Monday

I'm hopefully done with busy weekends. I had to go to Chicago on business this past one. It was a good time, but in the middle of a sub-zero cold snap and basketball season . . . not exactly a welcomed excursion. We went to Million Dollar Quartet Saturday night at The Apollo. I'd seen MDQ on Broadway in 2011, but I think the Chicago version (which is where MDQ started, if you don't count its "regional/local" release in Seattle) was better. The Jerry Lee Lewis artist, Lance Lipinsky, blew me away. Absolutely blew me away. Of course, the half-dozen strong drinks at dinner probably helped the effect, but wow. When the kid releases his first album, I'm buying it. * * * * * * * Chicago is a great city. I really like it, but you know what I don't like about it? Its inauthenticity. Now, I detest the Authenticity Police, those self-annointed snobs who eschew anything that is remotely touristy or is somehow not "authentic." Such a pursuit for a middle class white guy is, when it comes right down to it, kinda ridiculous. If you want authenticity, walk around east Detroit at night, sign up to fight in Iraq, or volunteer in Africa to fight AIDS. You're not going to find "authenticity" in any American tourist spot. That being said, all (and, I think, all) Chicago attractions in The Loop are geared toward tourists. Try this experiment: Ask another patron at a restaurant where he's from. He won't be from Chicago. Ask someone on the street for directions. Chances are, he won't know because he's not from Chicago. The Loop area is one big tourist attraction, with the only exception being the finance district toward the south side of The Loop. And that's an exception only on the weekdays. On the weekends, there is no such exception: it's tourists/vistiors as far as the eye can see and businesses that are geared toward them. Now, the tourist attractions are very cool. I'm not sure there's any major city in America that has so many excellent adult-oriented tourist attractions, except Las Vegas, but contrast it to Manhattan. In Manhattan, everywhere you go, there are New Yorkers mingled with tourists and visitors. There are tourist attractions, yes, but the restaurants and theaters cater to locals and visitors, whereas in The Loop, the restaurants and theaters cater solely to out-of-towners. * * * * * * * For what it's worth, my niece lives in Chicago. She loves it there but agrees 100% with my assessment. The "authentic" Chicago isn't found in The Loop. She, for instance, rarely goes there, unless as a tourist herself (she lives on the far north side of Chicago) or as a street performer.