Bleary-eyed in Bangkok: Daybreak Memories of Chicago

I've had pressing business in the Far East as of late so I happened to be in Bangkok working nights when my friend, the good and great Arianna, reminded me she was launching HuffPost Chicago and asked if I remembered my promise that I'd write something about my memories of the Windy City.

"Yes, of course," I lied. "When is it due?"

"Tomorrow, darling."

Since it's August and we're in a pennant race, my mind first goes to Chicago sports:

Wrigley Field and all-things-Cubs, when Jose Cardenal was the only player who could really play. When it was Mick Kelleher and Larry Biittner and George " the Baron" Mitterwald -- and Pete LaCock on first base and "Tarzan" Joe Wallis in centerfield. And Bruce Sutter with that unhittable split-fingered fastball... Ride the El up from Evanston, change on the Howard line and take the train to Wrigley -- which I did as many times as I could scrape together $2.50 for a one-way kamikaze mission, and another $1.75 for bleacher seats, then steal hot dogs and Cokes from the vendors before taking the train home after the game...

Through the '80s, with Gary "The Sarge" Matthews hitting third, taking us to our first division title in 7 million years. The great Andre Dawson and Sammy Sosa, getting us to the playoffs but never all the way...

From Jack Brickhouse and Billy Williams to Harry Caray, liquored up on a hot summer day, down by seven runs and loaded for bear, most of my childhood was at least partially centered on this Mecca of baseball, this civic shrine that is home to the Chicago Cubs. Every visit to Wrigley Field adds six months back onto one's life expectancy -- doctors have proven this many times.

The next thing that comes to mind is the image of Walter Payton turning a corner. It wasn't a fall until Walter ran around defensive ends and then through linebackers. Walter would take the handoff, and it was Sunday, and the crisp frost of autumn was in the air, and there was nothing prettier than Walter in his prime.

Then there was watching Michael Jordan learning to win, defying physics and the Detroit Pistons over a grueling 7 or 8 years -- making the whole city stop in the darkest, coldest days of winter to watch as he performed feats of magic every time he stepped on the court. The whole city gasped in delight and awe, knowing they were seeing something that would never be equaled on a basketball court. Michael Jordan was one of the great things about Chicago winter - consistently, spectacularly brilliant every goddamn game, every goddamn night. It was a thing to behold.

And the old Comiskey Park, where Shoeless Joe and Buck Weaver played. The one-legged owner, Bill Veeck, and the players in shorts and the showers in the bleachers, and Jimmy Piersall and Harry Caray doing filthy standup in the booth. And Oscar Gamble and the South Side Hit Men, and Chet Lemon and then Ozzie Guillen and Greg " the Bull" Luzinski and Carlton Fisk and Harold Baines.

Can't forget watching old friend Chris Chelios skate for the Hawks and eating with him in Greektown after the game... thinking in a few years I'll be there for his Hall of Fame induction speech after he played another season or two. That was ten years ago and counting.

And the music -- dozens of the best clubs and bars in America, with live music of all kinds: blues, jazz, punk, rock, ska, rap, always something going on, with great venues like Metro, and the Aragon Ballroom where I saw Nirvana at the peak of their formidable power.

Plus hundreds of theaters -- some with only thirty seats. I rented out a bunch and produced plays in Chicago -- and a good time, I hope, was had by all.

And then the old Irish bar O'Rouke's with the pictures and quotes by Yeats and Shaw and O'Neill and Brendan Behan and other Irish luminaries and lunatics. Many glorious and savage nights there.

O'Rourke's is gone now but whenever I drive by, I tip my cap.

Chicago is the best kept secret in America, or so it's been said... That sounds about right to me.

Comments

[connected]

Very well. Appreciate the connections to your life experiences.

A midwesterner is someone to be trusted;)

Just saw your film about losing your wife to Iraq. Cried and cried. Too true.

Thank you for the realness...all the artists working in this way feel it.

Much love and support.

aminibigcircus

[Kilikazen]

I must admit Falco's "One Night in Bancock" is now streaming through my head after reading you were in Bancock while writing your blog. Hazard of growing up in the 80's I suppose. Sadly, my only experiences of Chicago are gazing at the city below while approaching the airport for several layovers wishing I had time to visit the city.

Being born on St. Patty's Day there is a strong attraction to visit Chicago to celebrate my birthday. I mean hello, you all dye the river green! I'd love to hear your experiences of the St. Patty's Day Parade and the river running green. Next year I turn 40. One of those little milestone years that I'd like to celebrate in style (on a budget!). So tell me - would it be worth the trip from Denver to celebrate my b-day in Chicago? Any advise on what to see and do would also be appreciated. Blog on John! You have quite a fine mind. Thanks!

[genevieve35]

Thanks for sharing...

Genevieve from BC, Canada

[MargD]

I am a born and raised Detroit girl, but I'll never forget my first trip to Chicago. I was a teenager and had just seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I was so excited to go to the city where Ferris reclaimed his youth from the grips of "the system". I couldn't wait to get up to the top of the Sear's Tower and lean over to the glass and look down like Ferris did (but I wasn't allowed to stand on the railing, and thus, was denied). I have since been back to Chicago a good 10 times. I want to cry every time I leave, and must admit I do miss some of the tourist traps the most...Garrett's Popcorn, Cheesecake Factory, Giordano's Pizza...but I do get to come back to the home of the Stanley Cup Champions and your bud Mr. Chelios! Hey, Hey Hockeytown!

[gannongirl]

John Cusack has been getting a lot flack for this posting. I have heard about spelling errors and that he would not have to ever dig up $2.50 for tickets since they had a large house. First, they had a lot of kids in the house and just because you live in a large house does not mean your parents hand money out. The piece was about his memories of Chicago and his love for the city. The city which I live near. He said he was tired. The feel of the piece was great and there was no reason to tear it apart. I guess I must not understand blogging since it is about opinions and not spelling since people seem to abbreviate everything on the computer. OMG!!!!!

Give the guy a break and let The Huffing Post know when they have you write an article.

Gannnongirl, 37

[BusyBid]

Most people have nothing better to do I guess. I personally like John's post and found it interesting. Keep posting John we're listening!

[Marabella]

Growing up in northwest Indiana, land of small towns and steel mills, Chicago for me represented the Field Museum, the old Merchandise Mart building, Chinatown, Marshall Fields, and white-horse-drawn carriages. I still remember throwing a tantrum as a child so my parents would take me to an Alexander the Great exhibit at the Art Institute. Winters were also somehow more beautiful in the city, no matter those infamous windchill factors. Because I grew up just outside "my kind of town", I will always be in awe of this diverse city, manageable enough so that one does not feel lost or overwhelmed, yet endlessly enriching for the curious at heart. Congratulations to HuffPost Chicago!

[davige]

Anybody remember going to a Bears game at Wrigley? I've still got a program & ticket stub from Rick Caseras Day.

[jacobomorales]

the best city in the world!!!

[BusyBid]

Phoenix Suns should have won in the 1993 NBA finals. :P
Jordan was an awesome b-ball player, Dan Majerle gave him a hard time in 93', to bad the Suns couldn't pull it off.

[TheAlchemist]

I'm a world traveler. For YEARS when I said "I'm from Chicago." the immediate reply was "Al Capone!" Then came the Bull's golden years and a new reply came: "Michael Jordon!"

[VOTER]

So true.............

However last year while visiting Estonia, I got BOTH responses so

we may not have lost Capone but simply added another highlight with Michael.

[TheAlchemist]

Yep, sadly we're now back to the invariable Al Capone.

Perhaps the Cubs will change that (?!)

[lesavant]

Gosh, I remember my crush on Ryne Sandberg and holding up a Ryne-o-Meter sign at Wrigley Field. You make me treasure being 14 years old and out at Arlington Park with my sister. We ended up sitting next to Walter Payton and he let me pick the horses he bet on. The horses lost but he was so nice and gave me some autographed pictures that I showed off the next day at school. I still have those pictures just like I keep all my Chicagoland memories close even though I live in LA.

Love this! Thanks, Cusack for sparking up some memories!

[LittleMascara]

I know if it weren"t for the spectacular Ryne Sandberg I may have become a Braves fan and what a travesty that would have been. Remember those fateful days when cable television first came out and those were the only two teams in the National League that broadcasted every game. I owe my many years of tears and cheers to Ryno.
On a completely unrelated note and possibly in an inappropriate place, I need to find a home in Chicago. I am starting a doctoral program and a new job in September. Any leads on sublets or rentals, not too terribly far from downtown, would be greatly appreciated and can be sent to: [e-mail]. I"ll pass on any offers wishing to exchange "cuddling" for rent.
Many thanks and Go CUBS!

[ChiGuy]

A few years ago, I read this on a Chicago sports blog and just had to save it. I only wish that I had the moniker of the poster to give credit where due.

Part One:
"If you've ever spent some time talking to a New England transplant living hereabouts, one of the things that they'll note as a cultural difference which has confounded them unceasingly is our obsessive hangup about the condition of our lawns. Having been bred upon the rocky soil of the old northeastern Colonies, they simply don't get it in the land of the converted prairie, and they never will."

"Well, here are three options for such folks: either get with the program, shut up and shrug it off, or take note of the mistletoe affixed to our coattails by way of retort. This is the way that we do things around here for the simple reason that this is the way that we do things around here; the tracks were laid down long ago, and, while it may not quite be at the level that it once was, there remains a vaguely-defined set of high expectations that has been bred into us."

(Part Two below)

[ChiGuy]

Part Two:

"We're entitled. This ain't Kansas City. It's Chicago, serving for well in excess of a century as Capital of the American Middle West. It well and truly remains a place that can look around for literally hundreds of miles in all directions and see nothing remotely like itself, serving as it does as a regional beacon and magnet for the brightest and the best from across the full disciplinary spectrum of human endeavor. People from parts elsewhere who think that they know, naively and dismissively reckon this place to be nothing more than some kind of junior-sized New York City wannabee...that's simply laughable, and in a pitiful kind of way. Nor is this Cleveland or St. Louis or Detroit, all of which saw half of their respective populations --and virtually the entirety of their heavy industrial bases and front-stoop institutions of neighborhood stability and self-regulation-- simply vanish between 1950 and 1980. Where others utterly crumbled into the burnt-out husks that remain, we hung in there and survived.

"In short, and whether anybody else likes it or not, we're special folk, and we want it acknowledged. Whenever we leave the house for a meal, we typically don't bother to remember that we have been conditioned to expect hefty, too-big portions of everything in exchange for our hard-earned money..."

[ChiBloggO]

What a great addition to the Huffington Post! I think this section will bring a lot of pride to Chicagoans, and I hope other cities will be able to have their turn in the spotlight.

For me, Chicago is the perfect mix of personality, culture, neighborhoods, and the lakefront - which is pretty rare in big cities. I feel like Chicago is always on the leading edge of the next trend because it's always re-inventing itself. Just look at Millennium Park, the emerging South Loop, the West Loop, and on and on. Sure, some areas are over-developed, but I think it's because we have a pioneering spirit in creating these new neighborhoods - neighborhoods which used to be sore spots for the city. I know some would argue this is a bad thing, but I'm a cup half-full kinda guy (Full disclosure: I make my living in real estate). And with over 10,000 restaurants, you can eat somewhere new for the next 30 years without repeating.

I could probably write for days about my favorite bars and restaurants, however, the one place that stands out for me as a nostalgic place to visit is Buffalo Joes in Evanston - probably the BEST WINGS IN THE COUNTRY!!! My buddies and I used to eat a full party pan at least once a week while in high school (I went to New Trier - go Trevians!). It's all about the sauce - nothing less than the "suicide" - just watch out for

[ChiGuy]

Buffalo Joe's wings with the "Sui-cide" sauce are THE best wings anywhere!!!
I used to have to go to downtown Evanston to get 'em, but since they opened closer to me on Howard St., I am there at least once a month.

(New Trier sux. ETHS Wildkits all the way!) ;)

[ChiBloggO]

Ha ha. Too bad New Trier has won more State Championships than ETHS. Oh snap!

[debwarot]

What a great articel - it brought back a lot of my own fond memories. I left my home in Chicago 15 years ago. I now live in Charlotte, NC and have found many things to like here, but Chicago will always be the home my heart yearns for.