Justin’s Late-Night Birthday Party

Met up with Kent in the evening, in Wicker Park. Kent convinced Justin to head into Chicago and so there was going to be a kind of small gathering, to celebrate his birthday. With his arrival slated for later in the evening, Kent and I went out for some dinner and cocktails.

We wandered around a bit (it’s been a long while since I’ve come back to Wicker Park). We waited in line briefly at the Violet Hour, then decided we weren’t wanting anything that fancy.

We ended up going in to Blue Line, located right beneath the Damen stop. For as long as it’s been since I’ve walked around Wicker Park, it’s been twice as long since I last stepped foot in this place.

I will say this: Kent and I both thought the interior of the bar was great. Throw out all the huge wide-screen TVs, as the place had plenty of charm on its own.

Outside the Blue Line (both of them).

After picking up some beer, we returned to the apartment where Kent was staying. It was an AirBnB setup, and after a day… his hosts decided they were going out on a trip, and left him on his own.

The apartment is located right on Milwaukee, right near where Myopic is located. I remember saying that this apartment is the kind of place I would have loved to have had, when I first moved here 16 years ago… if I had only gotten my shit together.

Looking back towards the kitchen.

Around 10PM, folks started to show up. Of the first to arrive: Gretchen and Rob, and their dog Cody.

I want to say Justin showed up around 10:30 PM. While talking about his life as a digital nomad, he showed us his briefcase setup. I think he’s gotten incredibly adept at being able to take his tools anywhere he needs, being able to work wherever he needs.

Chatting in the living room. L to R it’s Rob, Cody, Kent, Chris, Kate, Gretchen, Justin, and Lara.

In the kitchen, chatting. Had a nice time chatting with Rob about possibly using Kickstarter to fund an art project. And also got into some really interesting conversations with Kate.

As much of a lightweight as I am anymore, I was able to last a decent clip. For someome who more likely than not ends an evening around 10PM, I was surprised I actually made it until after 2AM.

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Drinks with Kent