Retro on Roscoe

What: Retro on Roscoe
Where: Roscoe Village
How Much: $5
How to get there: Damen bus #50 to Roscoe
I am a little confused about what was "Retro" about this fest. Aside from a few vintage cars standing open on the street to be admired, I saw no hint of nostalgia. I very seriously considered wearing one of the dresses I picked up earlier this summer, but after checking Metromix's pictures of last year's events I decided to dress down. I also had a birthday party to go to straight afterward, so I didn't want to look more out of place in Wrigleyville than I already do.

What it lacked in Retro flair it made up for with size. Retro on Roscoe was second only to the Custer Street Fair. There were food vendors set up on either end, and unfortunately Bart and I decided to try the Pad Thai. Bad idea. I don't know if it was an overabundance of fish sauce or what, but something was not right about his pad thai. If you held your nose and pretended it was supposed to be something else, you might have been able to force it down. As it was, I pitched it and bought some pasta salad at Costello's instead.



I have noticed a trend at the festivals- everyone is drunk, no one is paying attention to anyone else, and most people are not even paying attention to themselves. For God's sake, people, look where you are going. I am not sure I am the right person to be attending these festivals, because more often than not Bart and I end up grumbling to each other half the night about how no one watches where there are going. Were it all adults, this might not be such a problem but people keep insisting on bringing their small children to these things! They could get trampled!

I suppose it doesn't help that lots of the fests have set-ups like this- designed to lure in the little ones. I knew those Carnies were up to no good.



In the "adult" entertainment realm, there was a wooden wave you could stand on and pay $10 to have some guy take your picture. I have seen "The Wave" at other fairs and I must say I just don't understand the appeal. Most often the people riding the wave are drunk ladies who are scantily clad to begin with, thinking they are provocatively displaying their hula abilities. Yup, nothin sexier than that.

Did I mention that the Italian fest was primarily white? Well, it was nothing compared to Retro on Roscoe. There was a complete lack of diversity. I am not sure what that says about white people and their choice of entertainment, but it was hard to miss.

Afterward, Matt and Kim turned 25! We had a great time celebrating them both. What awesome people.



In other news, I joined a Bikram (hot) yoga studio and it is kicking my ass. In my first class I thought I was going to faint or vomit or both. Hot yoga is a series of 26 poses performed over 90 minutes in a room that is 105 degrees Fahrenheit (some use 95 degrees) and 50% humidity. You literally pour sweat. People practice mostly naked and when you leave it looks like you just took a shower. It just doesn't smell as nice. Luckily the second class was better and after a month, I expect to be in a thoroughly zen mindset. I got a discount on my first month but after that's up I am seriously considering asking them if I can work around the studio in exchange for classes.

That's all for now! We meant to go to market days but we are just too tired. See you next week for the long- awaited Armenian Fest!