I know It's Only Chicago... But I Like It!

From June 25-27 my mom and I took a trip to see Chicago. We had many big things planned and we had to make sure we had a way to get everywhere. Upon realizing that we can fly into O'hare and take a train pretty much everywhere in the city, including our Air BnB, we decided to get ourselves 3 day passes instead of renting a car

As weird as it might sound, Chicago's Rail system was a big highlight of the trip for me. The O'Hare station was on the Blue Line, which also happened to be where our Air Bnb was, so that was very convenient. 

Our Air Bnb was in a neighboorhood called Bucktown. Our first stop was at Margie's Candy for lunch. My mom and I had Corned Beef Sandwiches, as well as what we both agreed, was one of the best Milkshakes we'd each had. If memory serves me correctly I had the Peanut Butter Milkshake and she had the Chocolate milkshake.

Bucktown itself was just a really interesting neighboorhood. If you ever find yourself I would definitely recommend Margie's, as well as a bar called O's Tap, a coffee house called Ipsento's Coffee, and also an amazing Hot Dog / Burger place called Redhot Ranch. There was also a really cool Art Mural that I couldn't help but take a picture of. 

While in Margie's my mom and I decided on where we were going to go for Dinner. She shot down my first few suggestions but eventually, I landed on a restaurant called Spectrum Bar and Grill. Unbeknownst to me, until my mom pointed it out, Spectrum was a Greek Restaurant, in a neighborhood that is literally called "Greektown." My mom claimed she hadn't had good Greek food in so long and I was willing to give it a try. So after a little bit of relaxation in the Air Bnb, off we went!

While at Spectrum, my mom and I split a Souvlaki Pita Sandwich, and also each had a Greek beer called "Mythos" to go along with our respective halves of the sandwich. The food was very good, and I also liked some of the decorations they had on the walls. It was mainly Cubs decor but you would also see the odd Bears, Blackhawks, and Bulls item.

From there it was time to head to Soldier Field to see The Rolling Stones concert. Our seats were way up high so we had to take a rest somewhere in the middle of the climb because it was just too much for us. Eventually, we got situated and were ready for some music

Opening for The Stones was Whiskey Myers, a Southern Rock band from Tyler, Tx. Not many in the crowd were familiar with them, myself included, but I found myself getting pretty into them. Songs such as "Stone" and "Gasoline" helped proved to me that they were a pretty good band who weren't too out of place after all. Plus I feel like very few Southern Rock Bands make it big nowadays so kudos to them for flying the flag.

The Rolling Stones took the stage and kicked off the show with "Jumpin' Jack Flash." I figured that song would have to be included in the setlist but I never would have guessed it would be the opener! The same could be said about "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It) being the second song.  It was a sign of things to come because the setlist was consistently good throughout the night.

Some absolute gems outside of the smash hits (You Can't Always Get What You Want, Sympathy for the Devil, Honky Tonk Women) in the middle of the setlists were acoustic performances of "Play With Fire" and "Sweet Virginia." Then they played "Slipping Away" and "Before They Make Me Run" which are two songs that feature Keith Richards on vocals.

Then to close out the night, they played all of the hits that the crowd had been anticipating all night. Once Keith handed the singing Duties back over to Mick, they jumped into "Miss You." After that song, my mom leaned over to make a remark to me saying that she was loving the setlist, and all she really needed was "Paint It Black" to truly be happy. Apparently, there was a mistake in reading the Setlist, because after the first few notes of "Midnight Rambler," Mick stopped the song and asked if they were in the wrong key. He then went over to Keith, put his arm around him and said to the crowd "it's only the second night, and it's only one f*** up. I think we're supposed to be doing 'Paint It Black!'"

After that confusion, they jumped right into Paint It Black, giving my mom her wish, and THEN they finally played Midnight Rambler," in the correct key this time. The last 4 songs were "Start Me Up," "Brown Sugar," "Gimme Shelter," and of course, "(I Can't Get No Satisfaction)."

What amazed my mom and I is that despite his health problems as of late, Mick Jagger hadn't lost a step at all and was still his energetic, iconic self up on stage. He was dancing, moving his hands around, moving all across the stage, and displaying all sorts of energy that you probably wouldn't even expect from a 40-year-old man, nevermind a 75-year-old man. It kinda made me feel bad about myself because at times I felt like I was going to die while taking the mile walk back to Roosevelt Station after the show, which didn't take nearly as much effort. 

All in all, the Rolling Stones put on as fun of a show as I could ask for. After I missed their 2015 show in Atlanta, I wasn't sure I would get the chance to see them in my life. When the opportunity arose to travel to see them this summer, I knew I couldn't pass it up, and I knew it had to be Chicago.

As I touched on before, my mom and I were completely worn out after the show and the walk back to the train station. Which was a little bit unfortunate because down in the station, there was a guy with a guitar-playing Rolling Stones songs to all of the people on the platform. He was actually really good and he had quite a crowd of people around him. So kudos to Guitar Guy if he ever reads this blog.


The next morning, my mom and I both agreed there was very little chance that either of us was going to approach day 2 in Chicago with our usual energy, considering how tired we still were after night. That being said, it was still a great day.

After heading downtown and getting off the train we decided to get breakfast at this place called "Goddess and the BAKER." The highlights of Breakfast were the delicious Bagels, as well as the decor.  In honor of Chicago's Pride Parade that weekend, the ceiling was decorated in with Balloons in order by the colors of the rainbow.

Following our delicious breakfast, we then went over to the riverwalk to admire its beauty. Literally called the "Chicago River," it flows for a little over 150 miles and empties into Lake Michigan. It is the same river that is dyed Green for Chicago's St. Patrick's Day Parade (Chicago really loves to throw Parades don't they?)

From there we did some sightseeing on The Magnificent Mile before stopping in at Water Tower Place Mall to check out the Chicago Sports Museum, Harry Caray's Restaurant, and The Lego Store they had there.

Throughout the trip, I used Google Maps walking directions to get around the city, and there were sometimes where my mom and I were sent in some weird directions. This was one of those times because we ended up going around the entire block before fiding the mall. I suppose it wasn't the worst thing because some of the architecture was absolutely breathtaking and well worth the extra steps.

The Sports Museum had many interesting exhibits in it. There was a room that involved trying on Shaq's shoes, a replica of William "Refrigerator" Perry's Superbowl ring, as well as seeing how your wingspan compared to Scottie Pippen's.

There were lots of assorted artifacts and photo ops celebrating all of Chicago's sports teams, even though ones like the Chicago Sting who won the 1981 and 1984 Soccer Bowls, one of which was on Display. I suppose my two favorite parts of the Museum were the celebration of the Cubs 2016 World Series win, as well as a whole wall telling the story of various Curses and Superstitions, the latter of which was not just specific to Chicago, or even specific to America. There were even superstitions of English Soccer teams that were given nods by the exhibit.

After the Museum we decided to take a break and visit Harry Caray's restaurant that was connected to the Museum,. For those that don't know Harry Caray was a legendary broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs and was also portrayed by Will Ferrell on Saturday Night Live back in the '90s.  I decided to take a picture with his bust while trying my best to match his facial expression. Maybe if my glasses were slightly bigger I felt like you wouldn't have been able to tell us apart.

Speaking of the Cubs, I also went to a game at Wrigley Field when I was in Chicago. How's that for a transition?

After strolling the outside of the Wrigley, my mom and I decided on a pre-game meal at Maddon's Post across the street. We even had one of my friends who moved to Chicago from Atlanta a few years ago. While there I decided to eat the "City Chicken" (which was actually pork, some pretty amazing pork to be fair), and also had a beer called "Try Not To Suck" which apparently drew inspiration from a quote that Cubs manager Joe Maddon made in a press conference one time.

Being in a place like Wrigley Field, which has been around since 1914 was surreal to me because up until that point the oldest Baseball park I had been to (if you want to call it that) was RFK Stadium, which was only built in 1961.

On that particular night, the Cubs were playing the Atlanta Braves in a matchup between 2 first place Baseball teams, and you could tell by the size of the crowd. The game itself got off to a thrilling start as Braves leadoff hitter Ronald Acuna Jr was walked, and then managed to score during the next at-bat due to a throwing error by catcher Wilson Contreras, and then a low pitch that got right by Contreras to the backstop. I know every player has a bad day but I was expecting to see a little bit more when seeing an All-Star Catcher like that in person

Things went from bad to worse for the Cubs as Brian McCann hit a solo home run in the 2nd Inning, and then Nick Markakis, who is still my favorite player in MLB after all of his time with the Baltimore Orioles, hit a three-run homer in the third Inning.

In the 4th inning, a somewhat lengthy rain delay happened. Eventually, the game re-started and my mom and I stayed for an extra-inning or so but then decided that we had both seen enough and returned to the Air Bnb. I took it upon myself to try to experience the nightlife that Bucktown had to offer, and then eventually went to bed.

This trip had just about all I could ask for and more. Chicago is an amazing city and I'm glad I got to experience it as much as I did. I will be returning in September for Riot Fest, so maybe this won't be the last time I blog about Chicago.

An Interview With Youngdriver: One Of My New Favorite Bands

A few months ago, I had the privilege of being granted an Interview with Khenidi Pippin, the singer/frontwoman of Atlanta Pop Punk band Youngdriver for a class assignment. Said assignment was writing a news story about the Atlanta Music Scene, and what it can offer to students.






Youngdriver are fairly big players in Atlanta's music scene so I knew someone from the band, whether it be Khenidi, or one of their two guitarists, Luke Crawford, or Donovan Lloyd would be able to provide great insight. As you will see below, Khenidi did a great job of answering my questions, which was a big part of me getting an A on the assignment.





I encourage you to follow them on Social Media (@youngdriverga on Facebook and Instagram) and check out their next show at Smith's Olde Bar on July 27. After all, who WOULDN'T want to see a band that plays good music, and helps their fans get good grades on College Assignments?






Q: What do you think Atlanta’s music scene offers to students?






A: Atlanta's music scene offers something for all different kinds of musical interests. Most of our shows have been in ATL and for a good reason. There are more opportunities to grow in the local music scene here! Not only from a band's perspective but from a student's perspective; especially, a student highly interested in music, Atlanta provides a large variety of different genres, unlike other cities. We've been a part of shows here performing alongside with pretty much every single genre except country. Also, the venues here are awesome. We love playing at The Masquerade, Center Stage, Smith's Olde Bar, you name it. For students interested in the music scene here, there's a ton of access to recording studios, venues, music lessons/classes, clubs, SO MANY TALENTED & AWESOME local artists/bands, etc. We have made so many friends being a part of the ATL music scene. You meet so many awesome people. There is something to offer for all students!






Q: Do you feel like the lyrics you write are something that students can relate to?






A: Absolutely. We write our lyrics in a way that expresses how we are & what we go through (& have gone through). When performing these songs, my ultimate goal is to let all the listeners know that we've been through a lot emotionally & physically. I want that person that might be going through the same situation know they're not alone. With lyrics, the goal is to be real & to have enough guts to tell the world about what's on your mind, in hopes of helping someone who may not want to live tomorrow. Basically, writing these lyrics is our way of releasing something negative & turning it into something positive. Deep stuff, I know. But then we have songs like "Bullet" where we're just like "WOW YOU SUCK" to an ex or some person you hate & I think everyone has had that 1 person in their life that has done you wrong. ESPECIALLY in college!






Q: I couldn’t help but notice the on-stage rock paper scissors when I saw Youngdriver live and I feel like it added to the experience for me personally. How important is it to do things like that to make it more fun for both you as well as the audience?






A: It's so funny because people bring that up all the time & I literally NEVER notice it when I'm performing!!! I watch a video from a show & I laugh way too hard every time. It's awesome, & I love performers who aren't afraid to let loose! It's important to let that humor out, because life is short, and doesn't need to be taken so seriously all the time. We perform & play music because it's our passion & it's fun. Not for the money or the stardom. We would tour for free. But ANYWAY yes rock paper scissors is a fun past time on stage.

Epic Baseball Week (Part 3) - A Grand Ol' Greenville Time

Before I go any further I would just like to apologize for how long it has taken me to write this piece and finish this Baseball Road Trip Series. Part of it has been being very busy between school, work, and other obligations that currently take priority over this, as well as sometimes lacking motivation. But I am back, and I am hoping that I can still write about all my adventures that happened in the span of me not writing. Without further ado, here is the final piece of my family's Epic Baseball Week.


I have been to Greenville, South Carolina many times over the last few years. All of them have been to see some kind of sporting event because that's usually my main reason for traveling, but I'm a huge fan of the city in general, and it's somewhere I could see myself moving after college.


Whenever I make a trip to Greenville, it usually starts with me getting a Slurpee from 7-11 as we approach downtown, since we don't have any in Georgia. Unfortunately this time I accidentally directed my mom to a 7-11 that inadvertently took us a little bit out of our way. It wasn't a huge deal but even as I sipped on my Cap'n Crunch Berry flavored Slurpee (I was skeptical too but it tasted amazing) I still felt a little bit bad about it. This did not deter us in any way, shape, or form in the long term because we still made it to Greenville with plenty of exploring time.


When going to see a Baseball game in Greenville on a Saturday, your best bet for free parking is to park in at the Tax Collector building. I don't know how it works on weekdays but it hasn't failed us yet on a Saturday. The West End district of Greenville has a lot to offer in terms of shops and restaurants. A personal favorite of mine is "The Vault" a store that specializes in Retro Sports Appearal. On this particular day, I decided to buy a teal colored Florida Marlins hat (which is much better than their current logo but that's a story for another day), and a Furman University T-shirt. Why the Furman T-shirt you ask? Simple, the shirt had the Institution's initials on it, which would, of course, be "FU." It has since become one of my favorite shirts and has drawn the laughs of many of my friends and acquaintances. The Vault well and truly has someone for everyone, and is a must visit for any sports fan.


For lunch, we went to Kilpatrick's Public House, an Irish Bar/Restaurant that is attached to a Comedy Club. Considering it was the middle of the afternoon, there wasn't any comedy going on but a still decent selection of food and drink that made it a worthwhile choice.


After lunch, we made our way to Fluor Field. Unbeknownst to me, that night's Drive game against the Asheville Tourists was one of four “Copa de la Diversión” games, a celebration of Greenville's Hispanic community. With this special promotion, included alternate uniforms and also going by the name "Greenville Energia." 


With Greenville being a Red Sox affiliate, Fluor Field has a handful of nods to Fenway Park. The most prominent one, being a replica of The Green Monster in Left Field. One of the highlights of this game was a player hitting a homerun over the Green Monster, a feat that my brother and I pondered being possible for a Single-A player. We never said it couldn't be done. So technically, we weren't wrong.


It's not often that going to a Baseball game teaches me a valuable lesson, but this was one of those rare times it did. The dessert stand at Fluor Field is called Sweet Caroline's, a nod to the song "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond which is sung by Red Sox fans every game at Fenway Park in Boston, as well as Drive fans in Greenville


While looking at the menu, I couldn't help but notice that the larger sized Ice cream was only $1 more more expensive than its smaller counterpart, so I decided to take advantage of that. This turned out to be a poor decision because it ended with me getting an upset stomach. Eventually, I decided I needed I needed to leave the confines of my seat in favor of the grassy knoll on the third base side, which in all fairness, was a great place to watch the game. 

So even if it did end up going well in the long run, I still think I will refrain from upsetting my stomach by eating too much Ice Cream, in general, but especially at Baseball games.


This was another tight contests which would also end up going to extra innings. This was the night after the crazy extra innings game in Atlanta that we couldn't even stay until the end for,  so we decided we'd had enough and made our way home.


A few days later my brother flew back to Virginia,  and my mom and I took quite a bit of recovery time following our amazing, but very busy, week.


I had never done anything like this before, but I honestly couldn't have asked for better places to have visited, or better company in my mother as brother. Well, maybe my sister and brother in-law in addition to them, but maybe that can happen next time.


I definitely don't think it'll be my last "ballpark tour" and when it does happen again, I will be sure to document it the best I can on here. Thank you for reading.