Memorial Day Weekend 2010

Yet another Memorial Day Weekend has come and gone and once again I have eaten at Giordano's on multiple occasions and survived the Bike the Drive on Lake Shore Drive. And, yet again, I got the extreme joy of seeing the Cardinals shellac the Cubs in their own dojo.

If you've read any of the previous posts, which God knows you did, then you know that we joined Pat, Meg, John and Dervala the Irish Import for a sail on the Tall Ship Windy and fireworks on Navy Pier on Saturday night. Quite the touristy venture, but with an Irish tourist in the States, we had to show her Chicago's coolness.

Poor Pat failed miserably in his attempt to help raise the sail on the Windy. It was truly embarrassing and I had to pretend that I didn't know him after his colossal letdown. It was because of Pat that the ship not only almost didn't move due to lack of sails, but it very nearly sank. That's a problem because I can't swim.

Sunday brought with it the annual Bike the Drive on Chicago's Lake Shore Drive. In 2008, I almost died ascending the Link Bridge over the Chicago River (aka the Kilimanjaro of bridges). That's what being old, portly and out of shape gets you - near death on a bridge. Try as ye might, riding a bike up a 90 degree angle is not a simple feat, especially with the aforementioned issues keeping me down.

2009 was a new year and with it came a newly borrowed bike to tackle the Link. With special praise and laud to Anthony Minor and his bestowment of "Red Dawn," I made it over the Link in a flash. It may as well have been a pancake, it seemed so flat. And I owe it all to Mr. Minor (and not Rainey).

With 2010 in the house and Red Dawn never returned to its rightful owner, we made the traditional entry from Belmont and began the journey of my inevitable death. Third time truly is a charm as we walloped that 10-mile trek, including that piddly bridge, in record time. I was reminded of my good friend, BZoll, with whom I worked at Saint Louis University, when I got across the bridge and smelled the tantalizing scent of frying bacon wafting through the air. I never found the source, but I wanted to eat some of that fried pork joy and bring BZoll back a slice or two. Sorry Beez.

Maybe one of these years we will man up and attempt to ride the entire length of the LSD like Julia's 72 year-old mother, Betty. This tiny creature is something of a legendary being who somehow manages to do half-marathons, triathlons, 30-mile bike rides, tall-building-in-single-bound-leaping and Illinois State Fair speed walking unlike any human 50 years younger. She is the inspiration I love to hate. I'm sure she will outlive me and probably speak at my funeral saying, "If only he wasn't so fat and out of shape, he'd still be with us today."

After conquering the LSD, we had to toddle off to the rooftop bleachers on Sheffield Avenue for the joint event between Saint Louis University and Washington University in St. Louis. As Julia, Pat and Meg manned the doors checking in the patrons and conferred their nametags, I sat up top saving seats and planning the demise of my arch-enemy E. Montgomery Burnes. E is Meg's niece and has been a thorn in my side as long as I can remember. She didn't bother me long as I threw her off the roof around the seventh pitch of the game. I doubt her parents even noticed.

Enjoy all the photos from the weekend by clicking HERE.