A Look Back: Kuma's Block Party

When the weather gods are kind enough to give another glorious summer day in Chicago, it is wise to enjoy the sunshine as best as you can before they change their minds. Keeping this in mind, my boyfriend and I decided to head over to Kuma's Corner for their block party.


View Larger Map

Celebrating its four-year anniversary, Kuma's went all out, closing off a section of Francisco Avenue for over 200 revelers to enjoy music, free food and cheap beer. The restaurant is widely known as serving the best burgers in the city. Kuma's famed burgers are named after rock bands with a dizzying array of toppings, like the Led Zeppelin (10 oz. burger with pulled pork, bacon, cheddar, pickles) or the Lair of Minotaur (same juicy burger with caramelized onions, pancetta, brie, bourbon soaked pears).

We stayed long enough to enjoy the tale end of one band's performance, free pulled pork sandwiches and polish hot dogs, and $3 PBR. The crowd made for some cool people watching - tattoos, stretched earlobes, and big beards were plentiful.

Have A Little Pride

Advanced Warning: Pictures for this blog post include half dressed men, gyrations, costumes and simulated sexual actions. All photos were taken by Anthonia Akitunde

In the close to five years I have lived in Chicago, I have never been to a Gay Pride Parade, a shameful streak I broke today. One of the many highlights of the season, Pride takes place in Chicago's Boystown neighborhood, a center of gay life in the city.

Gay pride celebrations have occurred since the infamous New York Stonewall riots in 1969. This year's 40th Gay Pride Parade in Chicago saw more than 450,000 participants according to the Sun-Times.

The parade started at noon on the corner of Belmont and Halsted. After making my way through the throngs of people lining Halsted Street in the heart of Boystown, I managed to get a place on the bleachers with my friends to watch the parade unfold. I felt that while people were aware of the weightier issues that inspired Pride festivities - equal rights, not being ashamed of ones' sexuality - Pride was really all about having fun.

And have fun we did. Look through the slideshow below for pictures from this year's Pride Parade.

See What Develops

I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays! My boyfriend and I returned to a very wet and warm Chicago late last night after spending a few days with his family in Absolute Delight, a cabin in Maryland. I always love spending time with Derek's family and enjoy sharing in their love of storytelling and tradition.

Now that we're back in our apartment, we've settled into our routines: me sprawled out on the sofa, checking out my favorite blogs and sites; Derek at our desk, turning around every so often to update me about something ridiculous (i.e. a website where you can download free B movies like "JC," a tale of teenaged Jesus Christ reincarnate who rebels against his extreme Southern Baptist father and leads an LSD fueled pilgrimage out west); NPR streaming from his laptop. I've jumped from one emotional extreme to the next these past two weeks, so it's nice to have things moving at a familiar and happy medium.

Speaking of familiar and happy mediums, Polaroids are making a comeback despite the company's decision to discontinue the technology beloved by model casters, party photographers, and hipsters alike. A program called Poladroid takes JPEG images from online or from your digital camera and creates the iconic high contrast images surrounded by a white box. PC users can now download the program, and below you'll find some of my pictures from the past two weeks.

Lights on the Plaza in Kansas City, MO.

Little brothers, Ladi (19) and Tunde (13).

Stockings! (I forgot to bring one for myself so Derek and I made do with a pair of my thick winter stockings.)

Derek learning how to knit.

Cousin Tim with the cutest puppy ever, Nora. I want a puppy.

Squeal! Little Gracie snuggling on the floor with the puppy.

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Well, you shouldn't be. Especially if we're talking about the Art Institute's Art After Dark event this Friday. The event series is definitely not one to be missed: you get to view relatively new exhibits (this month, Henri Cartier-Bresson's photojournalistic glimpse of Paris are on display), see amazing performance art courtesy of Collaboraction, dance, people watch, drink, and eat to your heart's content. The Art Institute (111 S. Michigan Ave.) intends to keep the party going with an after party at the Base Bar at the Hard Rock Hotel (230 N. Michigan Ave.). To order tickets, click here.

Found It!

Found objects have seemingly become a big part of indie art and culture. FOUND magazine, which has its roots in Chicago, is dedicated to reprinting objects found by everyday people: birthday cards, drawings, photos, angrily scrawled notes left on windshield wipers. What I like most about this magazine and its website is that its about being alive and the trace materials we leave behind for other people to find. Our emotions, our thoughts, our daily lives can be picked up and glimpsed into by strangers who happen upon our to-do-lists scrawled on receipts.

Here are a few of my favorites on the website, from Chicago and beyond (click on the more link for info on how they were found and how it affected the person who found them):



more


more


more
(Ed. note: This reminds me of the day before we moved to our new home in Kansas City. My parents made me mad and I hid underneath an exercise machine and blankets. I eventually fell asleep and my parents were frantic, thinking I ran away until I woke up hours later.)


more

I could go on and on...

Pretty Hipsters

Voyeuristic to the max, I love the party photographer website. It's really an ethnographic study, friends. You get to bask in the pretentious and incredibly studied irony of hipsters across this great land of ours as they listen to music you've never heard of (gasp!), make out/show their boobies (double gasp!), and (wait for it) bring to mind the fashions and trends of Zach and the gang at ol' Bayside High/American Apparel's target audience (triple gasp!).

My favorites? Merlin Bronques infamous Last Night's Party...



...and Chicago's own Clayton Hauck at Everyone Is Famous. Sometimes normal folk slip in there. If you're lucky, you might see someone you know.