A New Year's Night to Remember

Well, the new year ('08) has begun. My new year rang in Chicago w/ my friends Al, Anne, and Kevin along w/ three new friends (Patty, Illiana, and Wendy). We had dinner at Kevin's as the guys cooked (I just chopped...garlic and onions...they did wonders for my chances of an 'extra interesting' new year.)

Dinner was fantastic: filet mignon(Kevin-grilled on the roof of his bldg in the cold Chicago weather) and scallops(Al-battered and pan-fried). We then watched Al's award winning Dancing w/ the Euro Stars competition (seriously, Al, that needs to be on youtube.com so all can see), then headed over to a largely hispanic restaurant and bar called Carnivale.

The dancing was good, the atmosphere was great, and the swingers were out and about...quite literally. One couple was on the prowl. Wendy, ever the observant one, noticed how a couple was interacting on the dance floor: the woman dancing away enjoying the moment while the man was...let's just say putting in his time. Wendy's take on his presence on the dance floor was likely very accurate though we later found out just how so. (I won't say precisely what Wendy's take was b/c it's her take thus her place to say not mine. Suffice to say "he was putting in his time"...hint, hint!)

Wendy witnessed this couple 'approaching' another couple with a 'proposition.' Not too surprisingly the guy wanted to 'join' this couple while the woman did not want to 'join' them. This couple in question, that is to say the 'swingin' couple, I would say was in their late forties.

I cannot even imagine trying to convince, or even wanting to for that matter, a girlfriend or Heaven for bid wife, to swing...w/ a couple you just met on NYEve's no less; but apparently that is precisely what he did...to no avail though. The real question is did this guy get lucky on NYEve or get the boot. If that woman has the morals she displayed in refusing him this tryst he did indeed get the boot.

Well the ball dropped, in spanish, we hugged and kissed and wished each other a happy new year as we continued dancing in the new year. Then it came time to leave. Despite closing the place down, particularly the dance floor, when we went to get our coats we found that a couple hundred other people were, in fact, still there just waiting for us to leave so they, too, could get their coats. We, most of us anyway, managed to get through the lines rather quickly. Unfortunately, two of crew HAD to use the restroom placing themselves at the very end of the coat line. An hour later, just kidding, it was more like two...no about twenty minutes later the crew was ready to role home.....via cabs just the way we rolled into Carnivale.

But, alas, it was NYEve IN Chicago. As the snow continued to blow down like it only can in Chicago's notorious winds, we ventured out to find cabsss; as in three. See we had too many for one cab and our observant one was heading home south of our current location while the rest of us were heading back to Kevin's which was north. This is where the story turns.

After finding a cab for part of our crew, Illiana, Anne, Patty, and Al-being the gentleman to escort the ladies back (as you cannot hear the intonation in my voice I will spell it out for you: THIS IS SARCASM!). This cab dropped Anne off at her warm home then continued on to Kevin's where the three mouseketeers warmed their fingers and toes in Kevin's home w/ hot cocoa and soft, warm chenille blankets.

Meanwhile, out in the sub-zero snow-storm, Kevin, Wendy, and I searched for another cab to take Wendy south. Keep in mind, finding a cab in Chicago is, on average, very, very easy. But, again, this was NYEve at 2A.M. After finally finding a limo-cab that was likely meant for someone else back at Carnivale, we had walked a block West hoping to increase our chances of getting a cab initially, Wendy was on her way home.

This left Kevin and I in search of a cab in Chicago on NYDay morning at 2:30A.M. as all the other bars in Chicago closed forcing the drunken masses out on to the streets in search of...yes...cabs! So here Kev and I are w/ no sexy legs w/ which to attract a cabbie fighting for corner space to wave down a cab. Everyone trying to one up the other; i.e. moving a block up river to beat others to an available cab which did not exist in the first place.

After swimming up river a few blocks, then upstream, then back down we found ourselves at a five-street-intersection with heavily active crossroads. People hailing cabs everywhere. Drunken people, mostly women in high heals, falling all over, yelling out for friends, all lamenting about not being able to get a cab.

We finally resolved ourselves to taking a bus and began commiserating with a few others at the bus stop. Meanwhile, two blocks upriver an accident was attracting the attention of the local authorities: fire engine, ambulance, wreckers, and police cars. Yep, for those that are thinking ahead you are correct. The accident and subsequent contingent of vehicles blocked our saviors path: the bus couldn't get through. So while we waited, and waited, and waited we could almost see our bus behind the cadre of flashing lights just waiting, even wanting to get through to save the night...but it was not to be.

Kevin and I then turned to plan C or D, I can't remember. Heck it was probably plan E. Plan C was for one of our fellow party revellers to jump in their car and come back and get us. Yep, you guessed it, they (and when I say they I mean AL) was too drunk to drive. So we crossed the street and went down. The Blue Line in Chicago, for those that are not aware, is the subway one takes when heading to O'Hara, which is of course Chicago's infamous airport. At this point, I'm thinking I could just go to O'Hara, fly home, and make arrangements to have someone drive my car to Cincinnati. Heck I probably would have beat Kevin home at this rate.

After a minor wait, minor by tonight's standards, another 15-20 minutes, the blue line arrives to take us closer to Kevin's...not home mind you. As I am determined to change my habits I was determined NOT to eat anything this late at night, until that is all this occurred and we wound up at my favorite Chicago pizzeria, Santullo's - New York style large slice thin pizza. It is fantastic. So we took respite in Santullo's for about 30 minutes prior to continuing our "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" venture back to Kevin's.

Re-energized we climbed back out to the battle of finding a cab in Chicago on NYEve-Day-morning. It was now about 3:45A.M. Hoping to increase our chances we split the street. I walked up river to hail a cab, Kev hovered around the bus stop...just in case. Within about 15-20 minutes I spotted a cab a block upriver dropping off his passengers and thought, "This is it. I have to go for it despite the guy directly across the street from the cab also attempting to hail a cab." As I began running and approaching the cab I heard my adversary's date/girlfriend/wife(?) say from somewhere under shelter off the street, "There's one across the street." I quickened my pace and made it clear there was no way I was backing down.

I reached the cab first and thought, "I've got it. This one's mine!!!" Then the doors wouldn't open. Cabbie dude had locked the doors and would not let me in. Again, my legs weren't sexy enough. I knocked on the window, not to be denied. He opened it and I began bargaining - pleading really. He asked if I needed to go to 'bad' neighborhood to which I, of course, replied, "No. No. Not at all!" which is/was true. He looked skeptical....hmmm, I now wonder why? I guess I look low class for Chicago's standards. He awaited a street name and address which I could not remember. I finally convinced him we did NOT need to go to bad neighborhood and that my friend would give him the address.

Well, we made it back to Kev's place to, of course, find the three little muskateers safe and sound and as snug as bugs in rugs. I got my revenge, though inadvertently on Patty and Illiana as I am sure my constant sneezing, blowing my nose, clearing my throat, and getting up to take Alka-selzer Nighttime Relief cold medicine was partially to blame for their early 8A.M. departure. Of course, the other part of that departure involved, and was likely the main culprit of their departure, was Al's snoring. So....Al.....your payback is yet to come! Not sure what it will be nor when but I am sure it will be equally testing of one's patience and perservance!!!

Make yours a very Happy New Year!
Brian ps