4th of July Weekend in the Sloop: Fireworks and Deadheads

A letter for security on how to deal
with Deadheads on LSD

It's 4th of July weekend in Chicago and that usually means there is a lot going on.  And this year, Chicago is actually the nations #1 fourth of July location according to Priceline (thanks Grateful Dead)!

If you're like most American's viewing some form of fireworks is a must.  If you're in a highrise on a high level with a view to the west and/or south, it's always cool to see the random explosions throughout the city.  If you're looking for the city's big show, it will take place on Saturday, July 4th at 9:30 pm.

Curbed Chicago scopes out some of the best spots to watch in the city and obviously include numerous spots in the Sloop (Museum Campus, Adler, Norther Island, Buckingham Fountain).

Beyond Fireworks, the other major event this weekend is the Grateful Dead Fare Thee Well concerts.  These start Friday night and end on Sunday night.  For the non-deadheads out there, this is being billed as the final shows for the remaining members of the band.  It will be nostalgic for many, but more interestingly it will be quite the scene throughout the neighborhood.

Tickets have been hard to come by (but it seems like prices might be coming down on the secondary market as the concert nears).  And if you can't get a ticket, there are an amazing amount of other "dead" events taking place around the city to cash in on the hype around the event.  DNAinfo has a nice interactive map highlighting some of these.

While we didn't score tickets, we (or at least some of the Sloopin crew) will be out and about soaking up the scene on "shakedown street".  It shall be interesting...and maybe we see some deadheads on LSD since apparently security is being warned on how to deal with "these people".

Also, if you're still scratching your head about what the Grateful Dead hoopla is about, they actually played some shows in California last weekend if you're interested: