Ah, nothing like 70 degrees, sunny and living in Chicago. I have a few rules about living here, most of them are about doing more. Some of them I take a little heat for, like not going to Wrigley Field until the Ivey has turned green. There are about 40,000 people in the early weeks of baseball, per game, that disagree with this one. But, we have options here; you can visit some of the pubs in the immediate area, watch the Cubs and still get the feel of the ball park. And, no lines or bitter winds that accompany early season play. But, the cold won’t matter much longer, because it’s starting to warm up and the canopy of green comes pretty fast in Chicago. In a couple more days our weather beaten, barren trees will dawn beautiful new suits of green leaves. There is just so much activity this time of year: smiling people in the streets, sidewalk cafés start to fill up and the outdoor gardens open - it’s Weiss beer season and yes, I’ll have a lemon with that.

At this point it may sounds like all we do is eat, watch baseball and drink beer, but that is just the beginning of summer here. I can’t wait to go sail, watch the first regatta of the year: the NOOD, where everyone is fully clothed, it stands for “National Offshore One Design”. I also make a point of charting a boat from the Chicago Sailing Club for my clients. Last year I took about 60 of my clients on three evening trips to Navy Pier, a beautiful fireworks show and a little wine and cheese.

We have great music venues, too. The Grant Park Symphony is something that I don’t get enough of each year and a trip to Ravinia is a must. And, we have street fairs every weekend with live music and great food. One of the first I make it to is the Andersonville street fair on the north side of Chicago. And, there are many more. Each weekend has several all over the city. Great food and great music are the foundations of summer life in Chicago.