Baseball season and spring bring a lot of out-of-towners into the city. That part of the summer use to bother me. Every where felt crowded. I felt my unjustified ownership of the city being infringed upon. "I belong here and you don't" kind of a feeling. Riding the train home from work today I discovered a different feeling. Comfort. The train was packed with non-Chicago resident Cubs fans. Having so many tourists in town over the summer is like a security blanket, camouflage. There's a solidarity between Chicagoans that's not present in the winter. It's much easier to glide through the city unnoticed in the summer. And with so much commotion going on, with so many people around, you can catch some interesting things. People acting like they are unobserved because there are so many people around or because they know they may never be in this particular city again. I've observed some remarkable honesty.
With so many people in summertime Chicago not knowing where they're going you almost become invisible if you do know where you're going. I wouldn't like to feel invisible all the time but sometimes its convenient even fun. Seeing so many people who are so obviously other I feel closer to the city, more a part, not in an exclusionary way, but more a sense of home.
I also love the summer because so many more people ask for directions. I love giving directions.
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