.  It was nice catching up to everyone.  The birthday girl had just returned from the Philipines and her stories were amazing.  We finished up and decided to go down the street to Rocks bar.  There we had the bar to ourselves.  We played a couple of games of skee ball.  I think the birthday girl enjoyed her day.  She had to leave early to pack for a work trip. 

Someone in our group suggested going to a bbq she was invited to, and we happily agreed to go with her.  Even the traffic back that way was bad enough.  We picked up a few items and headed over to the address.  Luckily, these guys were cool enough for us to crash their bbq.  They ended up cooking some awesome tacos.  It felt nice being outside on the porch.

Today is my trip!  Needless to say I am very nervous.  First stop Paris and then I’m off to Istanbul.  I will report back when I return!  Until next time…

Kaskade at Tao

One of my favorite djs was coming to Tao and me and my brother decided to purchase tickets.  We were thirsty for some good music and  wanted to come out of hibernation from the long winter months.  For the most part, there were some electronic djs that I didn’t get a chance to see in January and February, but for the most part, some shows were too difficult for me to make it to.  One of them performed on a Sunday night, and I knew I couldn’t miss work the next day for some show.  Another dj was in town but the weather was horrible.  Kaskade always draws a big crowd, and we knew we had to act fast before the tickets were sold out.

Well guess what happened?  I bought my ticket and sent over my proof of purchase to my brother.  He informed me that he was going to get his by lunchtime.  To his surprise, the show had sold out!  Now what?

I tried looking for other sites to see if anyone else was selling tickets for this event.  Nothing.  On Instagram they held a contest 2 days before the show to give away some tickets.  I was getting desperate.  I figured worst case scenario I’ll give my ticket to my brother and he will have to go by himself.  Kaskade is his favorite dj and I didn’t want him to miss his performance. 

I didn’t win the contest, but a promoter of Tao did mention to contact him for tickets and table service the night before the show.  Me and my brother were not interested in table service, but were hoping to score one ticket if possible.  I lucked out with the promoter contacting me right away and asking me how many tickets I wanted.  “Just one,” I replied.  Dead silence.  I decided to continue the conversation on my own hoping I didn’t come off as a pest.  “Is there somewhere I can purchase the ticket?” I asked.  He finally replied an hour later that he was going to put me on his guest list but that I still had to pay.  No problem!

The next day me and my brother decided to head to Tao early in case we were going to run into any issues with this promoter.  The biggest joke in the industry is that there probably isn’t a “guest list” and might be denied at the door.  For all I know, his Instagram account can have a fake name on it!  We walked up to the bouncer and my brother was granted entry with my ticket.  I told them I was on the guest list courtesy of the gentlemen’s name.  I showed him our conversation via Instagram and the bouncer told me to go on in.  After security checked my purse, I was stamped and granted entry as well!  We scored!!  Not only were there no problems, but the guys at the door never charged me at all!  Me and my brother decided to celebrate at the bar.

Since we got there pretty early, it was fun people watching.  The club filled up pretty fast and eventually Kaskade came on and was amazing.  It was the perfect night for us to enjoy some good music!

Birthday girl showed up!

After that night when the birthday girl slept in her own party, she texted me apologizing for what had happened.  She was feeling better from her cold and wanted to celebrate her birthday that Saturday.  Her friends were going to have a table at Tao Nightclub and invited her and her friends to join.  She extended the invitation to me and I told her I might consider it if I got back at a reasonable hour from a Simbang Gabi celebration at my church.  They were hosting a filipino Christmas and my friends were going to be there.

I did manage to get back on time in order to meet up with the rest of the girls.  We were told to get there specifically around 10pm so we could walk in and not wait in line.  I didn’t realize the entrance to the club was at the side of the building.  The nightclub was HUGE.  Much bigger than I anticipated, but then again, the layout was more spacious than they had it before when it was Excalibur.  We enjoyed ordering cocktails at the lounge near the women’s restroom.  We walked around to look for her friends who had the table.  After a while, the girls weren’t feeling the place.  They were disappointed in the music and asked if we could go somewhere else.  They decided on Underground nightclub.

They found their friends at the table and said goodbye.  I was indifferent.  I felt the music was going to get better as the night went on, but it wasn’t my call.  We took an uber to Underground, and luckily there was no line to get in.  Once inside, we found a spot to hang out and ordered more drinks.  This time the girls were enjoying themselves more.  I was happy that they were happy.

    

A Disco Birthday Party

I had a dentist appointment on a Friday so I took the day off from work since I had to travel to the suburbs.  I finished my workouts earlier in the week and had nothing to do when I got back.  My friend who works at Disco in River North invited me to her birthday party.  I haven’t seen her in a while and wondered how she’s been doing.  I made up my mind that I was going to meet her downtown.

Luckily the weather was in the high 50s.  I opted to wear my fleece bomber with my new graphic t-shirt since I could get away from not wearing a coat.  I made my way to see her but she warned me to get there a bit later since it was still empty inside.  I have not been out in a while and it was interesting to watch people walk around in the area.  Once inside I made my way upstairs and found her table.  She looked beautiful in her sequined two piece.  Her other friends arrived and I recognized one of them from our trip to Las Vegas years ago.  We were goofing around and had a blast that night.  I miss dancing…

Tao Birthday Party

I’m back from my weekend in New York.  Of course I still had to settle in, but traveling to me is exhausting.  I know it has to do with my nerves more than anything, and like most of my trips, it was all over the place.  Regardless, I learned so much and can’t wait to share my experience!

Back to recapping October events.  My friend had her second baby recently, and we were surprised she wanted to do something for her birthday.  She wanted a night out with the girls.  That was fine by us!  We wanted to do something different and made reservations for Tao Chicago.  Ever since its grand opening, this restaurant has been hot in the scene.  We settled on a Sunday night since it was hard to accommodate everyone’s time and schedule.  I got a chance to wear my kimono dress I bought months ago for my birthday.  For a brief moment I thought I should wear it for my birthday but then changed my mind.  Oh well what can you do?

We met at the restaurant in groups.  Our friend in Michigan happened to be in town that weekend and we knew this would be a special surprise for her.  It was nice catching up with them in the meantime.  We goofed around taking pictures.

Once the 2^nd group showed up, we hid our Michigan friend at the back bar and were seated at our table.  The birthday girl had no clue.  She cried when she saw her pop out!  What a moment!

We decided to order a tasting menu which suited everyone since we wanted to know how the food tasted.  Everything was DELISH!  I would definitely be coming back to Tao in the near future.

Labor Day Weekend Sunday

That Labor Day Sunday my mom wanted me and my brothers to come over for dinner.   A friend of mine seemed a bit down, so we decided to catch up for afternoon cocktails.  We had talked on the phone the day before but since I was meeting my friend from Rhode Island, we couldn’t find time to hangout with one another.  I figured I could squeeze in some fun before my mom’s dinner since she usually serves around 6:30pm.  I wanted to show my friend the rooftop at London House since she was staying nearby.  Luckily, Chicago was beautiful that day.  Not a cloud in the sky!

I made my way downtown and was surprised how packed it was for a Sunday afternoon.  Over the years, downtown could be a ghost town especially during holiday weekends.  There are a lot of transplants here in the city, and a majority of them fly out back home during the holidays.  But it seems a ton of tourists decided to be in town for Labor Day, and they were all hanging around the Chicago River.

Our wait wasn’t too bad to get inside.  We ordered some wine at the bar before heading up to the rooftop.  She loved it!  We wanted to grab a table so we walked up to the host.  She was super sweet!  We were having a good time discussing Chicago’s nightlife.  We eventually got a table, and our host would come up to check up on us.  In the end, my friend and her hit it off and exchanged numbers.  They wanted to go out after her shift, but I had to head back home for my mom’s dinner.  I was up in the air about meeting up with them later.  My mom had just came back from Mexico and I wanted to hear about her trip.

My brother picked me up at my train stop and we headed over to my mom’s place.  She absolutely LOVED her trip!  I felt bad because she confessed that she started to cry at the airport when her friends dropped her off.  I realized that she had spent 7 whole days with her friends and she must have gotten attached to being around them.  She’s still lonely being by herself at the apartment, even though she has her dog with her.  I need to be around more…  

 friend of mine seemed a bit down, so we decided to catch up for afternoon cocktails.  We had talked on the phone the day before but since I was meeting my other friend from Rhode Island, we couldn’t find time to hangout with one another.  I figured I could squeeze in some fun before my mom’s dinner since she usually serves around 6:30pm.  I wanted to show my friend the rooftop at London House since she was staying nearby.  Luckily, Chicago was beautiful that day.  Not a cloud in the sky!

I made my way downtown and was surprised at how packed it was for a Sunday afternoon.  Over the years, downtown Chicago could be a ghost town especially during holiday weekends.  There are a lot of transplants here in the city, and a majority of them fly out back home during the holidays.  But it seems a ton of tourists decided to fly in for Labor Day, and they were all hanging around the Chicago River.

Our wait wasn’t too bad to get inside.  We ordered some wine at the bar before heading up to the rooftop.  She loved it!  We wanted to grab a table so we walked up to the host.  She was super sweet!  We were having a good time discussing Chicago’s nightlife.  We eventually got a table, and our host would come up to check up on us.  In the end, my friend and her hit it off and exchanged numbers.  They wanted to go out after her shift, but I had to head back home for my mom’s dinner.  I was up in the air about meeting up with them later.  My mom had just came back from Mexico and I wanted to hear about her trip.

My brother picked me up at my train stop and we headed over to my mom’s place.  She absolutely LOVED Mexico!  I felt bad because she confessed that she started to cry at the airport when her friends dropped her off.  I realized that she had spent 7 whole days with her friends and she must have gotten attached to being around them.  She’s still lonely being by herself at the apartment, even though she has her dog with her.  I need to be around more…  

Rubber Ducky Drinks at The Bassment

It was a beautiful summer evening here in Chicago.  My friends wanted to meet up for dinner and drinks, but with my upcoming trip, I needed to run some errands first.  I decided to meet up for drinks instead, but the night was starting out pretty late for me.  Like I said, I rarely get a chance to go out during the middle of the week.  And this time, it was a Wednesday night, not our usual Thursdays.  I have to say, this will probably be my last Wednesday night outing.  I was hurting the rest of the week!  I didn’t get a chance to catch up with my sleep and couldn’t wait for the weekend to come. 

Regardless, we met up at The Bassment that night and enjoyed the band very much.  I like speakeasys.  It gave us a chance to see how everyone was doing and listen to some good jams.

Pride Fest Saturday

I didn’t realize I was pretty backed up on my blog.  I haven’t even gotten to my birthday yet!  Lol.  Well let’s get back on track so I can catch up.  My memory isn’t so great anymore.

Following up my Thirsty Thursday happy hour session at Masada, I had no plans whatsoever so I decided to give myself an at-home pedi.  My girlfriend from Providence called me up and we were chatting away when my other line kept ringing.  I saw that my other friend was calling but decided to text her instead to see what was up.  No response.  I continued my conversation with my Providence friend when again, my other friend was calling.  At this point I was worried something was wrong since she never responded to my text, so I told my friend to hold on while I switched over. 

-Are you home??

-Yes!  What’s wrong??

-Oh nothing.  Get ready!  We’re coming to pick you up.  We’ll be there in 15 minutes!

WHAT THE??  I switched over to my other friend from Providence and told her what was going on.  She got excited for me!  According to my horoscope, she said I was going to have a great weekend.  Oh my goodness.  I really wanted to stay in, but I had no choice.  My friends were downstairs in no time flat.  Off we went.

We had a little trouble trying to find where all the action was.  It was the weekend of Taste Of Randolph, but we knew we didn’t want to go around that area.  We first hopped around a bit and finally settled on Underground.  Luckily we got in right away and even found a table.  We danced so much that nice that my feet were killing me the next day.

Even though this was an unexpected thing we pulled together at the last minute, we definitely made some memories that night!

After my long night out the night before, I took some time to rest up at home.  I made plans with my friend to meet him in Lakeview so we could walk together to the Pride Fest.  This is something new that started in Chicago about 2 years ago.  They decided to make Pride month a little longer by having two events.  The first is a neighborhood festival which occurs the weekend before the parade.  The parade has always brought a large crowd regardless, and with the new addition of the fest, it helps accommodate everyone trying to join in on the fun.  Me and my friend had a blast!  I knew offhand that I wasn’t going to come to the parade so this fest was perfect.  We went out afterwards to the neighborhood clubs and called it a night.  I loved that weekend…

Labor Day Madness

I’m recapping Labor Day Weekend before I went on my big trip.

Since I only purchased one day for North Coast Festival that Friday, I figured I would do my chores and usual leg day routine at the gym the next.  One of our friends was in town from Michigan but she wanted to meet at Brookfield Zoo around 1pm.  I wasn’t sure which of my other friends were going so I could bum a ride.  I do not own a car, but lately, it’s become harder to meet up with my friends.  Some of them have kids and have moved out of the city.  I was thinking maybe in the distant future I should consider getting one, but who knows.

I didn’t have any plans until the evening when our other friend invited us to her place in Skokie.  We headed over there and hung out all night.  It was fun catching up.

The next day, our other friend was planning a Labor Day bbq in her new home.  She bought a house not far from where I live in the city, which is nice because I can actually see her from time to time.  Lol

Once at the bbq it was food galore.  I was having a good time until another friend was messaging me.  She wanted to go out.  It was nearing 7pm but she insisted Estate was the place to be right now.  I had to go home and change.  I ordered an uber and off I went.

I messaged my friend that I was on my way once I was dressed.  We got to Estate around 9pm and she was right!  Apparently they had a block party happening along with djs on stage.  People were dancing all over the place.  I was enjoying myself.

Because of the noise ordinance, the crowd came into Estate after 10pm.  I didn’t realize how packed it could get on a Sunday night, but then again, it was Labor Day weekend.  I saw some familiar faces, too!  Once it got close to midnight, we decided to go to another spot.  

A few of us headed to Tunnel in River North.  Again, it was nice seeing more familiar faces and catching up.  I wasn’t paying attention to the time at all.  Next thing you know, Tunnel was announcing last call.  We still didn’t have enough.  We wanted to head to a later spot.  

People started heading to different spots but now me and our new group decided to go to Underground.  It still tops as one of the number one venues in River North.  Luckily we got in but the vibe inside was amazing!  I forgot how much fun I have in this place.

I felt a little guilty the next day on Labor Day on all of the spots I went to that night.  I haven’t gone out like that in a while.  I can’t help but think how much more of this I have left in me.  What can you do when you live in the city?