My dear friend Painting Mama had moved from the Sunshine State to the Windy City. It was rough. I was going through a divorce and the inevitable fallout from that and was kind of needy. I was scared that I wasn't going to have her as part of my life once she moved away. I'm sure most people have felt this way at some point in a friendship. So, I let her go, albeit with a heavy heart.
A few months later, Painting Mama and I were steady using up our unlimited text messages and facebooking like fiends. It was great, but I missed seeing her face and getting drunk together and just talking, like you do with someone that doesn't judge you, even though they know all your dirty secrets. So, I started to plan a trip to visit. When I told her I was planning, she was just as excited as me. I think there might have been way too many exclamation points used at that time.
She was just as ready for a visit as I was. She and her family had moved to Chicago because of her husband's job, and she was feeling isolated and lonely without her friends and family around. We both needed this vacation. And since they hadn't lived in Chicago very long, we both thought of it as our first trip to the city.
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| Chicago as seen from Whiskey Sky bar at the W Hotel |
We asked our bartenders where we should head next and they directed us to a cool music venue in Ukraine village. Unfortunately, it was pretty full, but the bouncer directed us to a dive bar down the street. A true dive bar, it was pretty empty, (it was early still), but we made friends with the bartender, (a grandma type Ukrainian lady), who loved us and kept giving us Barenjager shots. After a bit there, we decided to head to a dance club.
Now, Painting Mama and I have a great history of dancing. There's a bar in Orlando, I Bar, that we have been dancing at for years. Our favorite night to dance was Sunday, which was 80's New Wave. Painting Mama is a huge Depeche Mode fan, and we are always on the hunt for a bar with the same feel as I Bar.
We had heard about a bar that might fill our requirements, i.e. dive bar, New Wave music, a bit sketchy, and lots of different people having fun. We ended up at Neo, a Chicago landmark. It was a dark building at the end of an unlit gravel alleyway. Definitely sketchy. We walked in and discovered a bar that you would not want to see during the day. Loud and dark and sticky. The perfect combination for a dive bar. We had gotten there early, for club standards, so we grabbed a beer and a shot and found a seat on the side of the dance floor.
We noticed something pretty quickly. The music seemed to be a bit more industrial than New Wave. And the crowd seemed to be a bit more industrial too. Hardcore punks and skinheads seemed to be the main demographic of the crowd. It was a little intimidating at first, just feeling like we stood out in the crowd. But we were quick to discover that just like us, nobody really cared what we looked like.
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| Ready for a night out. |
Even though the music was not what we were expecting, it was still danceable and we were ready to dance. The great thing about dancing at a club, especially an alternative club, is that nobody cares how you dance, as long as you are dancing. In that respect, Neo felt exactly like home. Dancing ensued, as well as copious drinking. Through the evening, we danced and laughed and talked to strangers and drank and smiled. We never felt unsafe, or unwelcome in the slightest.
By the end of the night, (which was 5 am), the crowd had thinned out and we were starting to slow down. I, being a bit tipsy, decided to request a song from the DJ. I had been listening to a lot of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the time and requested "Heads Will Roll", figuring the DJ probably had no Yeah Yeah Yeahs considering the soundtrack of the evening thus far. He didn't have it, but he told me he'd see what he could do. As he announced the last song of the night, I figured we were out of luck for a song and started getting ready to head out. Suddenly, "Y Control", an earlier release of the band came on and I jumped for joy. (Literally, I'm pretty sure I jumped up and down.)
We hit the dance floor, a second wind giving us ridiculous energy for two girls that had been at it for 12 hours. Hopping around and smiling, I looked around and realized that everyone in the club was dancing as well. A roomful of serious punk kids were just as animated as we were. Maybe it was the booze or the exhaustion, but it felt like a perfect moment. At the end of the song, I hugged Painting Mama, the girl next to us dancing, and the DJ. (Maybe it was the booze.)
It was one of those moments that seems surreal. A lovely mix of time, place, location, company, and experience. It, and the associated memories, have stayed with me for 5 years. And every time I hear "Y Control", I remember that trip and all it entailed. Not just that night, but the next day sitting next to the river, the cute bartender at the Publican, the view from the 33rd floor of the W Hotel, the millions of miles we probably walked because we could never decide where to stop and eat, the time spent just chilling on her couch with her husband and son, watching Netflix and drinking Jack Daniels. All of those memories hit me every time. And I also think about my gorgeous friend, and how much I love her and how blessed I am to have her in my life. We have had many adventures since then, but I will never forget that moment in time. Or that song.
Check out the video for "Y Control". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcjPFAV1foU
Check out Painting Mama's artwork on the iPhone app Vango Artist Sherry Streeter.
Until next time, kids, stay hip and make some memories!
