Darkroom Chicago

 

A shot of the bar at The Darkroom in Chicago. Good fun on Tuesdays. 

Pray you may catch this bus

 

Also from New York. What I love about the city is the constant flow of random people you see on the street. This guy was walking in front of me and based on how detailed the bus on his jacket is, down to the MTA logo, it's clear that he actually drives one. He really must hate his passengers. 

Central Park in the Snow

 
The following morning the snow clung to the trees in Central Park. 

John Lennon 25th death anniversary

 

I happened to be in New York in December for the 25th anniversary of Lennon's shooting outside his apartment building on the Upper West Side. I walked over and the whole area was a mob scene - TV cameras and vans from across the world, people with guitars singing, making speeches. Nearby in Central Park, in an area designated "Strawberry Fields" in honor of Lennon by the city, a huge crowd with candles was singing Beatles classics, notably "Give Peace a Chance". It was kind of cool to be there, but also sort of a circus. 

Thanksgiving in SD

 

This is what I was doing over Thanksgiving in San Diego. 

Anomaly

I was sick at the SD airport, congested and half-deaf, waiting for hours for my flight back to Chicago on Tuesday. Seeking some affordable juice i went to the airport bar and sat next to some 21-year old pseudo-punk. "Is this seat taken?" I asked. "Yes," she says, laughing. I move to the next seat and she grabs my arm and says "Just kidding". I sit next to her. I'm not interested in talking, the other seat had a rip in it. She wants to chat. I can sense it. She's clearly looking for some reason to chat.

"Excuse me," she says finally. "Do you know what 'animally' means?" I confess I don't. "See, I'm reading this book, and theres this word that I don't know and I can't continue reading unless I know what it means." She points at the book. It's some sort of Irish immigrant family overcoming something. Low rent Frank McCourt. I look at the word.

It says "anomaly".

Louie's Pub

Last night I stopped in for a drink at Louie's Pub ("Where friends meet!" 1659 W. North Ave) before a movie and never made it to the movie. The place is a cozy neighborhood pub with red lights all over the place and images of former singing stars plastered on the walls and tables. Oh yeah, and they have karaoke every night of the week (except Monday for some reason). I went on a Wednesday and the population of the bar peaked at 10, including the bartender and karaoke woman. There was an old Irish guy who belted out Sinatra like it was his job, complete with hand gestures and swaying. There was a toothless veteran who sang country songs in the simultaneously worst and most forlorn voice of all time. There was a young guy in a suit who was trashed and couldn't pronounce the words even though they were all on a screen. It was like a David Lynch movie. I highly recommend it, especially when empty.