Things I Like Chicago

Yesterday was the opening day of the 29th annual Taste of Chicago. According to the Mayor’s office, this 10 day festival which starts the Friday before the 4th of July and runs through the following Sunday is the 2nd largest tourist attraction in Illinois (they don’t mention what attraction is at the top of the list).

The Taste started as a one day food extravaganza in 1980 and took place on Michigan Ave near the river. The huge turnout and overall success of the event prompted the city to move it to Grant Park the following year. They also extended the event to its present 10 day schedule and added musical performances. In fact, the free music has become almost as big a draw as the food. In addition to local bands (The Lovehammers, Chicago Afrobeat), the main stage gets some big names. This year has the Wallflowers, Buddy Guy, Booker T, Counting Crows and Barenaked Ladies. See a full schedule here.

But back to the main event. In the beginning, the Taste was a great opportunity to sample a variety of ethnic and regional specialties local to our city. Unfortunately, the ‘bigger is better and humongous is best’ approach soon took over and food portions became ridiculous. It’s hard to sample more than a couple items when each ‘taste’ is a meal in itself.

Add in the average July temperatures combined with huge crowds and the experience can be unpleasant if you don’t do it right. In the mid-80’s my office building was on Michigan and Jackson, directly across from Grant Park and the Taste. I went just once during the workday. Wearing a suit is not recommended while pushing your way through crowds of sweaty people walking around with giant turkey drumsticks dripping barbecue sauce and slabs of oozing pan pizza. I quickly learned to take advantage of the relatively empty restaurants on Michigan Ave for lunch and do the Taste in the evening when the sun was down and I could wear clothing that didn’t need to be dry cleaned.

And it sounds like the Taste might be getting back to its original purpose:

This year, Taste vendors are required to offer at least two "Taste portion" items, small-scale nibbles...(Last year and some previous years, vendors made only one Taste portion available.) And all vendors have been asked to include at least one healthy-eating item on their menus; you'll find a few that strain the definition of "healthy," but the number of sensible-eating options will be greater than ever this year.
~ The Chicago Tribune

My advice is to go in the evening, be ready for huge and messy crowds, and take advantage of the tasting portions. You’ll be comfortable and well fed.

And don’t forget the 4th of July fireworks display which, or course, takes place on the evening of the 3rd.