Chicago Arabesque Plus

This is the first year this festival is being held. Given the atmosphere in America right now, the fest is needed. It may also be a little brave of the Chicago Arab community but it is touted as a non-religious, non-political event.

I plan on checking out the shopping bazaar for some unusual items and the food booths for the middle eastern cuisine. I might even try a little belly dancing and dabke, a traditional Arab line-dance. I've been trying to get my daughter to teach me since she instructs a class on the north side. She has no patience for me so this will be my opportunity to find out if my hips don't lie like Shakira. To top off the experience, I will get a henna tattoo before we go over to the Taste of Chicago. Talk about culture shock. Saturday is country music day at the Taste.

Chicago Arabesque is being held free of charge starting today through June 30th from 10 am to 3 pm in Daley Plaza.

Taste of Chicago 2007

The week is finally here. They already started setting up this past Sunday for the beginning of the fest on Thursday. I'm scoping out which restaurants sounds most promising, planning my itinerary for Saturday to make the best of the day.

I will fore go the daily special. A steak sandwich even with blue cheese isn't special enough for me. Instead I will go for a smattering of taste portions that include food I don't usually get to sample. That means a stop at the ethnic restaurant booths like Arya Bhavan, booth #58 for Samosa and Pars Cove--booth #2 for Hummas Shirazi. I might give Blu 47's wings a try even though my experience at the restaurant was less than stellar.

No hot dogs, no pizza, no hamburgers, no turkey wings, no corn on the cob for me. I will be tempted by anything shrimp or middle eastern. Zam Zam's falafel sandwich and Star of Siam's tempura shrimp and vegetables are on my list. Deleece's grilled chicken sandwich and chicken Caesar salad is calling me. I may give into the temptation. And to top it all off I will stop by the Buckingham Fountain for two scoops of Merlot ice cream. Yum.

The taste makes me think of Pablo. Although it will be fun going with Beverly, I will miss him.

The Taste coincides with the Fourth of July, the middle of summer. I will not attend Chicago's concert and fireworks show on the 3rd of July. I did it once and that was enough. There had to be at least 750,000 people there. That's a lot of people! Too many people for me. If I do watch the fireworks, it will be much more private. Boy, that just brought up another memory. Oh, well. Here's to new ones.

Mother Nature, Human Nature

Mother Nature struck with 60 miles per hour wind force and knocked out my power last night. She was having a tantrum all over eastern Illinois and northwest Indiana. This is the second time this summer and it's only the 19th of June! At least she turned down the heat a tad. It's going to be a long summer.

I need something to restore my soul. Sounds like a trip to the lake may be the answer. Gary has great beaches alongside beautiful Marquette Park. On a clear day, you can even see the Chicago skyscrapers.

A CD player serenading my favorite music, a cooler with some goodies edible and otherwise, an attentive companion and the lake view make up a recipe for my restoration. That's the plan, if Mother Nature allows.

Not Singing the Blues

I didn't get my blues fix this weekend. I couldn't entice anyone else to share the experience with me so I stayed home. I did not sing the blues because of this. It was a very productive weekend. Besides, the summer is young. The Summerdance starts this week as does the Grant Park Concert. I probably won't make it this week although the opening act for SummerDance, Chicago Afrobeat Project, makes think about coming into town.

My friend and I have decide to check out Kenny Rogers at the Taste. He performs Saturday, June 30th. If I can talk her into it, we just might make a whole day of it and check out The Flat Cats at the SummerDance and the Chicago Arabesque, Chicago's first Arab festival, at Dearborn Plaza.

Chicago Updates

Alas, there will be no Gore Vidal at the Printer's Row Book Fair. I was really looking forward to hearing him speak. His wit is legendary. My second choice for the speakers event was Walter Mosley. He is scheduled to speak at 10 am. That's a little too early for me since it would mean I would have to leave Gary at 8 am to get there.

The weekend is looking like a washout for me. After last weekend's experience, I am even more a believer of sharing instead of going it alone. I haven't found anyone to share the blues with me. There's a metaphor in there somewhere.

The entertainers for the 15th African/Carribean Internation Festival of Life is up on their web page, http://www.festivaloflife.com. The only one I recognize is Leon the actor. I saw him in the stage production of "Friends and Lovers." I was not impressed but my friend was so it may be a matter of taste. Still, the festival seems to offer an exotic mix of music, dance and food. It's worth checking out.

Hallelujah!

I finally made it to the city this past Saturday and attended the Chicago Gospel Fest in Millennium Park. I got off at the Van Buren Street train stop in order to hook up with Pablo, briefly. I could hear the music as soon as I stepped onto Michigan Avenue. Pablo calls it screaming. Gospel music is controlled shouting and may be an acquired taste but I love it because of its passion, energy and spirit.

After Pablo left, I sat down across from the Beam, waiting for a friend. I enjoyed the music just as easily there. The beautiful weather brought out the crowds, many who seemed to have just wandered by, drawn by curiosity. Others came prepared with coolers and portable chairs. Unfortunately, my friend never arrived. I thought it was too late to get a good seat near the stage so I sat right outside the area on a concrete wall, people watching as I listened.

Toward the end of program, I ventured into the stage area and found a seat. The atmosphere inside was completely different. The crowd's attention was engaged. The spirit was high. The highlight for me were Pastor Donald Alford and Donald Lawrence. My only criticisms is that I could have listened to more from them.

Next weekend I hope to have an another excellent experience when I attend the Blues Fest in Grant Park. This time I hope I have someone to share it with.