For those who are reading this that are not native to the U.S.A., Memorial Weekend is supposed to be a time when Americans reflect back on the soldiers who sacrificed their lives to preserve the dream and country that this beautiful land is built upon. However, like most American holidays (or any countries holiday for that matter) it usually just turns into a long holiday weekend to hang out with friends and get drunk and eat. This year my parents came to spend Memorial weekend and my birthday with us here in Chicago. Along the way Petra bought me Sushi at Hama Matsu, we rode bicycles down to North Avenue Beach to see the absolute chaos that is Memorial Day Weekend there, ate and drank at the wonderful Tilli’s Restaurant near Boys Town, had a beautiful birthday brunch at the Fireside Grill with friends and family, hung out with our new neighbors on the beachfront patio at our apartment late into the evening, drank some rare beer and had a few lessons about it in the process from Michael Roper, the owner, of  Hopleaf, and lastly ate authentic Mexican at Frida’s in Andersonville. The weather was perfect, except for a few perfectly timed massive thunderstorms that rolled through town and right on out again.

View PHOTOS.