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!

Taylor Street Festa Italiana

What: Taylor Street Festa Italiana
Where: Little Italy
How much: $8 suggested donation
How to get there: Damen bus #50

For the first time this summer, I did not pay the suggested donation. Upon parking the car, Bart and I checked our pockets, coming up with $8 total, only half of our suggested donation amount. Boldly, we approached the front station. "Um, we didn't know it was this much, we only have four dollars each..." I muttered. The attendant immediately said, "Oh that's ok, it's just a suggestion, anything you can give is appreciated." We gave her our half- fares and entered. And that's the end of me ever paying to get into the festivals. From now on, I'm just walking in.


The Taylor Street Festival was... Italian. Italian food, Italian people, Italian singing, Italian art, Italian memorabilia, little old Italian men. And Roman statues! I hear there was some entertainment with men dressed as Roman soldiers too, but somehow we missed it. Most of the food sounded delicious, however we were left cash-less. One of the most entertaining things I saw were the old ladies dancing to the band and later listening rapturously to Opera.

If you were so inclined, there were vendors selling shirts for everyone, such as the onesies proclaiming newborns "Italian Stallions" and the glittery camis for the "Italian Princess".

There was an unusually large police presence, although they didn't appear to be doing much. this gaggle of officers stood around talking for as long as I stood there to watch them. And the few black officers were the only people of color at the entire festival. Chicago is a very diverse city, but you wouldn't have known it from this fest. In all, a good time was had. After the fest we headed to Cleo's and had delicious Spinach and goat cheese pizza for dinner. So that's still Italian, right?
Stayed tuned for Retro on Roscoe!