CHICAGO 2010 BEST. DAY. EVER Part Three: MILLENIUM PARK AND UBERSTEINS

The heat was unbearable and it was a relief to find ourselves in Millenium Park, where in one area, two structures towered over and spilled, sprayed, and spewed water. Children (and some grown-ups) squealed as they splashed about. Some people waded through to cool off. Once every few minutes, water spewed out in a steady stream and kids gather underneath it to get soaked. It looked like the tower was peeing on them, and I couldn't find the appeal in it. I didn't want to leave this part of Chicago, though. It was too hot to go anywhere else.

The next stop was Wrigley Field jam-packed with bars. It was like being in a college town without the college. Amidst the raucous cacophony of people selling tickets, buying tickets, yelling for their teams (there was a game going on) or otherwise getting drunk in the middle of the day, we made our way to Ubersteins. It was not an extraordinary bar by any means. The decor was humble and the furniture was sticky. The World Cup was on all the screens. They offered one-liter steins, hence the name. I ordered half of one. It was the perfect end to a fun but exhausting day. Stories were told as we sipped our beers, mostly of drunkenness, of my little brother either throwing up or peeing or both in random places, of Neil passing out in his backyard after a drunken binge.

". . . and then we heard tsinelas (flip-flops) and so we threw Neil in the bushes when his Dad came out."

  Duando had gotten drunk faster than the rest of us, having chugged his liter and then finished mine. He pretended to be sober and failed comically.

  We were almost to the train station when Caroline spotted a sign."Ooh! Dollar jello shots!" We went in the bar, took our shots and left as quickly. We cheered Caroline for spotting the sign and for paying for the shots.