We had a busy week in Chicago while all the time thoughts kept returning to the road leading out of here. While on the train downtown I overheard an older lady talk of all the places she wants to go (“Oregon is suppose to be pretty” and “Boston would be nice but the people are suppose to be mean” were two of my favorite comments). Two tourists were walking around downtown, snapping pictures with the woman wearing a Berkley shirt. And on and on. But Chicago is prety cool too and we were lucky enough to be able to check out the Printers Row Lit Fest.

Justin Roberts and The Not Ready for Naptime Players rock it out

A bit overshadowed by Blues Fest, Printers Row is the more sober of the two. I mean who ever heard of throwing down a blanket and getting drunk while perusing a good book. What I do like about the fest are all the authors set up at tables hawking their own books. I met one such author, Jaymie Simmon and left with her book The God Gene. I think I remember hearing it reviewed on NPR. What got me was her repeated insistence that the book is a comedy.

Our little book worm

Also present are many children authors and a whole stage dedicated to pleasing kids with children focused bands and story telling. There are also face painters and a smattering of arts and crafts as well. Sometimes just hanging out in your backyard is trip enough.