I’m astonished at how my traveling buddy, Courtney, and I can run into anything when traveling. It happened in Seattle, Oakland, New York City, and Colorado Springs. No agenda planned. We magically run into spectacular festivities in the city we’re visiting. I call it LUCK!
In our hotel room in Wood Dale, Illinois (Chicago suburbs), we’re up in the am, mindset on Eastern Standard Time (EST), layering up for this Chicago weather as we prepare for our adventurous day in Chicago. We have already hit up Iowa, Wisconsin, and Indiana. My friend had already visited Chicago. It was time for me to see what Chicago has to offer.
My friend browsed through TikTok, her favorite go-to traveling guide, to find something to do in Chicago. Unknowingly, she wasn’t aware of the city hosting its Saint Patrick’s Day event today. Chicago’s infamous Saint Patrick’s Day festival attracts visitors all over. I heard about Chicago’s infamous St Paddy’s Day tradition of the dye-green Chicago River, but seeing this world-renowned event was mind bobbling.
My brain cells leaped with joy, mind Chicago stepping in response to the “Saint Patrick’s Day event is today at 10am” sound waved through my ear drums by my good friend. My mindset at the time was we won’t be able to see the green water since we were visiting Chicago a week before Saint Patrick’s Day. I was unaware of the 60-year-old tradition typically held on the Saturday before Saint Patrick’s Day. Our green luck came at the right time, thanks to my friend getting on TikTok.
We were all set and ready to set our eyes on this adventure to store in our traveling memory. I’m DJ’ing the music through YouTube with interrupted commercials as we’re in route to downtown Chicago. Time moved as my friend try to locate a parking space. Crowds scattered throughout the city, primarily decorated in green attire. Drones hover over the crowds’ heads. Courtney and I hurriedly paced through the moving masses for an excellent face-to-face view of this infamous green water.
Large crowds thicken and squeeze behind the early crowd at the edge of the riverbank, close as possible, to get a view of the green water. Crowds raised their cellphones up the best way possible, even asking guests in full view of the green water to snap pictures.
Yes, it was crowded, but this was a worthwhile moment to photograph the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local Union 130 UA dying the Chicago River green. We weren’t close to the rail to get a 360 visual view. Still, we assuredly ensured that we angled our phones to video record and capture this photographic moment.
Satisfied with our pictures and videos, we celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day in Chicago fashion. DJ blasting music blasting. We sing and dance along with the happy crowd.
We set our eyes on this adventurous photographic moment in the Windy City, like Ferris Bueller skipping school to get a taste of adventure. It was just our Green Luck to be part of Chicago’s infamous Saint Patrick’s Day celebration.
