I’ve always had it for Chicago. Started when I was young. I was 15 the first time I visited the place. It was the first “big city” I went to. Michigan Avenue’s bigcityness, that Sears Tower towering over the Midwest, the grit of the neighborhoods, the scary subterranean avenues, the El, all of it. Really had an effect on me. You know, one of those “maybe someday I could make this my home” kind of things, right?

Well, I spent two days there this time around, and man, I’m here to testify about a couple things:

01. I ain’t that tough. The place wore me out pretty quick.
02. I don’t know if I am cut out for that kind of hustle and bustle. Prob’ly not.

Funny how when you are young, green and bright-eyed how all that wildness and intensity means a lot to you. And kinda scary how it kinda wears on you as you get older and older. Dale and I were on our way down to Midway and I couldn’t help exclaim, “I don’t know how the fuck people do it. I mean, it’s like the city is almost ‘against you’ or something. Cutthroat, almost.”

Dale rolled his eyes. He used to live there and knows how to handle the place. Don’t know if I could do it. Portland’s “small town/big city” ways have weakened my ability to take a city on headlong. Same thing happened in NYC a couple years back and I had to throw the towel in on it, in trade for the green scene of New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the west.

It was good to catch up with the bad boys of Coudal Partners, get a tour of Busy Beaver (thanks Christen!), scan the bins at Reckless, eat a Goblin Cock burger at Kuma’s Korner on Belmont and hang with Dale in his old city.

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SPEAKING OF CHICAGO, BUT, OUT IN PORTLAND: Cody’s got a show going in Portland at the FIFTY24PDX Gallery called, “Save My Life” and it’s on my shortlist for things to see when I get back. One of my favorites. See you there.

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FROM TORCH LAKE, FROM PORTLAND: My buddy Mark Welsh got himself going on the internet, and he’ll be filling this blog with all kinds of shit from here on out. A Michigan Brother. Not to be messed with.