Pitchfork Music Festival: The Night Before Recap
So, here's to free hotel wireless. Blogger's finally decided to work, so my preview of Day Two will be up soon, along with a review of today's action after I get back tonight. Until then, enjoy this: yesterday, I arrived in Chicago way too early, and was forced to entertain myself. What follows is an account of that magical hour.
***
6:51 PM - I’m sitting in the cafe section of a Dominick’s on Higgins Road. I decided to break for dinner here because it seemed friendly and well-lit enough to accomodate an extended stay. My travel estimates were, as usual, a bit off, so I’ve arrived 3+ hours ahead of my festival companions, who are coming from Madison and have the hotel check-in information. I also miscalculated the relative ease of finding a coffeehouse with wireless capabilities, so I’m without an internet connection, as well. I do, however, have a grocery store.
The Dominick’s in question is one of those large, supergroceries that began popping up in the late 90s as a means of fighting back against megastores like Wal-Mart and Meijer. What this means is that, in addition to regular grocery store services, this location features amenities including, but not limited to, the cafe I’m sitting in and the self-service bar where
I got my food: eel rolls and Pom from the sushi bar. Surprisingly, for grocery store sushi, the stuff was pretty satisfying. However, with dinner out of the way, all I can do is wait.
7:07 PM - I’m seriously reconsidering my decision not to attend the pre-party tonight at the Metro. Not only would it give me a chance to see Voxtrot, but the simple act of getting to the club would’ve occupied my time until Janelle and her crew arrived. Plus, tickets were only $15. What was I thinking? Oh, right. “I hate Aziz Ansari”. That must’ve been it.
7:11 PM - I broke down and called Janelle. Seems that her theoretical ETA is one hour; however, I doubt this assessment. Even though they’re coming from the northwest instead of the southeast, the fact remains that navigating around Chicago is a truly harrowing experience. For instance, I spent an hour and 10 minutes on the Dan Ryan Expressway (that last part? total misnomer.) going 20 miles an hour and surrounded by the least capable drivers I’ve ever witnessed. The concept of exits? Totally eluded them.
7:15 PM - Voxtrot goes on in two hours, probably more. If I left Dominick’s now...
7:16 PM - There’s an old Japanese guy in a White Sox hat sitting at the table opposite me. He seems intensely interested in alternating between reading today’s Tribune and resting his head on the table. When he walked up, I was still eating my sushi, and I thought of how funny it would be if, once he sat down, he started eating a hamburger. There’s something wrong with me.
7:18 PM - Today on the Skyway there was a woman with sunglasses in her hair driving the car behind me. She was attractive and eating an apple. Once, by chance, we both looked up/back at the same time, and it seemed comfortable. After that, I kept trying to draw another look, but she wouldn’t hear of it. As we passed the McDonald’s in the middle of the road and I looked down to adjust the radio volume, she disappeared. I looked around me, checking the other lanes she might’ve switched to, but I couldn’t find her. It was very strange.
7:25 PM - My boredom is beginning to take over, so I’m going for a lap around the store. If I buy anything, I’ll let you know.
7:43 PM - Receipt:
Water - $.50
McVitie’s Milk Chocolate Caramel Digestives - $2.74
Tax - $.06
Total - $3.30
The walk was both refreshing and fruitful (as you can see). I bought the digestives from the world foods aisle because a) they’d been “reduced for quick sale” and b) I’ve always wanted to try a digestive. Something about the name seems so foreign, yet so familiar.
Some observations from the walk:
- If I ever owned a grocery store, I think I’d conduct all my business from the walk-in beer fridge during the summer. Seriously, how could you be stressed in there?
- While I was walking by the sausage, I noticed a girl around my age. She was wearing a lime green shirt, and I couldn’t tell for the life of me whether or not she was pregany or just a serious booze hound. I had to do the lame, double-back-and-pretend-to-be-interested-in-the-eggs move just to get another look. I might’ve asked, if I was one of those people who ask things like that. Then, I noticed that she was carrying a white purse. Somehow, I knew the second choice was correct. I walked by again anyway, just to reconfirm. As I passed the second time, I caughta whiff of her perfume. It smelled very good.
- Apparently, in my haste to pay for my sushi, I completely missed the panini counter at dinner. Damn my quick passion for East Asian cuisine.
I’m going to try my digestives now.
7:50 PM - The digestives get the thumbs up. Think of a less dense graham cracker coated with a slightly sticky chocolate/caramel cover on one side. I’m already resiging myself to the fact that I’m going to eat the whole package over the course of the weekend. I guess the British know what they’re doing in the world of cookies after all.
7:56 PM - I should be in the parking lot, sitting in my car with the air conditioner on and listening to the end of “This American Life”, which is about pen pals this week. Over the course of the trip, though, I determined that leaving the air on might not be such a “hot” idea (pun very much intended). While I was on the highway, I could almost swear that the air conditioner was pulling in fumes from my exhaust. For a while, I chalked it up to driving on a flithy road in a filthy city with filthy cars. When I parked at Dominick’s, I decided to test my theory. I sat for a few minutes, listening to a report on “All Things Considered” about how Floyd Landis is a dirty cheat, and the smell was still there. First the shifting cable (I didn’t even know I had one!) and now this. My car is trying to tell me something. I think she wants to be put down.
8:00 PM - It took me an hour to realize that I left my car unlocked. My car, where I keep my luggage and my wallet. I’m very dumb. Be right back.
***
6:51 PM - I’m sitting in the cafe section of a Dominick’s on Higgins Road. I decided to break for dinner here because it seemed friendly and well-lit enough to accomodate an extended stay. My travel estimates were, as usual, a bit off, so I’ve arrived 3+ hours ahead of my festival companions, who are coming from Madison and have the hotel check-in information. I also miscalculated the relative ease of finding a coffeehouse with wireless capabilities, so I’m without an internet connection, as well. I do, however, have a grocery store.
The Dominick’s in question is one of those large, supergroceries that began popping up in the late 90s as a means of fighting back against megastores like Wal-Mart and Meijer. What this means is that, in addition to regular grocery store services, this location features amenities including, but not limited to, the cafe I’m sitting in and the self-service bar where
I got my food: eel rolls and Pom from the sushi bar. Surprisingly, for grocery store sushi, the stuff was pretty satisfying. However, with dinner out of the way, all I can do is wait.
7:07 PM - I’m seriously reconsidering my decision not to attend the pre-party tonight at the Metro. Not only would it give me a chance to see Voxtrot, but the simple act of getting to the club would’ve occupied my time until Janelle and her crew arrived. Plus, tickets were only $15. What was I thinking? Oh, right. “I hate Aziz Ansari”. That must’ve been it.
7:11 PM - I broke down and called Janelle. Seems that her theoretical ETA is one hour; however, I doubt this assessment. Even though they’re coming from the northwest instead of the southeast, the fact remains that navigating around Chicago is a truly harrowing experience. For instance, I spent an hour and 10 minutes on the Dan Ryan Expressway (that last part? total misnomer.) going 20 miles an hour and surrounded by the least capable drivers I’ve ever witnessed. The concept of exits? Totally eluded them.
7:15 PM - Voxtrot goes on in two hours, probably more. If I left Dominick’s now...
7:16 PM - There’s an old Japanese guy in a White Sox hat sitting at the table opposite me. He seems intensely interested in alternating between reading today’s Tribune and resting his head on the table. When he walked up, I was still eating my sushi, and I thought of how funny it would be if, once he sat down, he started eating a hamburger. There’s something wrong with me.
7:18 PM - Today on the Skyway there was a woman with sunglasses in her hair driving the car behind me. She was attractive and eating an apple. Once, by chance, we both looked up/back at the same time, and it seemed comfortable. After that, I kept trying to draw another look, but she wouldn’t hear of it. As we passed the McDonald’s in the middle of the road and I looked down to adjust the radio volume, she disappeared. I looked around me, checking the other lanes she might’ve switched to, but I couldn’t find her. It was very strange.
7:25 PM - My boredom is beginning to take over, so I’m going for a lap around the store. If I buy anything, I’ll let you know.
7:43 PM - Receipt:
Water - $.50
McVitie’s Milk Chocolate Caramel Digestives - $2.74
Tax - $.06
Total - $3.30
The walk was both refreshing and fruitful (as you can see). I bought the digestives from the world foods aisle because a) they’d been “reduced for quick sale” and b) I’ve always wanted to try a digestive. Something about the name seems so foreign, yet so familiar.
Some observations from the walk:
- If I ever owned a grocery store, I think I’d conduct all my business from the walk-in beer fridge during the summer. Seriously, how could you be stressed in there?
- While I was walking by the sausage, I noticed a girl around my age. She was wearing a lime green shirt, and I couldn’t tell for the life of me whether or not she was pregany or just a serious booze hound. I had to do the lame, double-back-and-pretend-to-be-interested-in-the-eggs move just to get another look. I might’ve asked, if I was one of those people who ask things like that. Then, I noticed that she was carrying a white purse. Somehow, I knew the second choice was correct. I walked by again anyway, just to reconfirm. As I passed the second time, I caughta whiff of her perfume. It smelled very good.
- Apparently, in my haste to pay for my sushi, I completely missed the panini counter at dinner. Damn my quick passion for East Asian cuisine.
I’m going to try my digestives now.
7:50 PM - The digestives get the thumbs up. Think of a less dense graham cracker coated with a slightly sticky chocolate/caramel cover on one side. I’m already resiging myself to the fact that I’m going to eat the whole package over the course of the weekend. I guess the British know what they’re doing in the world of cookies after all.
7:56 PM - I should be in the parking lot, sitting in my car with the air conditioner on and listening to the end of “This American Life”, which is about pen pals this week. Over the course of the trip, though, I determined that leaving the air on might not be such a “hot” idea (pun very much intended). While I was on the highway, I could almost swear that the air conditioner was pulling in fumes from my exhaust. For a while, I chalked it up to driving on a flithy road in a filthy city with filthy cars. When I parked at Dominick’s, I decided to test my theory. I sat for a few minutes, listening to a report on “All Things Considered” about how Floyd Landis is a dirty cheat, and the smell was still there. First the shifting cable (I didn’t even know I had one!) and now this. My car is trying to tell me something. I think she wants to be put down.
8:00 PM - It took me an hour to realize that I left my car unlocked. My car, where I keep my luggage and my wallet. I’m very dumb. Be right back.
