Little known fact; the second largest "taste of" festival in the country is Buffalo's!

Actually, Taste of Chicago is an attempt to copy Milwaukee's Summerfest. Summerfest has been around 40 years, and while it's not a "Taste of", it is a great festival of music, food, and of course, beer. Even the Tribune and Sun-Times say so. The Sun-Times declared, "Summerfest is what Taste should be." And Friday's Tribune advised, "If you want to escape the Taste masses, Summerfest might be a better bet." And that Milwaukee's musical lineup this weekend wins out over Taste.

Do I sense that inferiority complex coming from our neighbor 90 miles to the north?

Actually, Taste of Chicago is NOT an attempt to copy Milwaukee's very successful and fun Summerfest. It evolved from several different lakefront events from the late 1970s and early 1980s, including Mayor Byrne's "Chicagofest" (which was the copycat), Mike Royko's "Ribfest," and July 4 fireworks displays in Grant Park.

I agree with Ken and the Sun-Times about TOC not being that great, and about Summerfest being better. The TOC food is overpriced and the portions are too small, unless you buy the big, sloppy, greasy turkey leg, which frankly is disgusting.

The entertainment is generally good. The people(girl)-watching is very good; I would say better than Summerfest. But it is an event that for many of us Chicagoans has become old and a bit tired.

I admit to a general bias against the event because when I covered it in 1984 for the City News Bureau, someone ran through a plate glass window atop the Prudential Building and plunged 39 stories to his death just north of the park. He hit a second-floor landing and splattered all over Beaubien Court. I looked at that and it sort of ruined my appetite.

If you want a real taste of Chicago, spend a long weekend here and plan your eating to sample what our city's restaurants and neighborhoods have to offer.

I went to TOC a few years back when I happened to be in Chicago for other reasons. I was, frankly, disappointed. Little of the food was particularly interesting and it wasn't really any great bargain.

I've found that to be generally true of "Taste of" festivals. I was at one in Cincinnati last summer (again, I was in the city for other reasons) and there were a lot of boring chains among the few local gems.

I'd far rather be somewhere long enough to sample a few good restaurants.

I'll challenge your assertion. When it first started in the 80s, you would get good-sized portions for reasonable prices, and it wasn't too crowded. But as it became more popular, the portions shrank and the prices went up significantly.

So if you want to sweat your butt off on a hot summer day in the middle of huge crowds and pay ridiculous prices for small portions of food that you have to wait on very long lines for, then yes, the taste of chicago is the place to be in the summer.

Little known fact; the second largest "taste of" festival in the country is Buffalo's!

Posted by: Liz | July 1, 2008 8:28 AM

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You beat me to it!!! i was gonna post the same thing, but man o man our chicken wing festival is THE BEST!!!!

I lived in Chicago for 16 years and worked downtown for much of that time. I went to the Taste a couple of times in the early 1990s, but the cost, large crowds, and usually sweltering weather put me off pretty quickly.

Also, the Taste is just too big. I used to work at Michigan Avenue and Jackson, across from Grant Park where the Taste is held. All the extra people made getting around that area really difficult. It was all just a hassle.

Chicago has many great neighborhoods, often with their own smaller Tastes throughout the summer. I'd recommend checking out those events--they're more fun and much more manageable.

Hi,

You have to have faith in Chicago's ability to make things work despite what any description or picture suggests. Over the years one learns that Chicago knows how. You can actually visit the Field museum, circumnavigate the taste with a walk along the lake with a stop for a taco or lemonaid, slip into the taste for 'a taste' and land back on Michigan Ave to the cooling breezes of the Towers and their cooling shadows. Talk about broad shoulders. It's a renew your faith in people experience and being with people is probable a close second to tasting the hearty fare. The music was an added freebie and only the patient were rewarded with that pleasure. Most of us dove in found the water fine and stayed longer than we thought possible with the 100,000 on site at afternoon's peak. Nice to see everyone..

If you want to get the full Taste of Chicago experience without leaving home, do this:

1. Deep fry an old shoe for a couple hours.

2. Eat your deep-fried shoe.

3. Take 2 $20 bills and burn them up.

Andy wrote:

If you want to get the full Taste of Chicago experience without leaving home, do this:

1. Deep fry an old shoe for a couple hours.

2. Eat your deep-fried shoe.

3. Take 2 $20 bills and burn them up.

But, Andy, you've missed the most important part...how do you simulate being packed into crowds of overweight, overstuffed adults and their overstimulated, overtaxed children?

"But, Andy, you've missed the most important part...how do you simulate being packed into crowds of overweight, overstuffed adults and their overstimulated, overtaxed children?"

I know! I thought about how you could replicate that in your home but couldn't come up with anything, so I punted. I was tempted to write "stand on a crowded bus in rush hour" or something, but then you're not getting the Taste of Chicago: Home Edition experience. And maybe you could get your family to force you into the corner of a room and then sit on you, but what if you live alone? Or only have cats?

Wow! Lots of haters on the Taste! Yes, it is crowded, and yes you may sweat, pay a little too much and be with 100,000 of your best friends, but it is fun. Bring a blanket, camp out in the lawn, bring TONS of water and try a new food along with an oldie. People watch. Or go by the lake and sit on the edge while the boats go by. And also, keep your eye on the ground for rogue tickets that have been dropped, it may be the difference between another "taste" size portion! If you don't want to go, then don't, but for those of us that like it, we'll be there every year. Diana's Chocolate Covered Frozen Bananas are waiting!

I hated the taste of chicago. The food is not good and frankly the crowds are too much. There is no place to sit. No shade to hide from the hot sun. When I attended 2 years ago, we went to see a free concert with Ray Davies (from the Kinks) perform at the TOC. Since there was no admission charge, people behaved badly. And Ray's performance was not so great. He only did one Kinks song and the rest of the concert music was terrible. Bring sunscreen SPF 70 because the sun will burn everyone. There was one area with a lot of porto-potties which was a good idea.

"Wow! Lots of haters on the Taste!"

I don't "hate" the Taste. I just think my time and money are better spent elsewhere. I tried it a couple of times and decided it wasn't for me. Everyone else is welcome to it. I do think the neighborhood Tastes are more fun.

I did not attend and can't give a first-hand account, but the message board attached to the Tribune's lead story today was, at least, eye-opening.

The story is about the four shootings, one fatal, that occurred in the Loop as the Taste/fireworks show was letting out. The "let-out" of the downtown fireworks show at the Taste is something I have experienced before. A moving mass of people flows westward from Grant Park toward the rail stations and bus stops in the Loop.

Anyway, there any many reports of roving bands of youths throwing fireworks at people and grabbing at women. Unfortunately, many of the comments have a virulently racial tone. I wasn't there, so I didn't see it, but whatever it was, I guess I'm glad I wasn't there.

It's a free-admission event that draws one million people to the lakefront. It only takes a few hundred hooligans to ruin it for many. Milwaukee's Summerfest charges an admission, and probably that's the way to go.

Heard it was horrible. Ever heard of a restaurant selling you tough ribs?