Sorry for my bad Nelson song reference, but I thought it to be the best way to describe my Chicago trip. It literally never stopped raining. Even when there was a small break in the clouds, long enough to put your umbrella away, there was still a drizzle.
I still had a good time despite the rain, but it seriously limited our sightseeing and photo opportunities.

We stayed at a hostel right next to Depaul university called Arlington House. It offered us no amenities, but we were able to stay for cheap and it was in a great part of town (Lincoln Park). We were able to enjoy the local eateries and visit a couple of local shops (one of which I loved called Climate – I’ll try to share my Halloween discoveries from there tomorrow).

The actual craft fair was fun, even though it was pouring. I feel really bad for the vendors. I’m not thinking the turnout was what they had hoped. My friend Retta actually got soaked, since she didn’t have her own umbrella. It was funny, I even heard someone say, “I think at this point my raincoat has stopped repelling the water!” Everyone was having to pour the rain from their tents. It was a mess. Here’s some pics from the event…

At this point, we had hoped the rain was lifting, but 5 minutes later it started pouring again. No fun!

This kid had the right idea! I’m glad someone enjoyed the rain.

I did see some cool stuff…

Vinyl cuffs from Miss Alison. She has some great 80’s inspired pieces. Love it (and her web site is great too!)

The bottle cap jewelry from Weener Ware. The owner was super nice and the bottle cap jewelry, magnets, and more were fun and sparkly. Bottle cap jewelry never gets old.

These felt earrings caught my eye as well. I love the colors and the wrapped look with the gunmetal chain. They are by The Biggie

I walked away with a Renegade Craft Fair shirt, some Sublime Stitching patterns, a ring made out of a nut, 2 subscriptions for only $5 each (Venus Zine and Ready Made), and an Iphone case. Here’s an iphone pic:

I was going more for the experience, not to buy a bunch of stuff. I have been wanting to go to a Renegade fair for a while and I’m glad I got the chance! I think Chris actually was the big purchaser…he got 7 t-shirts!

We didn’t really get to see or do much else. As we were leaving, I accidentally swiped the side of a car next to me in the parking lot. Chris documented it in photo form here. Yeah, he wanted to get the whole experience, as crappy as it was.

On the way home, we drove through 2 areas in the road that were REALLY flooded. At one point, as we were leaving Indiana and entering KY, we were stuck in a traffic jam. And of course I had to use the bathroom the whole time. Well, we got off at the next available exit and to the local McDonald’s to take care of matters, only to find that the power was totally out. Yikes. Actually, most of the area was without lights. We finally found a convenience store a couple of miles up that was totally packed. I guess everyone had our same idea!

All in all, it was a great trip. Chris and Retta were great pals to go on a trip with (they made the drive so much better). We will look back on it fondly, even though the rain kept us from really breaking out and sightseeing!

Gotta get to bed. Until next time Swellions!