Chinatown Summer Fair

What: Chinatown Summer Fair
Where: Chinatown
How Much: Free!
How to get there: Red line to Cermak

Here's Nicole at the Chinatown Summer Fair! I lured her there with promises of a dragon parade (more about this later).

It was so refreshing to attend a fair that wasn't as cookie-cutter as the others I've been going to so far. More bazaar than street fest, you could buy pretty much anything you wanted. Sheets? Got 'em. Sweet visors with built in sunglasses and fans? Yup. Tiny red eared slider turtles climbing over one another in a desperate bid to escape? You betcha.


It is a miracle that I didn't come home with a turtle. I have a habit of impulsive pet buying. Like the tree frog I had to keep in my dorm room (along with the crickets it ate). Or the chinchilla I bought in a fog of grief after my hamster died. Or the dog I adopted without really knowing if I was allergic to it or not (thankfully that one turned out happily). I ended up buying a money tree instead.

The plants were one thing I haven't seen at a fair before. Lucky bamboo, money trees, something called a "mimosa" that moves when you touch it. And the bonsai. Oh, the bonsai. My attempts at Bonsai are far more ill fated than my impulsive pets. First, there was a Juniper bonsai named Quincey. He didn't survive freshman year. Then there was Richard, a much cheaper target bonsai who didn't survive winter break.
We even saw a carnivorous plant that looked like something from another planet.

Another novel item at the Chinatown summer fair was the extensive petting zoo. There were two ridiculously fluffy chickens, a duck, a goose, a mama potbelly pig and two little baby pigs (not as soft as they look, in case you were wondering). I am always faced with a moral dilemma about petting zoos. At the same time that I desperately want to pet the animals, I am also plagued with a sort of horror and disgust that they are made to stand in the heat for my enjoyment.

Walking around, I was struck by the number of people carrying umbrellas to ward off the sun. I jokingly asked Nicole why she didn't bring her umbrella. She said she actually had, because there was a chance of rain. Just then, thunder in the distance. The wind blew hard enough that I had to hold on to the tent next to me to keep it from blowing over. And then this happened.

The vendors were totally unprepared for such an event. Water decimated the flimsy tents set up over the random goods and soaked all of the cardboard boxes holding the extras. Nicole and I took refuge in a painting shop and watched the horror unfold. Luckily it was short lived and it was safe to venture out ten minutes later.

Throughout the fair, I lamented missing the "dragon parade" that was supposed to happen around noon. By the time we were ready to leave, around 2, I was sure it had happened on some other street. But as we approached the front gates, I heard the drums and saw the flash of dragon headpieces. We hadn't missed it after all! I eagerly lined up so as to have a front row seat. The dragons were ready and they came dancing towards me... and were instantly past. The huge, 10-person dragons I had imagined were actually about 4 feet long. But hey, the fair was free, so I am not complaining.


After the stunning parade, Nicole and I found an authentic restaurant at which to have lunch. While the menu boasted frog, rabbit, jellyfish, and hog's intestines, I stuck with sauteed veggies. And they were delicious.

Lots of festivals next week. Clark Street (I went last year, don't bother), Milwaukee Avenue Arts Fest, Backyard film and music festival, and taste of Lincoln Avenue. Don't forget about free Monday concerts at Millennium Park, Summerdance, or Movies in the Park either.

Ribfest in Uptown

What: Ribfest
Where: Uptown
How Much: $5
How to get there: Red line to Lawrence

I had no idea what I was in for when I set out for Ribfest in Uptown. The crowds were INSANE. Not being a consumer of pork products myself, I didn't anticipate the love of the masses for barbecue smothered flesh. The rib vendors were in hot competition and each was displaying their own trophies and intimidating signs. "I'm from Texas... what county are you from?"


After pushing our way through the lines for food, Bart and I perused the booths. I finally decided to take the plunge and plunked down the money for a henna tattoo. I'm contemplating eventually having a real tattoo on this arm (hi, mom!) so I wanted to see what it would look like to have something there for a bit. I chose a sweet phoenix and settled in. It only took 10-15 minutes to finish it, and lots of people crowded around while I was having it done. It took 30 minutes to dry and then I was supposed to leave the henna on for 6 hours. This meant leaving it on overnight. The instruction leaflet suggested wrapping it in plastic wrap, but I decided that wasn't going to be very comfortable and MacGyver'd up a sweet bandge made of Kotex pantyliners and bandaids. I really wish I had a picture. It didn't turn out nearly as dark as I would have liked it. I suppose I could go back and complain and ask them to do it again, but.... it's hot and I'm lazy.

I forgot to look before we left at who was playing that night, but it was Sister Hazel! And they played those two songs that everyone knows! You know, the ones that go... um... well, when they were actually playing the songs I knew all the words. And they sounded decent live. The crowd was so interesting, from the crazy lady with the coral lipstick and the horrendous blonde weave who searched though a bag for the flyer she wanted to give me for about 10 minutes before deciding she didn't have anymore to the crazy man giggling as he clutched three beers.
By 10 pm, the lines for food were starting to wane at every booth but "Texas Thunder". Demand for them stayed strong until the end of the night.
All in all, the Ribfest was a good time. I think it says a lot that even a non-pig eater such as myself had fun.
After the fest, we walked all the way home to Roger's Park and it was a beautiful walk. Interrupted only by a hot fudge sundae.