Through the revolving door

New friends pour, through the revolving door

View from the boat

New friends pour

As stomach lining meals before a big night out go, a salad with hardly any carbs is probably not the best choice, but I felt like I needed to eat something green & healthy again. The day had been taken up by a great brunch at Bakin’ & Eggs (definitely not healthy but very tasty), then a spot of cruising, checking out some impressive erections.  I can thoroughly recommend the architectural river cruise if you are ever in Chicago. Our guide talked constantly for the 90 minutes we were sailing, imparting pearls of wisdom about the buildings we pass and the history of Chicago. I walked back through downtown Chicago and back to Bob’s to get ready for our night out.

After dinner (the aforementioned salad) we headed to Sidetracks, a very large bar in the middle of Boystown.  The venue played good music and was filled with a mixed, friendly crowd. We met up with some of Bob’s friends, Jorge & Wes, and spent a few hours chatting, checking out the boys walking by and drinking.  Bob and his man headed home for a fairly early night and I was duly handed over to his friends like a big gay baton.  We got another drink and then headed to a different part of the bar – it was like a labyrinth – several rooms on different levels, numerous bars and lots of boys.  I got chatting to some of Jorge’s friends who had joined us. I did the standard speech about my trip when asked if I was here on vacation (holiday) and asked the new people what they did for a living etc.  In another example of it being a small world they both work for the same company I used to work for. I explain how I used to chair the LGBT employee network in the UK (my unofficial title being Head of Gays) but also know some of the network chairs from the US and Canada from various calls we have had. They know the names I reel off.  I moved the conversation away from work.

Jorge and Wes decide to head home and I am once again passed on, baton style, to my new friends. We grab one more round in Sidetracks before heading to Minibar, a much smaller venue with a much younger crowd. I feel old. Here my new friends bump into some of their friends, out celebrating a birthday. I get introduced to the birthday boy and wish him a very happy birthday. He asks if I am English. I tell him I am. He then makes a suggestion that makes me blush. The Americans do like the English accent. I decline his offer. I finally head home at gone 2am having met some great new friends.

Through the revolving door 

The Hancock building

The next day I am up fairly early and surprisingly hangover free. I see the lodger in just his shorts again as he walks to the kitchen to get a drink. He heads back to his room and I can hear him chatting to someone. The other voice is female. A relaxed Sunday follows, which is not too dissimilar to the Saturday before. We head for brunch, a phenomenon I am getting used to. I’m not sure back in London that I would ever wait quite so long for a table but here it seems to be the done thing. While we wait we have a few drinks. I head to the bar to order 3 mimosas. The barman points out that for a few dollars more I can buy the bottle of bubbly which will give us plenty of mimosas while we wait for our table. That is the sort of economy that I like so I buy the bottle and return with that, 3 glasses and a jug of orange juice.  I eat a meal of poached eggs, sausage patties, hash browns, tomato, biscuits and gravy.  I am beginning to understand why there are a lot of big people in the US.  The meal lasts me for the entire day. A few early evening drinks at Sidetracks, where on a Sunday they play showtunes, rounds off the evening. I have a couple of beers and enjoy chatting to Bob and his man. 

My final morning in Chicago I plan to go downtown to see the views from the Hancock building. The locals all tell me that instead of paying to go up to the observation deck it is better to go to the bar that is one floor below and use the money I would have spent on a ticket to the observation deck to buy a drink and enjoy the views from the bar.  A massive thunderstorm and torrential rain stops me from making it downtown though, so I never do take in the Top of the Cock. At least I have an excuse for going back to Chicago again sometime.

“New friends pour, through the revolving door” 
Lyrics from Old Friends from the musical Merrily We Roll Along