It didn't rain on our parade!

The sound of raindrops on the window a/c unit this morning...not a good indication of how the weather might be for the 37th annual Pride Parade here in Chicago. The parade started at noon at Belmont and Halsted. Around 11:40, we decided to get ready and head on out...the rain seemed to be letting up. We hopped on the El and exited at Belmont, heading east through a sea of people. Our goal was to get over to Broadway near Caribou Coffee. There were barricades at Halsted and Belmont so we headed north figuring we'd cross when we could. At this point the rain was gone, the humidity and sun were kickin' and we soon found ourselves wedged amongst way too many people on the sidewalk! At Roscoe, we cut over and briskly strolled through the alleys. We hit a dead end just past Addison and cut through a parking lot. We managed to cross Halsted and cut through the neighborhood over to Broadway where we finally settled at Broadway and Addison. It wasn't too crowded and I just text messaged friends saying we'd find them later. We settled in to watch the parade which was filled with the usual crazy costumes (or lack thereof!) colors, music, and freebies galore! At 3:15, the "Naked juice/smoothie" float passed by, handing out free bottled smoothies. Thank goodness because we realized we had not ingested a single ounce of liquid or food at all today! After the Parade we went in search of real food...this was a challenge as everything was so packed with people! We walked down the middle of Broadway almost to Diversey when we decided to head on over to the Duke of Pearth and have fish and chips and our first (and only) beer of the day. We enjoyed the lull from the cacophony of crowds while we ate out on the patio. From there we headed back to the El and made our way home. It was a very different Pride for me in that I consumed minimal alcohol and walked for what felt like miles! Tina and I are both quite exhausted this evening!!! I hope the little collages of images come through ok...and I hope you all have been enjoying your own festivities in Brazil! xoxoxoxo